Au Hasard Balthazar
Drama
-
1966
Available on
Country
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.
Director:
Cast:
Similar
Details
Runtime:
96 min
Release date:
25 May 1966
Country:
FR, SE
Languages:
French, Latin
Budget:
$0
Revenue:
$39,388
Awards:
7 wins & 2 nominations
Top Critics Reviews
fresh:
The film could have sunk beneath this symbolic burden, yet it is lightened by the speed and precision of Bresson's art; he could derive more from one pair of hands than most directors can from two hours of blood and guts.
– Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
5 Mar 2013
fresh:
Perhaps the greatest and most revolutionary of Bresson's films, Balthazar is a difficult but transcendently rewarding experience, never to be missed.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
27 Apr 2009
fresh:
No film I have ever seen has come so close to convulsing my entire being as has Au Hasard Balthazar.
– Andrew Sarris,
New York Observer,
15 Nov 2007
fresh:
The film is perhaps the director's most perfectly realised, and certainly his most moving.
– Geoff Andrew,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
fresh:
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.
– Roger Greenspun,
New York Times,
9 May 2005