Review of Pickpocket (1959) by Cristóbal G — 10 Oct 2013
Alas, this is only the first movie I've seen by the famed Robert Bresson, an early inspiration to the French New Wave. (It seems no matter how many French movies I see, there are just too many to master.
) The film's story is quite simple - it follows Michel (Martin LaSalle), a young man perfecting the art of pickpocketing in 1950s Paris. It's kind of a mystery just why he does it - he seems like he could get a job, and he lives in austere conditions no matter how much he steals.
He seems to do it just because he likes to, and on some level wants to see how much he can get away with before he gets caught. Bresson apparently asked his actors not to emote for almost the entirety of the movie - it's a different feeling than, say, Wes Anderson's deliberately flattened, deadpan affects in his actors, but it works well here.
The actual pickpocketing sequences are extraordinary, though at times it's hard to believe no one is noticing what's going on. It's hard to say exactly what one gets out of the movie, not because the movie is vague or confusing, but because it's something ineffable.
This review of Pickpocket (1959) was written by Cristóbal G on 10 Oct 2013.
Pickpocket has generally received very positive reviews.
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