MovieChat Forums > Pickpocket (1959) Discussion > Why has this got such a high rating on I...

Why has this got such a high rating on IMDB

posted 18 years ago by Bobbygolucky
19 replies | jump to latest

I'm not a troll.

I just watched Pickpocket and to be honest I wasn't really impressed. I get the impression that people vote so highly for this because it is an old French film in black and white??? I didn't rate the acting or the story, I'll go so far to say that I wasn't even sure that I followed the story properly, maybe something got lost in translation? I don't speak much French although what I do understand did relate to the subtitles on the film so I kind of think that they were accurate.

I'd like if somebody on here who rates the film could explain to me why they do and maybe offer me an insight into what I might have missed in the film?

Thanks

Bobby

[–] psy_spectre 18 years ago

spiritual trascendence in a minimalistic film, It is something that you feel and you dont see, The film conveys the invisible. So maybe in one reading it is a simple film about a thief but in another more profound reading it is a spiritual experience.

[–] Bobbygolucky 18 years ago

Wow! Nice reply, not totally sure what you mean which means that I'm not convinced...

[–] jasonbourneagain 14 years ago

It's not a crime unless you get caught and chicks dig bad boys.

There really aren't any rules in order to get this movie. You're free to interpret, think, feel and judge it as you choose because Robert Bresson has presented it as such. There lies its power and genius. I agree it is a cerebral film and with psy_spectre, but the film also makes one think and judge Michel's words and actions. I try not to judge a person unless I have to, so this was an uncomfortable movie for me to watch. The ending brings us 360 degrees to what we were told in the beginning, but presents it as an interesting mind *beep* with its stark realization.

Another way to look at this movie is the actors are stripped of their tone. Tone is what makes us react to people by how they say things and not just the words they use. If tone is missing, then we have to judge by the words. Usually, we find that disagreeable because we want to know what another is trying to convey instead of having to decide for ourselves.

A different movie and contrast to Robert Bresson would be The Machinist starring Christian Bale and directed by Brad Anderson. Both movies are based on Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.

[–] r-taylor13-848-416837 12 years ago

Perfect reply, like most minimalistic work, it is extremely subjective to the viewer; their mood, environment, effort put in, etc. In a very vague way, you either love this film, or hate it.

[–] rgcustomer 11 years ago

Most people motivated to rate the film seem to fall into the "love" category. I really don't see what they see. I just don't think Bresson has a capacity for filmmaking.

This one's rather a bore, and technically shoddy. I don't love it, nor do I hate it. It earns a 6/10 from me, just like the other two Bresson films I've seen. Perhaps I should stop trying.

[–] Chapaev36 18 years ago

If you watch this on the Criterion DVD, Paul Schrader's introduction is helpful in understanding the film's stylistic merit.

For its time, Pickpocket was a revelation for the way it challenged our expectations of the unwritten rules of the narrative and editing. However these differences are subtle and probably are not noticed by the casual viewer. Next time you watch (if at all), note aspects such as the use of music, cutting-on-action and other visual cues.

Ultimately this is a film student's essential film, however it is only a tiny introduction to Bresson and everything that he had to offer.

[–] metallicafan156 18 years ago

Here's what I thought of the movie:

Pickpocketing scenes and the ending (the racetrack): Done to perfection.
Everything else: Painfully boring.

I get what the story's about, so this isn't a biased view.

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 18 years ago

Not everyone agrees with what is considered the greatest by film historians and scholars. Such is life. I know that DW Griffith's Intolerance is considered a masterpiece, yet it is impossible to sit through. Therefore, I take it for what those in the know say it is without arguement because I know it is the template on which so many that have followed it are based. Also, I don't understand why Renoir's Rules of the Game is considered his greatest when Grand Illusion is so much more universal. In film noir Double Indemnity is considered the greatest, but for me it doesn't rate such a high place in the canon. That rarefied distinction, for me, will always be Sunset Blvd. We are all just a little bit twisted it seems.

Nothing exists more beautifully than nothing.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] JellyFish19 14 years ago

Can't believe anyone would find this film boring. Movies like Bresson's "Pickpocket" or Melville's "Le samouraï" should definitely be in the top 250.

[–] bedram793 14 years ago

Agreed, both are among my favorite films of all time.

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/dogday793

[–] slaphappy5000 10 years ago

jeez, it's such an interesting little movie. when's the last time you saw anything like this?

i think if you were raised on fast & furious and batman XII, yeh, you may not "get it"

i appreciate both older and newer films, if they are good quality, and this story is just so offbeat and different and well told w/music and acting so NOT over the top, like most modern crappy films... what's not to like??

my 2¢

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] thebard-5 17 years ago

I read an essay about this move. It seems Bresson believed we lived in a spiritually bankrupt world, a prison of sorts. That's why his characters are always stoic. They are unfeeling. The world has crippled their ability to feel. The main character of Pick Pocket as doing what he does (stealing) because it is the only thing that makes him feel anything at all.

I don't know if this essayist is right, but I think it's bull *beep* The world may be changing, there may be a lot of corporate depravity out there, but the human spirit can never die. We are not machines, one day to simply run out of steam. We are all thinking feeling organisms- with emotions, damnit! There are no smiles in Bresson's films. He's not being fair to human life. Life may have a lot of trappings, but so what? It's all we have, and we are blessed. Life is a joyous occasion of endless possibilities. I mean, yeah, it's nice that Bresson tried working outside of the conventional framework, but somehow I feel his style is no more true to life than a standard Hollywood movie. It's more respected though because he was the only one insane enough to work in that style.

[–] theOblivionHaha 17 years ago

I actually agree with the sentiments put forth in said essay and therefore believe this movie is very much about the spiritual depravity of the current world. Now don't get me wrong I believe in what you say about the fact that we are not machines and that the human spirit cannot die and as a general statement about the entire species I agree but in the case of the individual the human spirit can most definetly die. The fact that salvation is used as a product (tele-evangelically) in US culutre is a perfect example of how depraved so many people feel. I mean honestly how bad do things have to get for someone to believe such obviously fabricated televised spirituality? To be fair though this movie is not about embracing that depravity but rather trying to expose it and show us the absurdity of it. Its showing us the lose-lose side of the situation and asserting that we must be responsible for our own spiritual well being. Its also highlighting the idea of emotional sedation which is another fairly common expereince for most people of the nuclear/postmodern age (probably even more so than those of the modern age which Bresson was describing.) So yea life is amazing but just as much as its amazing its terrifying (part of what makes it so amazing in fact is that it is so terrifying sometimes), Bresson is just saying: hey watch out for this bad patch over here, and he's right, it is there.

[–] Knoxvicious 13 years ago

I don't understand the high rating either.
I didn't care for this film at all.
The reasons being because the acting wasn't all too great, the characters were boring, the plot started to become a bore, etc. For the most part, I REALLY don't understand how anyone can even LIKE this movie, but yeah...just my opinion.

I have to say, I love what you said about people loving movies only because they're "foreign and black and white." That kind of thing annoys me beyond belief...
Honeslty, I'd rather someone be real and say they love Tropic Thunder before they said a classic movie which they really, in their hearts, didn't care for...
It's perfectly alright not to like an old movie. You should be ready for the spitfire though. As long as no one goes around saying Clueless is a far more superior movie than Citizen Kane, I have no problem with them liking movies like that....

Sorry....little rant...

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[–] escalation746 13 years ago

"I get the impression that people vote so highly for this because it is an old French film in black and white?"

That is a typical troll statement and so undoes your first assertion.

If you really wanted to understand, you wouldn't first insult those who disagree with you. Then again, if you wanted to understand you would no doubt read one of the many books or watch one of the many documentaries on the topic.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] 13 years ago

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