Au hasard Balthazar (1966)

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writer:

Robert Bresson (writer)

Release Date:

25 May 1966 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

The story of a mistreated donkey and the people around him. A study on saintliness and a sister piece to Bresson's Mouchette.

Plot Keywords:

Donkey | Burden | Beast Of Burden | Children | Purity

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Anne Wiazemsky	...	Marie
Walter Green	...	Jacques
François Lafarge	...	Gérard
Jean-Claude Guilbert	...	Arnold
Philippe Asselin	...	Marie's father
Pierre Klossowski	...	Merchant
Nathalie Joyaut	...	Marie's mother
Marie-Claire Fremont	...	Baker's wife
Jean-Joël Barbier	...	The Priest
Guy Renault
Jean Rémignard	...	Notary
Guy Brejac
Mylène Weyergans
Jacques Sorbets	...	Police Officer
François Sullerot	...	Baker

Also Known As:

Balthazar (USA)
Min vän Balthazar (Sweden)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

France | Sweden

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:L | Sweden:11 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Guyancourt, Yvelines, France

Company:

Argos Films

Trivia:

The main actress of this movie, Anne Wiazemsky, also became an author; in her book "Jeune Fille", she describes the making of the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: The "for Sale" sign that is on the fence when Balthazar runs through the gate is different to the one seen in close-up. Also, when he runs through the gate, the sign is in shadow but in close-up it is in full sun.

Quotes:

Marie: Don't you believe in anything?
Merchant: I believe in what I own. I love money. I hate death.
Marie: You'll die like everyone else.
Merchant: I will bury them all.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Marxist Poetry: The Making of 'The Battle of Algiers' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata No.20

One of the most memorable endings in cinema

The film's ending is one of the most memorable in cinema, and achieves an eerie grace, consistent with its almost unique tone - allusively Biblical and allegorical, yet resistant to specific meanings and interpretations. The plot is a narrative of human cruelty and escalating despair, but always with enough mystery in the motivation to ward off easy condemnations; and perhaps even to indicate divine guidance. Throughout, Wiazemsky seizes on the donkey as a symbol of transcendence(her mother calls it a saint in the end); it's formally christened at the beginning and undergoes something approaching a formal funeral, all of which gives its life the contours of a spiritual journey of discovery. The narrative encompasses both revelations (the interlude in the fair; new tortures like the mean old man who starves and beats him) and retrenchment; both life's austerity, its roots in servitude, and its enormous potential dignity. Never was a donkey filmed so evocatively - but as always with Bresson, the simplicity is thrilling too - there's no false artistry here; no dubious anthropomorphism. A necessary film, and I'm amazed that I'm the first one to be commenting on it here.