DVD Pick: Mouchette (Criterion Collection)
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A Powerful Movie From One of the Greatest of Filmmakers
Robert Bresson (1907-1999) was a French filmmaker whose legacy includes Pickpocket (1959) and Au hasard Balthazar (1966), titles that often appear in lists of the greatest movies of all time. But Bresson made several other films that are extraordinary, including Mouchette (1967).
The title of Mouchette is taken from the name of the tale's protagonist, a schoolgirl of about 14 who lives on the outskirts of a dreary village in 1966 rural France.
She is dirt-poor, slovenly and sullen. The villagers treat her with contempt. The film depicts a series of incidents in Mouchette's miserable life that revolve mostly around sex and death.
In terms of plot, Mouchette is easy enough to follow. But along the way, Bresson raises a number of thorny issues, some of which are philosophical in nature. Interpreting the movie is difficult because the filmmaker was wrestling with the enigmas and paradoxes of human existence. Bresson's willingness to explore life's complexities is what makes Mouchette so fascinating.
The Hunting Area and the Poacher
Adjacent to the village in Mouchette is a wooded area used for hunting partridges and rabbits. The wild animals are photographed in a manner that suggests a parallel between their situation and that of the girl Mouchette. Incidentally, there's a brutal scene showing a rabbit in the throes of an agonizing death.
The film's second-most important character is Arsène, a man who illegally traps animals in the hunting area.
One stormy night Mouchette happens to encounter him in the woods, and he turns out to be the first person in her life to treat her as an equal. What transpires between Mouchette and Arsène is unsettling, but it's crucial to the story since it causes her to undergo a transformation.
Bresson's Peculiar Style
The style of Mouchette is typical of Bresson's work, which is usually described as austere, ascetic and stark. He hired nonprofessional actors and painstakingly rehearsed them to rid their performances of theatricality. He was a master of composition, but camerawork and editing were generally straightforward. However, he often eschewed establishing shots, and he would deliberately leave unexpected ellipses within narratives, requiring the viewer to deduce what must have taken place. In short, Bresson was unorthodox, and Mouchette reflects his refusal to be bound by convention. But his stylistic approach adds to the power of his filmmaking.
A Pair of Good Behind-the-Scenes Vintage Featurettes
The Criterion Collection DVD containing Mouchette provides a half-hour featurette that amounts to a making-of documentary. It is accessed by selecting the menu option "Au hasard Bresson," but the documentary is German-made and titled "Zum Beispiel Bresson." However, only French is heard as we watch behind-the-scenes footage of Bresson directing cast and crew in making Mouchette. There are some interesting remarks by Bresson, such as, "I think the muse of painting can be friends with cinema, but the muse of literature can't really."
Also on the DVD is seven-and-a-half additional minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of Mouchette, this having aired on French TV as an installment of Cinema's "Travelling" segment. Here we learn that the movie was shot in the Vaucluse, a region in southeastern France. We also find out that the actress playing Mouchette was actually 18 and the actor who plays the poacher Arsène is in real life a mason. When the interviewer asks Bresson if he can summarize Mouchette, the filmmaker responds, "No. It can't be summarized. If it could, it'd be awful."
DVD Review Continues on the Next Page
A Powerful Movie From One of the Greatest of Filmmakers
Robert Bresson (1907-1999) was a French filmmaker whose legacy includes Pickpocket (1959) and Au hasard Balthazar (1966), titles that often appear in lists of the greatest movies of all time. But Bresson made several other films that are extraordinary, including Mouchette (1967).
The title of Mouchette is taken from the name of the tale's protagonist, a schoolgirl of about 14 who lives on the outskirts of a dreary village in 1966 rural France.
She is dirt-poor, slovenly and sullen. The villagers treat her with contempt. The film depicts a series of incidents in Mouchette's miserable life that revolve mostly around sex and death.
In terms of plot, Mouchette is easy enough to follow. But along the way, Bresson raises a number of thorny issues, some of which are philosophical in nature. Interpreting the movie is difficult because the filmmaker was wrestling with the enigmas and paradoxes of human existence. Bresson's willingness to explore life's complexities is what makes Mouchette so fascinating.
The Hunting Area and the Poacher
Adjacent to the village in Mouchette is a wooded area used for hunting partridges and rabbits. The wild animals are photographed in a manner that suggests a parallel between their situation and that of the girl Mouchette. Incidentally, there's a brutal scene showing a rabbit in the throes of an agonizing death.
The film's second-most important character is Arsène, a man who illegally traps animals in the hunting area.
One stormy night Mouchette happens to encounter him in the woods, and he turns out to be the first person in her life to treat her as an equal. What transpires between Mouchette and Arsène is unsettling, but it's crucial to the story since it causes her to undergo a transformation.
Bresson's Peculiar Style
The style of Mouchette is typical of Bresson's work, which is usually described as austere, ascetic and stark. He hired nonprofessional actors and painstakingly rehearsed them to rid their performances of theatricality. He was a master of composition, but camerawork and editing were generally straightforward. However, he often eschewed establishing shots, and he would deliberately leave unexpected ellipses within narratives, requiring the viewer to deduce what must have taken place. In short, Bresson was unorthodox, and Mouchette reflects his refusal to be bound by convention. But his stylistic approach adds to the power of his filmmaking.
A Pair of Good Behind-the-Scenes Vintage Featurettes
The Criterion Collection DVD containing Mouchette provides a half-hour featurette that amounts to a making-of documentary. It is accessed by selecting the menu option "Au hasard Bresson," but the documentary is German-made and titled "Zum Beispiel Bresson." However, only French is heard as we watch behind-the-scenes footage of Bresson directing cast and crew in making Mouchette. There are some interesting remarks by Bresson, such as, "I think the muse of painting can be friends with cinema, but the muse of literature can't really."
Also on the DVD is seven-and-a-half additional minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of Mouchette, this having aired on French TV as an installment of Cinema's "Travelling" segment. Here we learn that the movie was shot in the Vaucluse, a region in southeastern France. We also find out that the actress playing Mouchette was actually 18 and the actor who plays the poacher Arsène is in real life a mason. When the interviewer asks Bresson if he can summarize Mouchette, the filmmaker responds, "No. It can't be summarized. If it could, it'd be awful."
DVD Review Continues on the Next Page
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