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Pasternack on the Past: 'Pickpocket' is an arthouse classic

Martin LaSalle and Marika Green star in "Pickpocket."

The French film “Pickpocket” is a study in contradictions. Its style is the opposite of many American movies, yet it influenced some excellent ones. The film is sort of an anti-thriller, yet some of its sequences are oddly exciting. This bizarre brew makes for an arthouse classic.

This movie is about a young man named Michel who becomes a pickpocket and starts believing himself to be above the law. Eventually, he has to contend with the consequences of his actions.

There are a bunch of people who will think this movie is boring. Many of the shots are long and consist of little action. Some of the performances are cold and have little emotion.

But these elements are part of director Robert Bresson’s style. The long takes induce a meditative mood. It makes you more willing to ponder the characters’ moral dilemmas.

Bresson sought subdued performances from his actors. He referred to them as “models” and liked to strip as much emotion as possible from their faces. Their quiet acting can be just as effective as the pyrotechnics of an Al Pacino or Robert De Niro performance.

Martin LaSalle gives an excellent performance as Michel in his first film role. His amateur quality plays into the fact that Michel is in over his head. LaSalle’s bored gaze is haunting.

Marika Green is engaging as Jeanne, a woman in whom Michel takes an interest. French comedy filmmaker Pierre Étaix makes a cameo as one of Michel’s accomplices.

The European sensibility and artiness of “Pickpocket” make it an unlikely influence on American cinema. However, its characterization and moral focus have found parallels in contemporary moviemaking. One of the most famous films it influenced is “Taxi Driver.” I would argue that the socially awkward, intellectual anti-heroes in both films share similarities with Elliot from “Mr. Robot.”

There is even one commonality between this film and “Star Wars.” Both films begin with an opening crawl that lays out exposition. While the opening crawl of “Star Wars” lays out plot exposition, this film’s text prologue tells you what type of film it’s going to be.

In particular, the opening crawl states that this movie is not a thriller, but there are some sequences that are thrilling. Most of them are pickpocketing sequences.

The audience becomes invested in these sequences because we have seen Michel’s training. We have seen him fail and put in time and effort to perfect his skill. His later robberies are more satisfying because we have seen his earlier failures.

Bresson shoots these sequences in a straightforward manner. There is none of the excessive cutting that can ruin a modern action sequence. The robberies look more like magic tricks than anything else.

“Pickpocket” is many different things at the same time. It is a European art film that influenced American films. It is both boring and exciting. More than anything, it is a good movie.

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