Review of Pickpocket (1959) by Blake P — 25 Mar 2013

"Pickpocket" is an excellent little film (clocking just under 75 minutes) that summarizes the transition from classic to modern filmmaking with economy and style. Today, Robert Bresson is a celebrated director, this being one of his most interesting films. It's flawed certainly, but when it reaches moments of brilliance, it really hits hard.

Michel (Martin LaSalle) is a small-time crook whose cockiness leads him to pickpocketing. The art of it intrigues him, and before long he can hardly stop himself. His mother strongly opposes, and his naïve love interest (Marika Green) just can't understand why he's doing what he's doing. Michel soon becomes famous among the criminal community, and at one point he even gets two accomplices. But he can't help but feel that, even though he's good at pickpocketing, it's leading to nowhere.

When the film starts, the credits assure us that this isn't a thriller, but rather a dramatic study. Despite this, it often works in both ways. It isn't conventional as a thriller, but the tense, silent pickpocketing scenes are so chocked full of suspense that we're just as nervous as the ones doing the deed. Bresson frames these scenes with precision, style, and perfect editing. If anything, this is when the film shines the brightest, and where it becomes the most memorable.

One of the most famous aspects of "Pickpocket" is that it uses unprofessional actors as the leading characters, and in this case, LaSalle is the least experienced. During the entire film, you can tell he isn't a terrific actor, but there's something about his presence that feels real. He's somewhat scrawny, and you can almost picture him as a child; friendless, quiet, and anxious. What LaSalle doesn't give us in a performance, he makes up in simply just being there-- his constant blank expression might be his own fault for his inexperience, but in reality it makes him look just as lost as Michel.

"Pickpocket" is one of those films that's almost indescribable. This is an influential film that needs to be experienced, not described.