Pickpocket (1959) - Robert Bresson (New Links)

Solitary misfit Michel (Martin Lasalle) has decided to try his hand at picking pockets, but gets caught after his very first attempt - only to be released by the chief inspector (Jean Pelegri) for lack of evidence. Reluctant to visit his dying mother despite the encouragement of her young neighbour Jeanne (Marika Green) and his own sometime friend Jacques (Pierre Leymarie), Michel is drawn back to lifting wallets on trains, eventually gravitating towards a more experienced pickpocket (Kassagi) with whom he soon forms a skilled team. Yet as their operations grow more elaborate, so does Michel's need for greater risk and his apparent desire, however conflicted, to get caught.

Highly contained performances (especially from the matchless Martin Lasalle), where subtle glances and the most nuanced vocal inflections reveal a universe of character detail; lightning-fast, meticulously orchestrated pickpocketing scenes that demand multiple viewings; an impressively spare economy that, far from emanating cool, seems to bristle with anxiety, claustrophobia and nihilistic despair.

Cast: Martin Lasalle, Marika Green, Pierre Leymarie, Jean Pelegri, Kassagi, Dolly Scal, Pierre Etaix, César Gattegno.

French info:

http://moncinema.wifeo.com/pickpocket.php

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