The Hands of Robert Bresson
June 19, 2014 7:31 PM   Subscribe

'This elegantly beautiful supercut on “the tactile world of Robert Bresson” by Kogonada for Criterion shows the great French director’s notoriously precise skill is applied even at the slightest hand gesture. There are no faces in this video yet the drama of these scenes is palpable.'
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED (11 comments total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
I defy anyone to watch the ending of Au Hasard Balthazar and not weep openly.
posted by Atom Eyes at 8:05 PM on June 19, 2014 [1 favorite]


If you're interested in the formal possibilities of film, watching Bresson is illuminating.
posted by Wolof at 3:34 AM on June 20, 2014


Are these the whole shots from Bresson's films, or are they cropped to focus on the hands?
posted by forgetful snow at 6:16 AM on June 20, 2014


Full shots.

Bresson's films are incredible and definitely worth seeking out if you have any interest in film. I know there are several available for streaming on Criterion at Hulu plus.
posted by AtoBtoA at 7:25 AM on June 20, 2014


Bresson is definitely a filmmaker that I need to catch up on. Both Balthazar and A Man Escaped are on my watch list but I haven't gotten to them yet.
posted by octothorpe at 8:35 AM on June 20, 2014


That was very relaxing to watch.
posted by orme at 10:07 AM on June 20, 2014


> If you're interested in the formal possibilities of film, watching Bresson is illuminating.

Since that sounds a little dusty, let me emend it from my own point of view: If you're interested in film at all, watching Bresson is essential. Seriously, everything the man did is brilliant and (as Atom Eyes points out) often incredibly moving.
posted by languagehat at 11:11 AM on June 20, 2014


Worth a read— Adrian Martin on the terrifying L'Argent.
posted by Wolof at 3:21 AM on June 21, 2014


That's the first movie of his I saw, and it made me want to see all of them.
posted by languagehat at 6:56 AM on June 21, 2014


I would think that is an excellent entry point into his work. Assuming a hypothetical reader (or not!), what would be a good second one to see? I would suggest Pickpocket.
posted by Wolof at 7:12 AM on June 21, 2014


Either that or A Man Escaped. Most of the rest are just too goddam depressing unless you're ready for them.
posted by languagehat at 12:50 PM on June 21, 2014


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