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Au Hasard Balthazar

1966-05-25 Drama 1hr 36m

The story of a donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations beyond his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.

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Au Hasard Balthazar
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Storyline

The story of a donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations beyond his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.

  • Released
    1966-05-25
  • Revenue
    $39,388
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 36m
  • Genre
    Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    Français, Latin
  • imdb-logo
    7.7
  • Production
    Argos Films, Parc Film, SF Studios, Svenska Filminstitutet

Crew

Robert Bresson
Director
Robert Bresson
Writer
Mag Bodard
Producer
Keywords:
suicide rape countryside misery donkey gang leader youth gang cruelty burden beast of burden transcendence purity pride animal cruelty riding a donkey abusive boyfriend peasants

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Cast

Anne Wiazemsky

Anne Wiazemsky
Marie
Walter Green

Walter Green
Jacques
François Lafarge

François Lafarge
Gérard
Jean-Claude Guilbert

Jean-Claude Guilbert
Arnold
Philippe Asselin

Philippe Asselin
Marie's Father
Pierre Klossowski

Pierre Klossowski
Merchant
Nathalie Joyaut

Nathalie Joyaut
Marie's Mother
Marie-Claire Fremont

Marie-Claire Fremont
Baker's Wife
Jean-Joël Barbier

Jean-Joël Barbier
The Priest

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Au Hasard Balthazar
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Au Hasard Balthazar

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Au Hasard Balthazar
reviewer avatar

A Review by tmdb47633491 6

Written by tmdb47633491 on 2018-05-05

Devastating. Crazy to see Adele Exarchopoulos so young. You'll never hear the sound of a donkey braying the same way again... read more

Devastating. Crazy to see Adele Exarchopoulos so young. You'll never hear the sound of a donkey braying the same way again

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-12-25

The novice actor Anne Wiazemsky is really effective as "Marie", a young woman who has shared most of her life with her donkey "Baltahzar". I... read more

The novice actor Anne Wiazemsky is really effective as "Marie", a young woman who has shared most of her life with her donkey "Baltahzar". Initially her childhood pet, this creature has spent much of his life as the victim of inhumane treatment at the hands of subsequent owners - including her rather wretched boyfriend "Gérard" (François Lafarge) - that in may ways mirrors her own mistreatment and unhappiness. Unlike the human beings, though, "Balthazar" cannot communicate his feelings - he must quite literally just grin and bear it as he is used as a beast of burden, exposed to all weathers and generally neglected. Robert Bresson uses this scenario to compare and contrast the treatment of this animal with the way people treat each other - generous and engaging when they want something; brutal and selfish when they have or don't want it any more. This film offers us a depressing, yet curiously uplifting at times, view of the fickleness of youth and the intolerance of age - subtly. The dialogue is curiously aloof - almost superfluous as the story and their intertwined lives advance with an inevitability as certain and life and death itself. The photography is lingering and intimate, the pace gentle and it's touching. It is also real and gritty and plausible - and certainly a film that leaves you thinking.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by tmdb47633491

Devastating. Crazy to see Adele Exarchopoulos so young. You'll never hear the sound of a donkey braying the same way again...

reviewer avatar

A Review by tmdb47633491 6

Written by tmdb47633491 on 2018-05-05

Devastating. Crazy to see Adele Exarchopoulos so young. You'll never hear the sound of a donkey braying the same way again...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-12-25

The novice actor Anne Wiazemsky is really effective as "Marie", a young woman who has shared most of her life with her donkey "Baltahzar". Initially her childhood pet, this creature has spent much of ...

read more