Au Hasard Balthazar

Apparently Robert Bresson was making a film that affirms his Catholic faith and poor old Balthazar the donkey is a modern-day Jesus Christ. Serving the fallen post-war French villagers as they rise to the technological heights of the motorized vehicle this humble beast of burden is gradually surpassed as an essential part of the economy, and given increasingly rediculous roles.

The beautiful heroine Marie (Anne Wiazemsky) and her childhood sweetheart steal Balthazar away from his mother while suckling at the teat. A terrible tapestry of relationships emerges, and weaves its way through a rapidly changing society of hell raisers, proud father, greedy bachelors, and stoic mothers to name but a few.

I was expecting a tear-jerker but the film's quality was slightly too poor and the emotionless timing of the scene transitions made for an intellectual treatment rather than anything more sentimental.

Here we see Balthazar breathing his last breaths. He's just been shot and manages to limp to return perhaps to this symbolic flock - the innocent shepherd who hasn't gone rushing ahead in the name of 'progress'. This scene is perhaps about Balthazar laying to rest with those not driven by greed, hate, and malice. But there is the potential for a further twist of fate - his saddle bag is full of incense and gold coins.

Au Hazard Balthazar was for me about bullies, technological progress, animal welfare, responsibility, greed, pride, innocense, submission, hatred, anger, but most of all simply about a poor old tragic and comical donkey (eeee ooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr).