Talk: Bresson

Robert Bresson (1901-1999) disliked commercial cinema, which he dismissed as nothing more than filmed theatre. In contrast, his artistic approach embraced sober narratives with a minimalist visual style, as well as carefully crafted sound, to express his protagonists’ inner world.

Bresson also preferred non-professional actors or ‘modèles’ as he called them, privileging emotional restraint in order to shift audiences’ attention from the visible to the spiritual. Diary of a Country Priest (1951) follows a young priest’s struggles with self-doubt; A Man Escaped (1956), offers a meditation on human resilience and will. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) reflects on the cruelty and compassion that coexist in the world, and Mouchette (1967) portrays the devastating isolation of a neglected girl.

Together, these films exemplify Bresson’s cinematic and spiritual vision and how ordinary lives are shaped by suffering, grace, freedom, and redemption. In this talk we will discuss further one of the most idiosyncratic and uncompromising French film directors of the 20th century.

Speaker bio:
Martine Pierquin is a film curator, educator and researcher who specialises in French cinema. She has shared her love of film by teaching in universities (Edinburgh, Stirling) and leading educational film events at festivals and cinemas across the UK.