Pickpocket

Pickpocket was one my favorite we have watched in class so far, only because the story is different from the usual love story. Michael, the protagonist, had love for pickpocketing. I got a kick out of how he didn't do it for the money or whatever he chose to steal, he did it for the adrinaline he got from the thought of being a criminal. This film was inspired from the film Crime and Punishment. Michael, did a good job not showing his emotions while pickpocketing and even afterwards when and if he got caught. And the way i looked at it was, Michel wanted to make others feel miserable because thats how he actually felt inside. It seemed to me he had a lot of emotions and anger built up inside of him and instead of crying or crawling in a shell, pickpocketing was his way of letting of some steam.
I also like how they put emphasize on the actions of Michel's hands, as if he was creating art or like his hands had a seperate life from him, instead of making it seem as if he was being a thief and doing something terribly wrong. The camera showed an incrediable amount of interest in his hands, how he opened and closed doors. And by his lack of emotion makes this film a difficult film to analyze. Emotionless, but the elegance of his stealing is brought to the from by Bresson's close-ups on his hands. Each time Michel stole, it was carried out with perfection, step by step, as if it was a work of art.
I also thought it was quite interesting how it was very little dialogue and no music, making you pay more attention to the picture and Michel's actions. It was quiet by Michel's carefully picked out his place of action, at crowded trains and racetracks. Bresson is known for his concentration on technique rather than character development and emotion, which its also interesting how his characters are non-professionals. And if I had never read about this film, i could never tell that the protagonist wasn't a professional.

Daijon Jefferson