Quatre nuits d'un reveur / Four nights of a dreamer (1971)

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…

Director: Robert Bresson
Cast: Isabelle Weingarten, Guillaume des Forets, Maurice Monnoyer, Giorgio Maulini, Lidia Biondi, Patrick Jouane, Robert de Laroche, Jerome Massart, Marku Ribas




I saw this film twice with Japanese subtitles. Tonight I saw a print (and very different version) with English subtitles.

In this film, Bresson makes everyday life beautiful…. the lights on the river, the Brazilian music coming from a beautifully lighted tour boat going under the bridge the lovers are on… The story is small… An aimless artist prevents a woman from suicide and listens to her story and tries to help her reunite with her lover. This story seems to be seen through a dark filter of the beauty of Paris and its people.

A scene where the heroine is making love in the next room while her mother is walking back and forth calling her name, not realizing that her daughter is right next door… Her voice gets louder and softer and louder…

The scene with the aimless artist following one beautiful woman, only to be distracted by another beautiful woman whom he then follows….

There are many small beauties in this film. And my telling you about them will only make you anticipate them with pleasure.

Bresson, working with a minor little story has created a film of great beauty. Good luck finding it….I was fortunate enough to see it at a theater twice, where the beauty of the scenery could be appreciated. For some reason, it is not out in video or DVD. The DVD I saw probably had the photographer setting up his camera in the dark theater… and shooting at the screen!
~ michael_chaplan

IMDb