IMDb > Au hasard Balthazar (1966)
Au hasard Balthazar
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Au hasard Balthazar (1966) More at IMDbPro »


IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   3,966 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Robert Bresson (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Balthazar on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 May 1966 (France) more
Genre:
Plot:
The story of a mistreated donkey and the people around him. A study on saintliness and a sister piece to Bresson's Mouchette. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
2 wins more
User Comments:
One of the most memorable endings in cinema more (46 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Balthazar (USA)
Min vän Balthazar (Sweden)
more
Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:
Company:

Fun Stuff

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. more
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. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Piano Sonata No.20 more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
44 out of 66 people found the following comment useful.
One of the most memorable endings in cinema, 24 August 1999
9/10
Author: allyjack from toronto

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.

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more (46 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Au hasard Balthazar (1966)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Who died in a pond? (Criterion DVD's essay) fellini812
Actors looking up and looking down all the time fellini812
Animal cruelty? 5k-run
Gerard looks like Roger Federer? fellini812
What does the title mean? eamonn_keane
this movie sucked ratsnbats
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