Mouchette (DVD)

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The sound design of the film is typically Bressonian. Off-screen noises play a large role in the structure of the film. We constantly hear the sound of trucks rumbling by; they are never seen except when their headlights play across the wall of Mouchette´s hovel. The modern world is encroaching on this insular town, which is doubtless on its last drunken legs. Bresson also uses music sparingly, with Monteverdi´s "Magnificat" serving as the only non-diegetic music in the film.

As usual, Bresson used a cast of mostly non-professional actors whom he considered more as "models" than performers. Nortier is a typical Bressonian model, coached to act and move with as little inflection as possible. She moves slowly, walks slump-shouldered, and her face hardly ever registers emotion, with the notable exception of the bumper-car ride when Mouchette smile and laughs like a "normal" girl. Some viewers have difficulty adapting to Bresson´s idiosyncratic approach to film acting, but for fans of the director (like yours truly) he seems to be the only one who ever got it right. That´s an exaggeration, of course, but Bresson´s singular, obstinate body of work can really be compared to no other, save for the imitators who have followed him.

By holding back so much that we typically expect to see in a film (emotive acting, for example), Bresson ultimately unleashes a powerful force that is difficult to describe. Call it transcendental, call it sublime, call it ineffable. Whatever label you choose, it has an impact like nothing else cinema has ever produced. I don´t consider "Mouchette" to be first-rate Bresson, but it is still a masterpiece, like virtually everything Bresson touched.

Video

The film is presented in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. "Mouchette" was Bresson´s last black-and-white film, and this digitally restored transfer does justice to Ghislain Cloquet´s starkly beautiful photography. The image is richly textured with sharp contrasts, a first rate job by Criterion.

Audio

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the French audio.

Extras

This single-disc Criterion release of "Mouchette" is a mild disappointment, but only when measured against the high standard previously set by the studio´s release of "Au hasard Balthazar" and "Pickpocket." The commentary track by Tony Rayns is superb, as we would expect from Mr. Rayns.

The main extra feature is "Au hasard Bresson," a 30-minute documentary directed by German film critic Theodor Kotulla. Kotulla visited the set of "Mouchette" to speak with Bresson, and wound up with his gem that delves much deeper than the usual "behind-the-scenes" documentary.

"Cinéma: Travelling" is a seven-minute excerpt from a French television show which features interviews with some of the cast members of "Mouchette." Nothing special here.

The strangest extra, and possibly the most interesting to die-hard cinephiles, is an original theatrical trailer for "Mouchette" cut by Jean-Luc Godard. Godard denied making this trailer, but it´s hard to believe anyone could mistake it for anything but a Godard work.

Closing Thoughts

"Mouchette" is grim, demanding viewing which requires patience even at its brisk 81 minute running length. If you have never seen a Bresson film before, don´t start here. "Mouchette" is hermetic even by Bresson´s standards. Try "A Man Escaped" (1956), "Pickpocket" (1959) or "Au hasard Balthazar" (1966) first before you tackle this one. I don´t wish to convey the notion that Bresson is somehow esoteric or inaccessible; I don´t believe that at all. His films are concise and concrete, but their surface simplicity hides the degree to which each image and sound is so densely packed, and only proper context (training, if you will) can help viewers unpack them.

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