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As synonymous as the name Robert Bresson is with high art in the cinema, it’s unfortunate that such associations obscure the deep, emotional gravity of his work. Bresson himself may have been an intellectual, but on the whole, his work is not: primarily concerned with the feelings of existence -the sights and sounds of objects and bodies - his sensual work is a never ending quest to discover the extraordinary in the everyday.

Fortunately, his third and (then) most personal feature, Diary of a Country Priest (1950), is one of his most accessible and compelling works. It documents a young priest’s dark night of the soul as he struggles to find and bequeath spiritual grace in a muddy, rural village comprised of stark trees, grey skies, and watching, whispering faces. It captures the sense of isolation and personal uncertainty like few films before or since, making its moments of spiritual clarity and inner victory all the more unexpected and piercing. It’s a film designed to be experienced rather than analyzed, yet its insights will linger for a lifetime.

 

Doug Cummings on 15th February 2008
View all 32 of Doug Cummings's reviews

Bresson's masterpiece is a film which subtly works its magic on the viewer as you watch and which haunts one afterwards. That's the sign of a great film - characters a... more >

Bresson's masterpiece is a film which subtly works its magic on the viewer as you watch and which haunts one afterwards. That's the sign of a great film - characters and phrases and emotions repeat themselves in your memory. Bresson's ultimate message is very profound because what he is saying is our society needs more understanding and compassion, as opposed to hostility and coldness. < less