Bresson on Bresson: Interviews, 1943-1983

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Robert Bresson, renowned for his films like *Pickpocket* and *A Man Escaped*, was a pivotal figure in French cinema, known for his distinctive approach. He preferred nonprofessional actors, rejected advancements like Cinerama, and critiqued capitalism's impact on film. *Bresson on Bresson* compiles significant interviews from his forty-year career, showcasing the coherence and exploratory nature of his work. Each chapter focuses on one of his fourteen films, discussing literary adaptation, sound design, and his influential treatise, *Notes on the Cinematograph*. Bresson’s reflections are marked by insightful mantras, such as “Sound...invented silence in cinema” and “It’s the film that...gives life to the characters.” His integrity and originality garnered respect from contemporaries like Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette. While his films exhibit meticulous thought, these interviews reveal his deep faith in intuition—both his own and that of the audience, which he believed is primed to feel before fully understanding. This belief underscores the profound connection he sought to establish through his art.