PICKPOCKET

| 1963 – 76′ – CLASSIC, Drama, Thriller, CRIME.
Written by: Robert Bresson.
Directed by: Robert Bresson.
Starring: Martin LaSalle, Marika Green, Pierre Leymarie, Jean Pelegri, Kassagi, Pierre Etaix, César Gattegno, Dolly Scale.
Official selections Berlin International Film Festival 1960 & San Sebastian International Film Festival 1960.
In French with English subtitles.
A The Criterion Collection release. |

Michel (Martin La Salle) takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his only friend, Jacques (Pierre Leymarie), and his mother’s neighbor Jeanne (Marika Green), Michel teams up with a couple of petty thieves in order to improve his craft. With a police inspector (Jean Pélégri) keeping an eye on him, Michel also tries to get a straight job, but the temptation to steal is hard to resist. Robert Bresson’s incomparable story of crime and redemption is the work of a director at the height of his powers, an elegantly crafted, tautly choreographed study of humanity in all its mischief and grace. This cornerstone of the French master’s legendary career follows a young pickpocket who spends his days working the streets, subway cars, and train stations of Paris. As his compulsive pursuit of the thrill of stealing grows, however, so does his fear that his luck is about to run out.

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