With 'Diary of a Country Priest', his fourth film, director Robert Bresson began to establish his philosophical and religious motifs, shown beautifully through his style. This film depicts the physical, mental, and spiritual demise of a minister in a rural town.
Arriving in the village of Ambricourt, the young priest nervously hopes to make a good impression on the public. With many ambitious goals, he finds a great deal of unexplained hostility among the people. As his attempts to help the community and gain the admiration of the village continue to fail, the priest begins to lose faith in himself, causing him to fall increasingly ill and lose touch with the public. This long, winding downfall is made worse by his stomach problems and poor diet. With a young girl as his only ally, the man finds it nearly impossible to carry on.
Bresson's use of stark, Black & White photography augments this tale of sorrow and suffering. With the priest dressed in black for most of the film, his fate seems sealed from the beginning. Also the landscape shots beautifully display the village and its population as harsh and unforgiving, with the protagonist a noticeable outsider within them.
This film bears several similarities with some of Brsson's later work. Its theme is nearly identical to his 1966 masterpiece, 'Au Hasard Balthazar', and its companion piece, 'Mouchette'. All three films show the physical and emotional anguish of their protagonists in an environment that does not accept them. Their destinies seemed to be predetermined and unavoidable. Bresson uses these three different stories to show some of his thoughts about the cruelty and callousness of humanity, with malevolence always outweighing benevolence. This film is one of the first landmarks of one of the greatest filmmakers in cinema.
Arriving in the village of Ambricourt, the young priest nervously hopes to make a good impression on the public. With many ambitious goals, he finds a great deal of unexplained hostility among the people. As his attempts to help the community and gain the admiration of the village continue to fail, the priest begins to lose faith in himself, causing him to fall increasingly ill and lose touch with the public. This long, winding downfall is made worse by his stomach problems and poor diet. With a young girl as his only ally, the man finds it nearly impossible to carry on.
Bresson's use of stark, Black & White photography augments this tale of sorrow and suffering. With the priest dressed in black for most of the film, his fate seems sealed from the beginning. Also the landscape shots beautifully display the village and its population as harsh and unforgiving, with the protagonist a noticeable outsider within them.
This film bears several similarities with some of Brsson's later work. Its theme is nearly identical to his 1966 masterpiece, 'Au Hasard Balthazar', and its companion piece, 'Mouchette'. All three films show the physical and emotional anguish of their protagonists in an environment that does not accept them. Their destinies seemed to be predetermined and unavoidable. Bresson uses these three different stories to show some of his thoughts about the cruelty and callousness of humanity, with malevolence always outweighing benevolence. This film is one of the first landmarks of one of the greatest filmmakers in cinema.
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