Interestingly, last time I discussed Bresson I compared how he was the opposite of Hollywood like Antonioni, but with a different approach to filmmaking. I now watched Le Diable probablement, which actually is very similar to Bresson’s films, not just in a formal approach, but also in a narrative approach. Bresson, obviously, will always remain extremely unique, but it was quite interesting to see the similarities between this film and the two films L’Avventura (1960) and L’Eclisse (1962) by Antonioni. I think I will look at the differences and similarities in these works, because I think it is worthy of mention.
In his famous films, Antonioni dealt with existentialism and a detached touch with the modern world. Le Diable probablement does exactly the same thing. There are also several thematic links between these films, and how it approaches existentialism. The protagonist in Le Diable probablement is disconnected to society; he walks around trying to find a meaning with his existence, but finds only emptiness in the world and people around him. Several attempts are made to find meaning, through church, helping others, and psychoanalysis. In the end, he decides to take his own life. This might seem like a huge spoiler for people who haven’t seen the film, but this fact is actually revealed in the very first minute of the film, which makes his journey throughout the film seem even more desperate. The only area he finds some peace is his sexual relationship to women, quite similar to the Monica Vitti characters in Antonioni’s films. However, he never manages to fully connect to these people, or his friends, and is constantly alienated to other people, particularly when one he is trying to help double-crosses him. This is one of the strong points of the film; the world depicted here by Bresson is probably one of the coldest and harshest I’ve seen in a film, and do give the audience a strong feeling of why the character feels so alienated towards it. This is something Bresson often does, but this is probably the time it has had its most significant role, and he also uses this to take a look at the developing modern society.
This idea of the modern world is an area we can both contrast and compare to Antonioni. It’s true that much of what is depicted in his films is his take on the modern world, the growing use of machinery and the cold use of architecture. But in Bresson’s film it is taken to a new level I feel. Many of the characters are quite negative, materialistic and cold towards the problems of the protagonist. The ending itself is quite stark, and really brings forth how Bresson feels about humans. This is of course achieved with Bresson’s familiar technique, which even though it has gone to colour, is still very recognizable. His spare style exposes the world in a very different way than most other filmmakers, and this works very well with the ideas of the films. The protagonist’s face is void of expression, which makes his perception of the world even more powerful to the audience. The feel of the world is mechanic, which I think is fairly similar to Antonioni’s films, however, I always felt his black and white cinematography supported this in a better way. Then again, Le Diable probablement isn’t particularly beautifully shot as Antonioni’s films, much of this due to the spare style of Bresson, which I preferred in black and white.
This was an interesting film to watch, but then again, so are most Bresson films. It’s not his best, but far from his worst, and will stand as a strong film on alienation and detachment. I still to some degree prefer Antonioni’s films, but this is an interesting different look at it.
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