"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative at Digimage in Paris, where the film was also restored. The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release: Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Bresson's Pickpocket arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. Pickpocket was lensed by the great French cinematographer Léonce-Henri Burel (Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest and A Man Escaped, Abel Gance's Napoléon). However, given that virtually all of Bresson's films have some religious overtones, it isn't difficult to argue that Michel's journey is a symbolic one, to a larger extent reaffirming Bresson's at times brittle faith in humanity and salvation. The end result is a film that is seemingly wide open for interpretation. This is all deliberate - Bresson forces the viewer to study their movement and placement rather than focus on their trivial dilemmas. Their faces convey different emotions, but rarely reveal what they think or what their intentions are. As a result, right until the final sequence - where a very important emotional shift occurs - the film looks almost unnervingly methodical and feels remarkably reserved.Īll of the main protagonists are played by visibly overworked non-professional actors who speak only when they must. The film's visual style is extraordinary - the camera movement is well calculated, the framing is very precise (for example, there are no facial close-ups), and a number of transitions occur without big climatic moments. Indeed, the focus of attention is on the unique atmosphere in it and the manner in which it evolves as Michel faces different dilemmas. It has been said that Robert Bresson's Pickpocket was inspired by Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment and Samuel Fuller's cult hit Pickup on South Street, but the story the film tells is largely unimportant. Two years later, Michel returns to Paris broke but wiser, and ready to start from scratch. He makes big money in Milan, Rome, and London, but loses all of it in casinos and brothels. Everything is so easy and feels so good that Michel can't believe his luck - it seems like it is only a matter of time now before he makes enough and effectively redirects his life, and perhaps even starts a family with Jeanne (Marika Green), the young and beautiful girl who has been taking care of his ill mother.īut when the two thieves are arrested, Michel is forced to go into exile. The 'lessons' and Michel's 'practice sessions' are amongst the best sequences in the entire film.Ī third thief (the great comedian Pierre Etaix) joins the friends and they begin working as a team. They immediately develop a bond and the far more experienced thief begins teaching Michel everything he knows about the art of stealing. Soon after, Michel meets another thief (Kassagi) on the Paris Metro. The experience convinces Michel that knowing how to quickly blend in with the crowd is just as important as knowing how to quietly empty a handbag. He is asked a series of questions but is quickly released for lack of evidence. He wants to be a writer, but he can't force himself to stop stealing - the thrill of stealing is like a drug to him and he can't get enough of it.Īt a racetrack, Michel is arrested by the police. Michel (Martin LaSalle) is a young loner who steals watches and wallets to make ends meet. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Also included with this release is an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by novelist and film critic Gary Indiana. The supplemental features on the disc include an theatrical original trailer for the film video introduction by writer-director Paul Schrader Babette Mangolte's documentary film "The Models of Pickpocket" (2003) archival episode of the French television program Cinepanorama Q&A session featuring actor Marika Green and filmmakers Paul Vecchiali and Jean-Pierre Ameris archival clip from the show La piste aux etoiles and audio commentary by film scholar James Quandt. Nominated for Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, Robert Bresson's "Pickpocket" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
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