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Bresson forever

SYMBOLIC TREAT Au Hasard Balthazar is considered one of Bresson's greatest films

Robert Bresson (1901-1999), the great French director was often called the patron saint of cinema - for the strong Catholic themes found in his work and also for his contribution to the medium. Collective Chaos is presenting three of his films over the weekend. Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest (110 minutes, 1951) will be screened today. The film represents a radical departure from the staid movie adaptations of novels that had preceded it. Rather than translate author George Bernanos's story of a small-town priest's struggle with doubt - and the petty provocations of the townspeople - in the usual fashion, Bresson chooses instead to place an emphasis on the character's inner life, his thoughts, and simple joys.

On Saturday, Pickpocket (75 min, 1959), inspired by Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment will be screened. Michel (Martin LaSalle), a young thief, is caught one afternoon, breaking his dying mother's heart and shocking his friends. The police inspector (Jean Pélégri) is unable to prosecute him, but the implications sour Michel's social standing. Trying to straighten his ways, Michel is again drawn to the criminal world, where under the tutelage of a master pickpocket he reverts back to thievery. All the while, his conscience nags at him, in the memory of his deceased mother as well as in the presence of Jeanne (Marika Green), a beautiful young woman who shows compassion toward the troubled Michel. Eventually, Michel's lucky streak ends, forcing him to find redemption in the most ironic of circumstances. Au Hasard Balthazar (95 minutes, 1966) will be screened on Sunday. The film tells the story of Marie, an unlucky farm girl, and her beloved donkey Balthazar. As Marie grows up, the pair become separated, but the film traces both their fates as they continue to live a parallel existence. Marie and Balthazar become martyrs, eventually taking the sins of others upon their own heads and finding transcendence in the process.

The screenings are at Nani Cinematheque, CFD, 5th Floor, Sona Towers, Millers Road. For more details, log on to: www.collectivechaos.org or call 25203932

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