Plot.
Poster of Au Hasard Balthazar

Au Hasard Balthazar

1966 · Film · 96 min

  • Drama

Plot

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.

About Au Hasard Balthazar

Au hasard Balthazar (French pronunciation: [o a.zaʁ bal.ta.zaʁ]; meaning "Balthazar, at Random"), also known as Balthazar, is a 1966 tragedy film written and directed by Robert Bresson. Believed to be inspired by a passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1868–69 novel The Idiot, the film follows a donkey as he is given to various owners, most of whom treat him callously. Noted for Bresson's ascetic directorial style and regarded as a work of profound emotional effect, it is frequently listed as one of the greatest films of all time. The film premièred at the 1966 Venice Film Festival where it won the OCIC Award, the San Giorgio Prize, and the New Cinema Award.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cast

  • Anne WiazemskyMarie
  • Walter GreenJacques
  • François LafargeGérard
  • Jean-Claude GuilbertArnold
  • Philippe AsselinMarie's Father
  • Pierre KlossowskiMerchant
  • Nathalie JoyautMarie's Mother
  • Marie-Claire FremontBaker's Wife
Images