Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) + Mouchette
(1967/Umbrella Entertainment DVDs/Region Four/4/PAL Format)
Picture:
C+/C Sound: C Extras: C+ Films: B
PLEASE NOTE: These DVDs can only be operated
on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Four/4/PAL
format software, and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment
at the website address provided at the end of the review.
After Alain Resnais, Robert Bresson is the most underrated
of the French New Wave filmmakers and had an almost poetic way of bringing his
themes and ideas to film that few had the touch and talent to do. So far, every film of his I have seen has
left me impressed and even amazed in its richness and ability to communicate
the human condition in real and even ironic ways. Two of his best films from his early peak
have arrived on separate DVDs from Umbrella Entertainment and hold up as well
as ever.
Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) is a comic, wonderful,
smart, profound and existential tale about the journey of a donkey that
reflects all the people around him, for better and worse, becoming a microcosm
of the human condition, man’s inhumanity to man, to animals and nature. Religion and Italian Neo-Realism also are
factors in this classic and it is a must-see for anyone serious about world
cinema.
Mouchette (1967) is the amazing follow-up
as the title character (Nadine Nortier) comes from a broken family and drifts
into a broken world where young ladies are ever so vulnerable. To say this is a flip-side of the first film
is fair, but does not do justice to either, this is a far darker work and not
just a tale of exploitation and decline, but about innocence in a quasi-sick
world and how much we deny it. His films
make us face that, almost as if to say denial is part of the problem, a lesson
more palpable in Spring 2008 than ever.
It is also a must-see from a master filmmaker.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.66 X 1 black & white images in both cases are bookended and come
from newly made prints that make a real difference in playback. Sure, some more work needs to be done,
especially on Mouchette, but this is
very good, especially for DVD. The PAL
format give the Video Black and edge, but HD and some more print work will
yield even more impressive results. Both
were shot by Director of Photography Ghislain Cloquet and his work here is
remarkable on a purely visual way that makes the narratives come alive. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is shows its age
and can be rough in parts, but is nicely cleaned more often than not and better
than the Dolby 1.0 a Criterion would use.
Jean Wiener’s scores for both benefit as a result. Extras include a trailer for each film plus other
Umbrella DVD releases, plus separate featurettes about the respective films
that are informative, but should be viewed after
watching the films.
You can
read more about Bresson’s great work with our coverage of two other gems he
made:
A Man Escaped (1956)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1094/A+Man+Escaped+(French+classic)
L’Argent (Money/1983)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2248/L'Argent+(Money)
As noted
above, you can order these imports exclusively from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
- Nicholas Sheffo
