Pickpocket (1959)

Michel passes the time by picking pockets, careful to never be caught despite being watched by the police. His friend Jacques may suspect, while both men may have their eyes on Jeanne, the pretty neighbor of Michel's ailing mother.

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writer:

Robert Bresson

Stars:

Martin LaSalle, Marika Green, Jean Pélégri

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Martin LaSalle	...	Michel (as Martin La Salle)
Marika Green	...	Jeanne
Jean Pélégri	...	L'inspecteur principal
Dolly Scal	...	La mère
Pierre Leymarie	...	Jacques
Kassagi	...	1er complice
Pierre Étaix	...	2ème complice
César Gattegno	...	Un inspecteur

Storyline

Michel takes up picking pockets as a hobby, and is arrested almost immediately, giving him the chance to reflect on the morality of crime. After his release, though, his mother dies, and he rejects the support of friends Jeanne and Jacques in favour of returning to pickpocketing (after taking lessons from an expert), because he realises that it's the only way he can express himself...

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Plot Keywords:

pickpocket | compulsion | 1950s | policeman | mother son relationship | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michel studies the book "Prince of Pickpockets" (1930), a biography of the Irish pickpocket George Barrington written by Richard S. Lambert.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Michel: I know those who've done these things usually keep quiet, and those who talk haven't done them. Yet I have done them.

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Connections

References End of Desire (1958)

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Soundtracks

Fragments from Orchestral suite No. 7 (Suite in G, Overture)
By Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (1656-1746) (uncredited)

User Reviews

Deliberately unconventional approach to filmmaking with great results

Pickpocket is a film that apparently has serious flaws- from the very beginning it displays little to no emotion as the actors on screen just say their lines and the camera just follows them from a distance, with no close-ups or any other tricks.

But what is unique about this film is that this very criticism is actually a deliberate attempt to cause uneasiness in the viewer. And it succeeds- the anxiety, as felt by the pickpocket in his everyday living, is also transmitted to us. So, to correct my previous statement: this movie does not lack emotions- it has emotions: anxiety, uncertainty, but these are delivered in an unconventional manner.

From a personal standpoint, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. It is hard to appreciate this dimension of the film at first. But after seeing some extras from the excellent Criterion package, I was able to understand better. How Bresson actually committed to cause these emotions in the viewer, how he re-shot several times various scenes until the actors just repeated their lines, until no trait of emotions were left. Michel's narration voice-over is flat, plain. These were non-professional actors set to work in a non-standard way, Bresson's way. And the result is this: a film somewhat off-putting, but still a great work of art.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 December 1959 (France)

Also Known As:

Pickpocket

Filming Locations:

Gare de Lyon, Paris, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,541

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compagnie Cinématographique de France

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min 77 min (1965)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1