L’argent
L'Argent
France • 1983
Director
#886Criterion Collection →Synopsis
In his ruthlessly clear-eyed final film, French master Robert Bresson pushed his unique blend of spiritual rumination and formal rigor to a new level of astringency. Transposing a Tolstoy novella to contemporary Paris, L’ARGENT follows a counterfeit bill as it originates as a prop in a schoolboy prank, then circulates like a virus among the corrupt and the virtuous alike before landing with a young truck driver and leading him to incarceration and violence. With brutal economy, Bresson constructs his unforgiving vision of original sin out of starkly perceived details, rooting his characters in a dehumanizing material world that withholds any hope of transcendence.
Synopsis
In his ruthlessly clear-eyed final film, French master Robert Bresson pushed his unique blend of spiritual rumination and formal rigor to a new level of astringency. Transposing a Tolstoy novella to contemporary Paris, L’ARGENT follows a counterfeit bill as it originates as a prop in a schoolboy prank, then circulates like a virus among the corrupt and the virtuous alike before landing with a young truck driver and leading him to incarceration and violence. With brutal economy, Bresson constructs his unforgiving vision of original sin out of starkly perceived details, rooting his characters in a dehumanizing material world that withholds any hope of transcendence.
Criterion Closet Picks
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Credits
Crew
DirectorRobert Bresson
WriterRobert Bresson
CinematographerPasqualino De Santis, Emmanuel Machuel
EditorJean-François Naudon
Cast
Christian Pateyas Yvon Targe
Vincent Risteruccias Lucien
Sylvie Van Den Elsenas Grey Haired Woman
Michel Briguetas Grey Haired Woman's Father
