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| Diary Of A Country Priest |
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| Originally released: 1950 |
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Bresson's study of the physical and spiritual sufferings of a dying
priest begins to perfect his mature style, in both the austere visuals
and the subdued, almost inexpressive performances, which suggest
everything by revealing nothing. The film is undeniably bleak, and its
hero's life is a chronicle of increasingly complete failures; but
somehow, mysteriously, those failures lead towards and culminate, in
extremis, with a reaffirmation of divine grace. A stark, inevitably
moving film; some may find the darkness of Bresson's vision
off-putting, but its emotional intensity and visual precision are
unchallengeable.
Alex Jacoby
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