Au hasard Balthazar (1966)

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The story of a mistreated donkey and the people around him. A study on saintliness and a sister piece to Bresson's Mouchette. (imdb)

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Directed By: Robert Bresson

Written By: Robert Bresson

Starring: Anne Wiazemsky, Pierre Klossowski, Jean-Claude Guilbert, Walter Green, François Lafarge, Philippe Asselin, Nathalie Joyaut

Genre: Drama

Country: France, Sweden

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Au hasard Balthazar belongs to 95 collections

1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by kozan26 - 234 stars)

2. Criterion Collection (collaborative: moderated by caffe - 167 stars)

3. Favorite Film of Every Criticker Member (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 95 stars)

4. Roger Ebert: Great Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 80 stars)

5. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)

6. Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top 1000 Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)

7. Fuck my life (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky - 38 stars)

8. Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (public: Ross - 36 stars)

9. Rotten Tomatoes - over 95% (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 32 stars)

10. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)

11. The Guardian's 1000 films to see before you die (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 30 stars)

12. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)

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All Ratings | With Reviews

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TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
5	Alex Watkins	5 _91st
You wouldn't expect a movie about a donkey to be capable of being so depressing and involving, especially when the director's trademark is to strip his films of outward displays of emotion, but this one is. Balthazar doesn't occupy the screen for as much as you expect, but that helps you to care about him; we observe the struggles of those around him, and his own sad life, and lament that he is privy to such a cruel fate. A very somber film.
5	billkerwin	100 _99th
A masterpiece of compassion. Like no other film you'll ever see. Bresson reveals the depths of hopelessness and tragedy, and yet there are moments of kindness and transcendence here too.
4	KMcNeil	10 _98th
Nothing but love for Balthazar - and Bresson. I don't just admire, but absolutely love his sparse, ascetic style. The scene where Marie and Gerard lie together in the hay takes all of 10 seconds, but is done with such flair it's almost unbelievable. Bresson chops, crops and shows that the elements left out are as important as the ones left in. A beautiful movie. In every way. Both perfectly raw and perfectly adjusted down to every last frame.
3	djross	91 _98th
Bresson's unique method works well here, as it does in PICKPOCKET, UN CONDAMNÉ À MORT S'EST ÉCHAPPÉ and MOUCHETTE. The contrast between the non-emotionality of the technique and the inherently emotional nature of the story makes it at times almost unbearable. Many images and sequences are beautifully composed, and the Bressonian focus on hands and feet rather than faces seems to be telling us that mundane acts and deeds are what make the world what it is. Great conclusion.
2	eveelun	86 _94th
Although I found this initially frustrating for its defiance of standard conventions, upon greater reflection it's impersonal and objective perspective gives the film a sense of pathos and beauty. Bresson's mechanical style works very well in his treatment of Balthazar, whose appearance and behavior throughout the film convey stoic resignation better than any human actor could.
2	Farzan	90 _89th
Au hasard Balthazar, to me, is an extremely hard film to follow. The pacing is just too fast, and during numerous times throughout the film, i found myself to be rather lost and confused. But upon closer examination, I rewatched it and realised how well made this film was. The life of a donkey being paralelled by his first owner, and the fate of both by the end is just so magical. Bresson is definitely a filmmaker I wouldn't mind seeing more of.
2	martryn	88 _90th
Just didn't get this film. That bitch girl... what a stupid bitch! This is the problem with women today. They love the bad boy. Meh. Toward the end of the film I felt it get a bit more powerful and started to understand what was going on and what I was supposed to feel, I guess. If you're a pretentious prick, you'll likely love this movie.
2	frederic_g54	10 _97th
One of Bresson's best, what I loved most is seeing the mistreated Balthazar going from owner to owner, juxtaposed with Marie's own turbulent and weary life. "The world in an hour and a half" according to Godard, the film's pacing is pretty quick, but I want to rewatch it anyway, so... Bresson is wthout a doubt one of my favorite french directors, anyone who comes close these days in conveying a powerful thought provoking message is Audiard and I recommend both their films.
2	Icarus	100 _99th
Bresson's pinnacle: deceptively economic, highlighting sound, inviting viewers to engage the mysteries of plot, and relying on absence as a means to understanding. This last element is seen most profoundly in the character of Balthazar who communicates as a character only as he is acted upon. Even most of those acts take place off camera. Bresson shows life as absence and ambiguity rather than presence and clarity, and yet, like Dostoevsky's Myshkin, our despair fades at the braying of an ass.
2	Jeb	95 _87th
Who would have thought that a movie about a mistreated donkey would turn out this good? A pure, difficult to watch religious examination, all seen through the eyes of a miserable animal. It's heartbreaking, emotionally sound, confusing, peculiar and unparraled in the wonderful world of modern filmmaking. Make no mistake, Au hasard Balthazar is in, more understandable words: perfect.
2	Velvet Crowe	92 _98th
How in the hell does a story about a donkey of all things manage to be so engaging? This film exudes simplicity but also produces eloquence and nuance, captivating the audience with beautiful shots perpetuated by its silent tone. While the Christian symbolism is rather blatant and obvious, it's easy to look past that when it's a film that ponders the mysteries of life and fate, while also depicting how money plays into our morality. An interesting but profound experiment of a film.
1	MartinTeller	83 _77th
I think I expected too much from this film, because it's generally hailed as Bresson's finest, and I usually like Bresson. I did like the movie a lot, it just wasn't the blow-me-out-of-the-water masterpiece I anticipated. It is remarkable how close one feels to Balthazar, and by proxy, the people who surround him.
1	Magb	85 _73rd
Bresson is a very economical director; he only includes the bare minimum of what's necessary to tell the story. While his sense of focus is admirable, it means that his movies stand and fall on the quality of the story. Au Hasard Balthazar is a quality story, but it does get a bit dry and slow some times. It's strange, really, how every scene is so focused, and yet the movie as a whole feels so slow. There's plenty to like here, but the movie falls somewhat short of true greatness.
1	Moribunny	63 _60th
Bresson made two or three impeccable films very early in his career, but his past glories don't make up for his minimalist period, where the scripts are next to nonexistent and the actors never ever emote. At least here I had the mistreated donkey to feel sorry for - it's as if its slight expressions cover up for everyone else's lack thereof. I really wish Bresson would have done more with this, it could have been harrowing. The end scene is great.
1	Pickpocket	9 _93rd
That donkey should be given some sort of acting award. The ending is incredible and perfect in every way. Godard was right about this movie.
1	Nathan S	4 _74th
The beast's burden is to bear witness to sin and cruelty. The viewer's burden is to behold such callousness through the stern, unembellished perspective of Bresson. The donkey and the director are seemingly one and the same. It is a starkness and purity which organically begets compassion and empathy, rather than commanding reactions by signposting.
1	Stain	80 _68th
The exact opposite of American racehorse movies -- a Robert Bresson movie about a mule. Very honest about the mundanity of ordinary life and the yuckiness of people, yet consistently engaging. Chalk up another winner for Bresson
1	saucyjack	91 _92nd
A really interesting view of a donkey as a Christ figure. Balthazar is the only character in the film who is truly pure inside and yet is the one who is most punished throughout. Heartbreaking.
1	prowler	32 _25th
a girl and her donkey are in a contest of who gets taken advantage of the most
1	torontodog	90 _94th
Sometimes I feel like a donkey...
1	Neonman	87 _86th
Oh God, this is depressing. If any film can prove that audiences give a shit more about on-screen animals than humans, then this is it.
1	EmeraldGuard	90 _85th
"I had two ideas in this film. First, to see an analogy between the different stages of the life of a donkey and the life of a human being; second, to see the donkey suffering for all human vices." -Robert Bresson
1	Rufam	45 _9th
Celebrated rural melodrama that totally failed to do it for me. There is some poignancy in these stark and tragic tales, the cinematography is nice and there's a pretty piano motif that pops up to underscore the 'emotional' parts. But, otherwise, this is way more donkey torturing and stock characterizations than I can take.
1	Dogubomb	30 _12th
Nonsense
1	loc42	35 _16th
After watching it for the third time I claim even more confidently that this is one of the most overrated movies of history: because the content of this movie is exact opposite of Bresson's regular themes such as "indispensability of confinement in the world","the daemonic qualities which makes humanbeings worthy" etc. This movie tries to embrace "the good" which such a pretentious romantisicm that mixed with the cold and dull style of Bresson, it becomes a pure parody of optimist nihilism.
1	NathanBates	60 _34th
I find Bresson so challenging to watch, because you get out of the movie whatever you bring in to it. His characters rarely show any emotion, so I always feel disconnected from their world. And so few plot questions are answered that it becomes almost a philosophical riddle. Lately, I've been wondering if Bunuel and Bresson aren't "inverse" directors -- the former going overboard to show his dissatisfaction with everything, while the latter only gives slight hints.

Average Percentile 72.37% from 1551 Ratings