Penelope wrote:How about, Damien, instead of ridiculing me, which has seemingly been your favorite activity these past few months (and thus the source of my curiousity into why certain people are cruel and enjoy humiliating other people), how about elucidating your reasons why Au Hasard, Balthazar is a worthy film?
Oh, don't be such a self-involved drama queen. If your idea of cruelty is someone saying "There are no words" and posting an emoticon next to your rating, as well as calling you out on Hilary “Skank” and pointing out your error in word usage, then life must have been pretty good, and people very kind, to you over the years. (Or, more likely, you are ridiculously thin skinned.) A couple of posts do not constitute a “favorite activity.” Sheesh. (If you want to see real spite and nastiness from me, go to the Baseball post-season thread.)
As for Au Hasard Balthazar, it’s among the most affecting movies I've ever seen, and even as it makes one personally contemplate our time on earth through the empathetic quality of Bresson's vision in combination with his objective style, it's also filled with mystery and an unsettling wondrousness. Through the character of Balthazar, Bresson conveys such a rich catalogue of human experience, both in what he experiences and in what he observes. The brilliant opening of the film, in which a bray from Balthazar interrupts a musical piece by, I think. Schubert, is a perfect crystallization of how every human wants his figurative voice to be heard and how so few will have contributed anything lasting – and yet in Bresson’s universe everyone can achieve something great – redemption. (For a director who doesn't deal in overtly religious subjects -- other than in Diary Of A Country Priest -- Bresson is one of the most spiritual filmmakers imaginable.) Thus is Bresson’s clear-eyed meditative style – he is rigorous but his handling of all cinematic elements (camera placement, editing, sound, the unique way he handled the performers in his film – most weren’t actors) is so precise and perfectly attenuated that his films make you want to shout with joy. One of Bresson's great accomplishments is his realization that we'll look at a donkey in a different way than we observe other humans, and while we feel affection, concern and sympathy for Balthazar, his plight reflects, complements, and enhances our understanding of, the human characters and ourselves. It's an utterly beautiful and heartbreaking movie.
But I guess as donkeys in film go, you’d better stick with Francis, The Talking Mule. Or maybe, better still, some hunky character on One Life To Life will have a long-lost brother, who turns out to be a donkey. (Now, THAT’s cruel.)
Edited By Damien on 1257058895