SCFZ poll: Robert Bresson

[flip]

Polling the films of director Robert Bresson

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Bresson films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Friday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: greg x, rischka

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate for a fourth time

[DT.]

1. A Man Escaped
2. Mouchette
3. Pickpocket
4. Diary of a Country Priest

[DT.]

I'd like to nominate Olivier Assayas - have people seen enough of his films?

[kanafani]

I'd like to nominate Olivier Assayas - have people seen enough of his films?

I've seen 13 from Assayas

[flip]

L'Argent
Mouchette
Pickpocket
Lancelot du Lac
The Devil, Probably

seen ten, hard to choose five, my list would probably look completely different if i made it tomorrow

[flip]

do you have 10+ assayas, dt? if kanafani has 13, and you have 10, he'll almost certainly be fine, but let's check to be sure - if anyone else has seen 8+ assayas films, please post here. i've seen just two.

[kanafani]

Seen 12

L'Argent
Pickpocket
Au Hasard Balthazar
Mouchette
the Devil, Probably

[Umbugbene]

Seen 13

1. A Man Escaped
2. Pickpocket
3. Diary of a Country Priest
4. Les dames du Bois de Boulogne
5. Four Nights of a Dreamer

I need to rewatch some, so my ballot feels imperfect for now.

[rischka]

i have only 3 assayas

bresson: 10

pickpocket
diary of a country priest
a man escaped
l'argent
lancelot du lac

[DT.]

do you have 10+ assayas, dt?

If you count his TV documentary on Hou Hsiao-Hsien, then yes. Oh, and his segment from Paris je t'aime, I guess...

[flip]

everything counts! so we either need one more person with 10+ assayas, or two more with 8+, and then he'll be our next poll.

[...]

Dang, I've only seen nine Assayas films. Still need to see Personal Shopper and get over my desire to skip Something in the Air for it's subject matter.

Only seen seven Bresson movies so far, skipping the donkey for now, but still interested in Man Escaped.

Diary of a Country Priest
L'Argent
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne

[patrick]

L'argent
Four Nights of a Dreamer
Lancelot Du Lac
Mouchette
A Man Escaped

[ofrene]

seen 7

A Man Escaped
Diary of a Country Priest
Pickpocket

seen 5 assayas

[greennui]

Seen 12.

Four Nights of a Dreamer
A Man Escaped
Lancelot Du Lac
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne
The Trial of Joan of Arc

Seen 8 Assayas.

[thoxans]

has au hasard balthazar become too cool and well-known that peeps are intentionally leaving it off their lists angel-style?

[flip]

thanks all, we have enough views for an assayas poll, so that'll be who we poll next

and i thought balthazar would poll well too, but it's not one of my five favourite bressons

[brian d]

i've hate-watched all 13 bresson:

lancelot du lac
les anges du péche
les dames du bois de boulogne

[mesnalty]

Seen all the features but the first one:

1. Au Hasard Balthazar
2. Four Nights of a Dreamer
3. Lancelot du Lac
4. Mouchette
5. Diary of a Country Priest

[augusto]

seen 8.

lancelot du lac
a man escaped
l'argent
pickpocket

[---]

Seen 11

Four nights of a dreamer
Une femme douce
Mouchette
A man escaped
Who's the best goalie of all-time? The Devil, probably

[roujin]

Seen 8

1. The Devil Probably
2. Lancelot du lac
3. Au hasard balthazar

[Focus]

Seen 10

L'Argent
A Man Escaped
Une femme douce
Mouchette

[arkheia]

Seen 14. I think my most recent viewing was Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne on a 35mm print last year, everything else has been through DVD or VHS. I should really get around to revisiting some of the recent Blu-rays, the Criterion Blu-ray of L'argent looks quite crisp and that Japanese Blu-ray of Quatre nuits d'un rêveur looks like a revelatory improvement over the muddy TV-rip floating around the web.

L'argent
Lancelot du lac
Une femme douce
Au hasard Balthazar
Mouchette

[sally]

ah, i'm a wild romantic too.

lancelot du lac
l'argent
pickpocket
au hasard balthazar
mouchette

[rischka]

has au hasard balthazar become too cool and well-known that peeps are intentionally leaving it off their lists angel-style?

i haven't seen balthazar and mouchette in many years -- need to rewatch those! on the other hand pickpocket was my first bresson and i'll never forget it

i only just watched diary of a country priest for our 1951 poll :ugeek:

[---]

Lancelot du Lac is doing well. That's actually by far my least favourite Bresson, but I saw it almost 8 years ago so it could use a reevaluation.

Surprised that Une Femme Douce isn't doing better. One of those classic experiences that made me ashamed of my behaviour as a man and inspired me to strive to be a better feminist.

[rischka]

def watch lancelot again. i didn't care for it the first time i saw it. haven't seen une femme douce at all

[greennui]

has au hasard balthazar become too cool and well-known that peeps are intentionally leaving it off their lists angel-style?

Baltazhar was my first Bresson and I watched it when I was first getting into serious cinema yonks ago. Can hardly remember anything about it, could use a rewatch!

If anyone's interested in the soundtrack of Four Nights of a Dreamer, I managed to track down a song from it after plenty of detective work (it's labeled wrong on pretty much every streaming platform).

https://soundcloud.com/s-brito/02-musseke

[uncanny valley]

l’argent
au hasard balthazar
une femme douce