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Anne Wiazemsky, Walter Green, Jean-Claude Guilbert, Pierre Klossowski

Robert Bresson's acclaimed Au Hasard, Balthazar presents an unfettered view of human cruelty, suffering and injustice, filtered through the eyes of a donkey over the course of his long life. The burro... read more read more... at the film's center begins life peacefully and happily, as the unnamed play-object of some innocent children in bucolic France, but his circumstances change dramatically when he becomes the property of a young woman named Marie - who christens him Balthazar. As she grows up and encounters tragedy and heartbreak, so does Balthazar; he passes from owner to owner, who treat him in a variety of ways, from compassionately to cruelly. The donkey, of course, lacks the capacity to comprehend the motivations of each individual but accepts whatever treatment (and role) is handed him, nobly and admirably. Bresson ultimately uses the story as a heart-rending allegorical commentary on human spiritual transcendence. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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87% liked it

6,067 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

30 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Robert Bresson

Release Date: May 25, 1966

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DVD Release Date: June 14, 2005

Stats: 398 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (398)

  • sanjurosamurai
    January 18, 2010
    sanjurosamurai
    like de sicas "the bicylce thieves", bressons character study is more about the human condition than about the plot itself. too much polish would have distracted us from the simplicity of the story, but realism provides it with a profound texture that i fear most common movie fa... read morens would miss entirely. who knew that a 90 minute movie about a donkey would have so much to say about humans?
  • flixsterman
    December 28, 2009
    flixsterman
    To paraphrase Bresson, Au Hasard Balthazar presents a progression of life. From tender childhood to laborious adulthood to a "time of talent & genius" to mysticism and, finally, to the inevitable demise that awaits us all. The approach is artistic and abstract with few e... read morempathetic characters. I appreciate this film but, because of it's dark tone, I can't say that I enjoyed it.
  • rubystevens
    December 20, 2009
    rubystevens
    it's an oddly appropriate christmas film but i wouldn't recommend it to anyone who's not already a fan of bresson. it's hard to see animals treated badly and, like mouchette, it's horribly depressing. still a beautifully made film that makes it's point
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    Jean-Luc Godard said Au Hasard Balthazar was "the world in an hour and a half" and he was right. Through watching the life of a donkey we witness all the good and the bad things that make us human. Love, Cruelty, regret, despair and hope. I know the film is about saintliness and ... read moremany people find it spiritual but the realism for me is enough for me to be uplifted and heartbroken by this film every time i watch it, which i make sure is quite regularly!
  • arashxak
    January 29, 2009
    arashxak
    I gave this 4 stars based on my own interpretation of the movie because it seems that everyone has a different one & I'm not sure about what the movie is trying to say, I really liked its portrayal of life & its realistic depressing tone but religious allegory? spiritual experien... read morece? No thanks
  • shortcartoonist
    August 11, 2008
    shortcartoonist
    Bresson's cinematic entry into the immoralities of man succeeds greatly in its qualities of filmmaking, but falls far in its quest for delivering a film of truth and power. Following the life of a mistreated animal, we bare the labours of a donkey through its traversing of the Fr... read moreench countryside. But through this harsh treatment, the animalistic nature of the townsfolk is deepened - not only to the laboured steed, but to the intermingling of the people. The film pushes hard to unearth the depths of man and our ability to degrade those around us, but the emotion that the film tries to illicit simply doesn't come through, mainly due to Bresson's over exaggeration of these people (it seems every man and his dog bares no moral fibre) and his constant contradictions in society through his wayward storytelling (longtime care suddenly turning to soured resentment).

    At a base level, Au Hasard Balthazar is audacious, strong filmmaking with much to be learnt from. But its persistance becomes overbearing and its bleak qualities turn blank, overturning a film that overstays its course. But with that notion in mind, the films final shot is almost worth baring the drabness of before it.
  • fb1619601747
    March 1, 2012
    fb1619601747
    A masterpiece for so many reasons. This complex film is about so much more than Balthazar the donkey, it is about the human experience, about life itself. Balthazar is not a cartoon animal, he is not person with four legs, he is a real donkey. The audience is not meant to know hi... read mores thoughts or feelings. The things that happen to him are beyond his control or understanding - he accepts the things that happen to him because he must. The only difference between us and poor Balthazar is that we comprehend what is happening to us, but we do not necessarily control our course. A great French film.
  • fb1142797643
    April 23, 2011
    fb1142797643
    This was my second Robert Bresson film, and I sense that his style may be too gentle and pious to ever call him one of my pet directors. Still, "Au Hasard Balthazar" has a poetic eloquence that can't be denied.

    Balthazar is a donkey who begins life as a cuddly foal, frolicking w... read moreith children in the farmhouse straw. But he soon becomes harnessed as a mundane work animal, quietly enduring a procession of brutish owners and harsh duties. Yet he always retains a certain serene acceptance in his eyes -- an expression remarkably implied via editing alone. A scene where he exchanges "empathetic" looks with caged circus animals is especially poignant.

    One of those initial children, Marie, is his most loving caretaker through the years, and she experiences a parallel fall from innocence and surrender to degradation. There are also suggestions that the nobly suffering Balthazar is a Christ figure, but overemphasizing this symbolism may be a mistake.

    The film's main flaw is that its episodic structure means the characterizations are somewhat thin. In particular, a vicious youth named Gérard torments both Marie and Balthazar, but never makes his motivations understood. The nefarious Arnold is almost as inscrutable -- yes, he is a drunk, but does this fully explain his erratic abusiveness? Meanwhile, first-time actress Anna Wiazemsky (soon to become Mrs. Jean-Luc Godard) struggles to bring morose Marie to life, and spends much of the film woodenly standing like someone huddled at a graveside. Strangely, we identify more with the donkey than any of his human companions.

    Unnecessary insertions of a Mercedes Benz and a transistor radio (playing contemporary French pop) serve to break the spell of what otherwise could have been a timeless story.
  • fb100000398655007
    April 3, 2012
    fb100000398655007
    Without a doubt the best film of all time. I know I haven't seen much films but this one just surpasses all of them. It's pure genius. The acting is dull but there is a reason for that. So the viewer can interpret the actors for themselves. It's one of those types of films that d... read moreon't give away everything. You as the viewer have to do some thinking for yourself. If you don't want to do some thinking then go watch something else. But the truth is you don't need to do some thinking. You could just watch the film then read an analyses online when it's over. That's what I did. The story of this film is of a donkey that goes from owner to owner. The film is literally your whole life in one hour and thirty minutes. Everything in life is expressed threw this film. The hard part is picking up what those morals and dismorals are. Everything else from the direction to the writing is superb. The pacing was well thought out and made for people with large attention spans. Great film to satisfy my large attention span. I could sit still for hours. The production values of Art House films shine threw this piece of art, even thought they have low budgets. Another thing I enjoyed was reading the dialogue. For some strange reason reading a movie sounds much more intelligent. For those educated and prestigious minds out there I would recommend Au Hasard Balthazar. You won't be disappointed.
  • shannylee38
    February 19, 2009
    shannylee38
    The film is amazingly slow and flat. There is no sense of emotion in order to let the audience relate to the characters, except the donkey. But if we consider the Bressonian style, the film is much more appreciated. However, i do not recommend this film to everyone.

View All Au Hasard Balthazar Reviews

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
April 27, 2009
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Perhaps the greatest and most revolutionary of Bresson's films, Balthazar is a difficult but transcendently rewarding experience, never to be missed. Full Review

Roger Greenspun
May 9, 2005
Roger Greenspun, New York Times

This is neither an easy film, nor, in the show biz sense, an entertaining one. It makes large demands upon its audience, and in return confers exceptional rewards. Full Review

Ty Burr
April 9, 2004
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Quietly devastating, nearly perfect allegory. Full Review

Roger Ebert
March 19, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Bresson is one of the saints of the cinema, and Au Hasard Balthazar is his most heartbreaking prayer. Full Review

Michael Wilmington
March 18, 2004
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

It is a devastating picture, scored to a Schubert piano sonata and done with a purity and austerity that transfixes us. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
December 11, 2003
Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times

Bresson is one of the few directors for whom cinema was both an aesthetic and spiritual pursuit, a search that was reflected in films for which the words 'sublime,' 'transcendent' and 'masterpiece' ca... Full Review

J. Hoberman
October 14, 2003
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

The supreme masterpiece by one of the greatest of 20th-century filmmakers. Full Review

Ken Hanke
April 13, 2011
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Very much deserves its art-house cred. Full Review

David Parkinson
April 27, 2009
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine

If you can see past the heavy-handed religious overtones you will encounter an inspired and deeply intelligent Bresson classic. Full Review

Jason Morgan
July 22, 2008
Jason Morgan, Filmcritic.com

likely as lost on today's audience as the saintly donkey that bears man's burdens on his back only to be beaten, neglected and, finally, rejected. Full Review

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