Four Nights of a DreamerDirected by Robert Bresson Produced by Albina Productions Genres : Fiction - Runtime : 1 h 27 min French release : 25/01/1972 Production year : 1971
DirectorActorsSynopsis The 'dreamer' is Jacques, a young painter, who by chance runs into Marthe as she's contemplating suicide on the Pont-Neuf in Paris. They talk, and agree to see each other again the next night. Gradually, he discovers that her lover promised to meet her on the bridge that night, and he failed to turn up. Over the next couple of nights, Jacques falls in love with her - but on the fourth night her original lover returns... Source : IMDb. About The film features cinematography characteristic of Robert Bresson. Shots are carefully choreographed and highly stylized, from the first scene in the movie when Jacques inexplicably travels to the countryside to turn somersaults in a field. Scenes of Jacques painting feature tight shots, showing just his hand, the paintbrush, characteristic and the thick line of paint. The scene in which Marthe looks at herself is especially striking. Bresson chooses not show her entire body but rather bits and segments, first her foot, then a buttock, then breasts. The film never declares what Marthe thinks of her body or even why she looks at herself. She may be admiring herself, hating herself, or conducting an anatomy lesson. There is a dream-like quality to the film, especially to the evening scenes. Jacques and Marthe only see one another in the four evenings of their acquaintance. On the last evening, a pleasure boat travels along the River Seine. A band plays a song on the boat, which enchants Marthe and Jacques who lean against the parapet to listen. Bresson cuts to tight shots of the band, of the musicians strumming their instruments, and of the singer's face. The song is eerie and beautiful, the singer black, young, very attractive, and with the voice of angel. The film shows the entire song, the whole time with the camera focused on the musicians, not showing reaction shots of Jacques and Marthe. This contributes to the dreamy nature of the movie, as Marthe and Jacques are on the bridge, far from the boat, yet the film shows us the band from the point of view of a passenger on the boat or even of the musicians themselves. The film does not explain why Marthe chooses her old lover in the end and not Jacques. It is not entirely clear whether Jacques is brokenhearted when Marthe leaves him. Source : Wikipedia. Production and distributionAssociate production company : Albina Productions Foreign production company : I Film Dell'Orso French distribution : Les Films Imperia
Full creditsAssistant Directors : Mylène Van Der Mersch, André Bitoun, Munni Kabir, Jean-Pierre Ghys Author of original work : Dostoïevski Fiodor Producer : Albina du Boisrouvray Screenwriter : Robert Bresson Directors of Photography : Pierre Lhomme, Ghislain Cloquet Sound Recordist : Roger Letellier Production Manager : Georges Casati Editor : Raymond Lamy Music Composer : Michel Magne Production Designer : Pierre Charbonnier
Technical detailsFeature film Genres : Fiction Sub-genre : Psychological drama Themes : Love, Wandering Production language : French Nationality : Majority French (France, Italy) Production year : 1971 French release : 25/01/1972 Runtime : 1 h 27 min Current status : Released Visa number : 37643 Visa issue date : 07/01/1972 Approval : Unknown Production formats :
35mm Color type : Color Sound format : Mono
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