Robert Bresson was one of those rare storytellers that could take a universal theme and apply it in real-world terms into an image that was both beautiful and horrifying. L'Argent is Bresson's opinions on money; and the evil lengths that some people do in order to get it. The idea being that it has the ability to turn moral people into evil creatures. It is no surprise then, in this instance that the story begins with two (supposedly moral) teenagers who begin a life of crime through the forgery of bank notes. The journey that the central character Yvon takes on his fall from grace is from devoted husband and father to ruthless murderer. Whilst his journey may seem a bit too simplistic for some, it should be seen as a metaphor that the capability for evil lies within every man and that the money of the title acts merely as an accessory. Yvon suffers a series of negative events which affects him until his character quite literally hits breaking point and then commits the ultimate sin; all of which was as a result of money. Bresson's style is famous amongst directors and it really is breathtaking stuff to watch. The amount of meaning and power that he can get in to a film with minimal dialogue, unprofessional actors and in a relatively short period of time is impressive. Some of the scenes are mesmerising simply because of their lack of typical filmic conventions. The lack of a soundtrack also adds to the horror of the conclusion; which only adds to its realistic nature. Perhaps it is the lack of filmic conventions which means that Bresson's films are not well known by the general public, but if people can view just one of his masterpieces; it would be difficult for it not to stay in the viewer's mind and increase the desire to see and speak more of his output. L'Argent was unfortunately, to be Bresson's final film, his long in development filmed version of the book of Genesis never came to be; but it is a masterful swansong and indeed is highly recommended.
Review of L'Argent
