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Au hasard Balthazar, (French:
"chosen-by-lot Balthazar", a.k.a. Balthazar), is a 1966 French film directed by
Robert
Bresson, starring Anne Wiazemsky.
Plot
The film follows Marie (Wiazemsky), a shy farm girl, and her
beloved donkey Balthazar,
through many years. As Marie grows up the pair become separated,
but the film traces both their fates as they continue to live a
parallel existence, continually taking abuse of all forms from the
people they encounter. The donkey has several owners, all of whom
exploit it, some with more kindness than cruelty. In the end, both
suffer ignominious fates, often at the hands of the same people.
They do differ, though, in that Marie's fate remains unclear,
whereas the donkey's is clear.
Reception
The film's religious imagery, spiritual allegories and
naturalistic, minimalist aesthetic style has been praised by film
reviewers.[1] This
"brief, elliptical tale about the life and death of a donkey" has
"exquisite renderings of pain and abasement" and "compendiums of
cruelty" that tell a powerful spiritual message.[2]
The noted filmmaker and Cahiers du Cinema critic Jean-Luc Godard
famously said of the film "Everyone who sees this film will be
absolutely astonished," "because this film is really the world in
an hour and a half."
Cast
- Anne
Wiazemsky[3] as
Marie
- François Lafarge as Gerard
- Philippe Asselin as Marie's father
- Nathalie Joyaut as Marie's mother
- Walter Green as Jacques
- Jean-Claude Guilbert as Arnold
- Pierre
Klossowski as Merchant
- François Sullerot as Baker
- Marie-Claire Fremont as Baker's wife
- Jean Rémignard as Notary
References
External
links
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