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Au Hasard Balthazar

Play trailer Poster for Au Hasard Balthazar Released Feb 19, 1970 1h 30m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
This thoughtful and unique French film reveals the surprisingly deep connection between Marie (Anne Wiazemsky), a sensitive farm girl, and her cherished donkey, Balthazar. Though Marie and Balthazar are eventually separated when she gets older, the tale follows both the young woman and the donkey as they contend with the hardships of the world. Although Marie and Balthazar often encounter cruelty from the various people they meet, they also find small moments of beauty.
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Au Hasard Balthazar

Au Hasard Balthazar

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Critics Consensus

Au Hasard Balthazar uses one animal's lifelong journey to trace a soberly compelling -- and ultimately heartbreaking -- outline of the human experience.

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Critics Reviews

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Leah Pickett Chicago Reader The movie plays like a concerto. Oct 11, 2019 Full Review Ignatiy Vishnevetsky AV Club If one were looking for a perfectly realized film, Au Hasard Balthazar would be as likely a candidate as any. Rated: A Nov 22, 2016 Full Review Anthony Lane The New Yorker The film could have sunk beneath this symbolic burden, yet it is lightened by the speed and precision of Bresson's art; he could derive more from one pair of hands than most directors can from two hours of blood and guts. Mar 5, 2013 Full Review Jeremy Carr Vague Visages Much of Au hasard Balthazar’s transcendental value derives from its explicit openness to theological interpretation... Nov 15, 2023 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies It’s visceral and heartbreaking. At the same time it holds a mirror up to the world we live in. And while this film was made in 1966, the reflection it casts is just as piercing today as it was then. Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review René Gilson Cahiers du Cinéma One has little reason for disquiet with Bresson; he has just affirmed more admirably than ever a freedom dearly won that will not yield. Mar 3, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Success in 1.5 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In French (France) and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/09/25 Full Review jacob c A profoundly moving, vivid, and melancholy odyssey showcasing the breadth of human grief, greed, ignorance and cruelty. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/04/25 Full Review Mohamed K A transcendent cinematic experience that defies easy categorization, blending elements of drama, allegory, and spiritual inquiry to create a deeply affecting portrait of the human condition. Through the life of a donkey named Balthazar, the film explores themes of innocence, cruelty, and the search for meaning in a world marked by suffering and injustice. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/12/24 Full Review Morvia 8thsin/ 3 The film may have much appreciation in the professional world as one of the greatest films of all time but these are noted in focus or in the spotlight aside from the animal as first time actors with much to prove in this regard but in present day in my opinion there is a scene in which the donkey's tail has paper attached and is lit on fire then actually shown with smoke on its tail with the donkey struggling/distressed-I cannot tolerate this in the movie and the movie has to put it into the improbable meaning to show a near appearance of the donkey as what was done when the rebellious character hit the donkey numerous times meaning continue the mind frame set as with the striking, as the donkey looked fake as it should have been if it wasn't as the actions of the donkey were not shown. This would then continue the scene where with artificial donkey with tail lit on fire with paper attached then do a sound disagreement with a donkey's animated voice and not the donkey in portrayal but could have been the identical disagreement as far at was shown and heard in previous in the people having the donkey want to pull the cart but this time with only heard which would then promote a distance from distress/cruelty as shown with artistry. In more with then having a character catch this rebellious person in the act as children playing nearby and were curiously viewing so to speak while in doing this and a child questioning it which would then reflect into when the donkey was first met in the field by a child wanting it otherwise it is cruelty to animals and cannot give high praise for this film which is not acceptable as far as I'm concerned to not put artistry in case of cruelty. The movie should have focused on how society has distanced itself from the animal meaning in portrayal demonstrate how society has shifted views from cruelty into humanity and for this would then symbolize for the world in that matter which then in my opinion would have made this movie a true work of art. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/30/24 Full Review Shioka O I watched this after EO (2022), found that it was a homage to this. from now on, I can only see donkeys as a sad symbol... such a emotional human tale. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review dave s On the surface, Robert Bresson's Au Hasard Balthazar tells a pretty simple tale. It is the story of the life of a donkey, from birth to death. It's really that simple and that is a part of the beauty of the film. However, it is more an examination of the best and worst that humanity has to offer, love and compassion on one hand, exploitation and unrelenting cruelty on the other. Throughout everything, Balthazar reacts with blind, unthinking compliance, much like his human counterparts. Like most of Bresson's films, it is austere throughout, its simplicity masking its thematic complexity. It is a thoughtful and heartbreaking movie that will linger in the mind of the viewer long after the final scene fades to black. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Au Hasard Balthazar

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Movie Info

Synopsis This thoughtful and unique French film reveals the surprisingly deep connection between Marie (Anne Wiazemsky), a sensitive farm girl, and her cherished donkey, Balthazar. Though Marie and Balthazar are eventually separated when she gets older, the tale follows both the young woman and the donkey as they contend with the hardships of the world. Although Marie and Balthazar often encounter cruelty from the various people they meet, they also find small moments of beauty.
Director
Robert Bresson
Producer
Mag Bodard
Screenwriter
Robert Bresson
Distributor
Rialto Pictures, Cinema Ventures
Production Co
Svenska Filminstitutet, Parc Film, Athos Films, Argos Films, Svensk Filmindustri (SF) AB
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 19, 1970, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 25, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$39.4K
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Mono
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