Film:
Pickpocket
Format: Streaming video from Hulu+ on laptop.
Seeing someone pick a pocket is like watching a magic trick. It’s a subtle art, one that by its nature combines both speed and a light touch. It’s no surprise that Robert Bresson’s
Pickpocket explores this particular activity at some length. The title would suggest that, of course, but since this is Bresson, we’re going to spend a good deal of time watching scenes where everything that is happening is happening below the surface. What this means is that we’re not going to get a high-speed montage of pockets being picked, ut a slow and painstaking linger on individual crimes. So when we do get a montage, it’s actually something of a shock.
Because this is Bresson, it’s a slow mover, much more interested in the slow build of character rather than the rush of excitement. Almost all of our time is spent in the company of Michel (Martin LaSalle), a pickpocket who gets picked up at the racetrack with a wad of cash. He’s released by the police because they can’t prove anything, but a particular inspector (Jean Pelegri) has his suspicions.
