Pickpocket (1959)
Genre: Crime / Drama
Duration: 75 minuten
Country:
France
Directed by: Robert Bresson
Stars: Martin LaSalle, Marika Green and Jean Pélégri
IMDb score:
7,5 (27.369)
Releasedate: 16 December 1959
Pickpocket plot
Michel decides to go bagging one day, but is soon arrested by the police. While he is in prison, he reflects on the moral aspects of his crime, but soon after his release his mother dies, after which Michel picks up again, this time after receiving tips from a more experienced person.
Actors and actresses
Michel
Jeanne
L'inspecteur principal
La mère
Jacques
Accomplice 2
1er complice
Un inspecteur
Reviews & comments
De filosoof
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- 2487 messages
- 1698 votes
I am a fan of Godard so when I found out that Godard is a fan of Bresson I couldn't ignore it anymore. This movie is my first Bresson movie. The first thing you notice is that the film is not very experimental – so much more conventional than Godard's films – and also a bit slow and minimalistic. The film is about a young man who picks up pockets, which gives the film a chance to show some of the tension and ingenuity of this art, but in the end it comes down to why he chooses crime over the honest life: is he lazy? , morally corrupt, does he hate society? Does he really believe that he is superior and therefore has the right to break the law? He is selfish in any case, but the girl who takes care of his mother falls for him just as well (or because of that) and eventually he lets love into his life. The film raises more questions than answers, at least for me, but the life of the pickpocket fits well with the dominant philosophy of existentialism of the time, which puts authentic life above bourgeois life. All in all, not a bad film, but a disappointment compared to Godard's films.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Bobbejaantje
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- 2301 messages
- 2092 votes
Not uninteresting film that embraces the fashionable existentialism at the time. If God isn't dead, it doesn't matter much here. The moral question 'may a superior person commit a theft' was also discussed in Hollywood films at that time, when you replace 'theft' with 'murder'. When I have to describe the atmosphere of the film, I think of 'dreary'. Somehow I was happy when it was over.
Martin LaSalle and Marika Green seem convincing to me as protagonists. In terms of social approach and approach - working with non-professional actors - this film has common ground with Italian neorealism. The dialogues between the two protagonists remain on the surface. Despite the underlying morality, it lacks depth. The strong ending contributes to a positive rating for me.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
Decent film by Bresson, but one where I couldn't just squeeze into the story. Distant approach to the event from Michel's point of view. Michel is not a waterfall of speech, but the context and his train of thought are often outlined via a voice-over. That voice-over is quite emphatic and I didn't always think it was successful.
Furthermore, it is stylish and minimalist. A film also with a certain morality that sometimes gets a bit thick. Highlights for me were the actions of the pickpocketing itself for which the necessary time was taken, both during practice moments and in reality. Stunning at times. Would it really be that easy that no one feels anything?
Not as strong as Un Condamne..., but definitely worth seeing.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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