Pickpocket

French director Robert Bresson’s 1959 ‘minimalist’ drama PICKPOCKET revolves around Michel, a young pickpocket operating in the wider Paris area and whose own philosophy seems to justify his wrongdoings. In the prelude we are informed that “this film is not a thriller…but strives to express the nightmare of a young man whose weakness leads him to commit acts of theft he was not destined to commit…”

Young drifter Michel (Martin LaSalle) is on a mission: he’d rather earn his crust by pickpocketing than clocking in for a day of honest work… perhaps not because he is a bad person (he isn’t really) but because he is so consumed with penning his diary and pondering about the meaning of life in his ramshackle Parisian abode that time won’t allow for a 9 to 5 grind. What’s more, Michel is near obsessed with a biography called ‘The Prince of Pickpockets’ about real-life pickpocket George Barrington (1755 – 1804) and thus strives to follow in the footsteps of his hero. Really, why bother with a boring as hell job (respectable as it may seem) when you can make a reasonable living by liberating folks of their possessions (in Michel’s case we’re usually talking watches, wallets and purses) either on the Metro or at horse races?
The first quarter of the film introduces us to the strange little world of Michel as he goes about his ‘work’, intercut only with the sparse dialogue or his own thoughts (narrated by LaSalle). His social life (if you can call it that) is just a sparse… the only friend he seems to have is a young man called Jacques (Pierre Leymarie) who by the way walks on the straight and narrow. Then there’s Jeanne (Marika Green), a young attractive woman with meagre income and who looks after Michel’s gravely ill mother (Dolly Scal). Both Jacques and Jeanne don’t really understand why Michel seems so reluctant to visit his ailing mother though it later emerges that in the past, he even stole from her.

During one of Michel’s excursions into the world of pickpocketing he is caught but due to lack of evidence the Chief Inspector (Jean Pélégri) and his assistant Inspector (César Gattegno) have no choice but to let him go. That said, it isn’t the last time that Michel and the inspectors’ path cross for both seem to frequent the same bar/bistro and as if this weren’t coincidence enough Jacques also enjoys a drink in said bistro – in fact, he seems on very friendly terms with the Inspector altogether and despairs over Michel’s constant refusals to look for proper jobs (some of them handpicked by Jacques). Meanwhile, Jacques has begun dating Jeanne and when the pair are out on a date they invite Michel along who – how else should it be – can’t help himself and pinches the watch of a passer-by. Bored with playing gooseberry he leaves the two lovebirds and decides to go to his local bistro for a drink when it emerges that the Inspector is also there, enjoying a glass or two. Forever suspecting Michel, who is in the rather careless habit of carrying his ‘bible’ (yes, ‘The Prince of Pickpockets’) with him wherever he goes, the Inspector demands that Michel show him the book before asking him to turn up with it at the police station at a set date. Michel obliges, however, when he does turn up at the police station the Inspector isn’t in the least bit interested in the book… it is only then that it occurs to Michel the entire scenario was a set-up by the police to get him out of his flat so they can search it. Unable to find anything, including the stash of money he apparently stole from his mother, they have no other option then to let things go yet again.

Around the same time Michel makes the acquaintance of two professional pickpockets (Henri Kassagi and Pierre Étaix) who seem to handpick him – especially the main pickpocket (Kassagi) takes Michel under his wing and teaches him the tricks of the trade with the result that Michel’s attempts at pickpocketing grow ever bolder. Back in his flat he practises the dexterity of his fingers, when socialising with his accomplice the two men play away at pinball machines as it is also useful for honing their skills. Weeks pass and Michel is now almost on a level which would make George Barrington proud when his mother dies – there are only two other people at her funeral and they are Jacques and Jeanne. Collecting the few personal possessions of his dead mother such as old photographs and letters, Michel drifts into one of his philosophical moods and asks Jeanne whether we all will be judged upon our death. “Yes, but fear not for your mother, she was perfect” replies Jeanne. Michel then continues: “Judged how? According to what laws? It’s absurd!” Jeanne, on her way out as she needs to meet with her sister, asks Michel whether he believes in nothing. “I believed in God, Jeanne… for three minutes” he explains to her before continuing packing his mother’s belongings.

Guilt-ridden that he neglected his mother in the last weeks of her life Michel decides it’s high time for a change of scenery and via voiceover we learn that over the next few years Michel pickpockets his way through life and in various countries including Italy and England before he is forced to return to Paris, having squandered his earnings away on booze and women. He is somewhat surprised to find Jeanne has since become a young mother but refused to marry the father, Jacques, as she never really loved him enough. Busy with looking after the baby but unable to work because of the situation she’s in, Michel promises to look after them both, of course, his idea of looking after mother and child is by stealing once again. His luck finally runs out when he is eventually caught stealing a wallet from a man who turns out to be an undercover policeman! Finally in the slammer and with a gleeful Chief Inspector satisfied that he has got his suspect at long last, Jeanne promises to visit Michel (who by now has fallen in love with her) in prison until the day he is a free man again.

Director Robert Bresson’s taciturn anti-hero Michel is played with great conviction by Uruguayan Martin LaSalle although at the time of casting LaSalle (who would appear in ten more films following ‘Pickpocket’) had never acted before when Bresson approached him. With his big melancholy eyes and general brooding expression he proved to be a wise choice for the role. Equally inspired casting can be said about Michel’s ‘pickpocketing mentor’ portrayed by Henri Kassagi who, at the time of filming, was in fact a professional pickpocket drafted in by Bresson so he could teach LaSalle the tricks of the trade. After he appeared on screen, Kassagi changed his profession to stage magician! As for Jeanne, her part was cast with Marika Green (aunt of ‘Penny Dreadful’ actress Eva Green) who at the time of shooting was also a complete novice with regards to the acting profession. All in all very inspired casting!

This b/w drama from 1959 has been released on HD Blu-ray in a brand-new restoration with the following Bonus Material:
Robert Bresson Q&A (1971, audio only, 47 mins): / Director Paul Schrader on Pickpocket (2022, 11 mins) / The Models of Pickpocket (2003, 52 mins): documentary tracking down Pickpocket’s performers to discuss their experiences of working with Bresson / Archive shorts: Thefts From Handbags (1961, 1 min) / Snatch of the Day (1975, 1 min) / Four Men in Prison (1950, 41 mins): controversial drama-documentary / Trailers / Illustrated booklet (first pressing only).