Au hasard Balthazar
A donkey's life of suffering and grace.
Au hasard Balthazar (pronounced [o a.zaʁ bal.ta.zaʁ]), also called Balthazar, is a 1966 tragedy directed and written by Robert Bresson. The story, thought to be inspired by a passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel *The Idiot* (1868–69), centers on a donkey passed between owners who mostly treat him harshly. Known for Bresson's restrained, minimalist approach, the film is often considered one of the greatest ever made and is praised for its deep emotional impact. It debuted at the 1966 Venice Film Festival, winning the OCIC Award, the San Giorgio Prize, and the New Cinema Award.
The plot begins in the French countryside near the Pyrenees, where a baby donkey is taken in by children—Jacques and his sisters—on a farm. They name him Balthazar, alongside Marie, Jacques' childhood friend and the daughter of the local schoolteacher. After one of Jacques' sisters dies, his family leaves the farm, and Marie's family informally takes over care of Balthazar. He is then given to farmhands who work him hard. Years later, after an accident, Balthazar runs away and returns to Marie, now a teenager. Her father becomes caught in legal disputes with Jacques' father over the farm, and Balthazar is sent to work for a bakery.
At the bakery, Gérard, the leader of a young criminal gang, becomes jealous of Marie's affection for the donkey and treats Balthazar cruelly. One day, Marie spots Balthazar by the road and stops to greet him. Gérard, who was nearby, forces his way into her car. After she fails to escape, it is implied he sexually assaults her. Marie then enters an abusive relationship with Gérard, leaving her parents. Gérard is later questioned by police about a murder, along with Arnold, an alcoholic suspect, but neither is arrested. Gérard and his gang attack Arnold, accusing him of being a murderer and informant. Meanwhile, Balthazar falls ill and lies motionless for months. Gérard prepares to kill him, but Arnold intervenes and takes the donkey in.
Balthazar recovers, and Arnold uses him and another donkey to guide tourists in the Pyrenees. When the tourist season ends, Balthazar escapes and is taken by a circus. Spotting Arnold in the audience, he becomes agitated, and Arnold retrieves him. Arnold inherits a fortune after his uncle dies and throws a wild party at a bar, where Marie and her mother talk; Marie is asked to return home but refuses. Gérard puts Arnold o
- Release year
- 1966
- Director
- Robert Bresson
- Country
- France
- Language
- French
- Genre
- Tragedy
- Awards
- OCIC Award, San Giorgio Prize, New Cinema Award at 1966 Venice Film Festival
Lore & Background
The film's plot begins in the French countryside near the Pyrenees, where a baby donkey is adopted by young children—Jacques and his sisters—who live on a farm. They baptize the donkey, christening him Balthazar, along with Marie, Jacques' childhood sweetheart. After one of Jacques' sisters dies, his family vacates the farm, and Marie's family takes Balthazar over. Balthazar is given to local farmhands, who work him relentlessly. Years pass until Balthazar is involved in an accident and runs off, eventually finding his way back to Marie, now a teenager. Marie's father becomes embroiled in legal disputes over the farm with Jacques' father, and Balthazar is given to a local bakery for delivery work. Gérard, the leader of a young criminal gang, works as a delivery boy at the bakery. Jealous of Balthazar because of Marie's affection for the donkey, he takes charge of him and treats him cruelly. It is implied that Gérard sexually assaults Marie after she gives up trying to flee, and afterward, she enters into an abusive relationship with him.
Reader's Guide
Au hasard Balthazar is frequently listed as one of the greatest films of all time, noted for Bresson's ascetic directorial style and regarded as a work of profound emotional effect. When it first played in New York at the 1966 Film Festival, it received mostly unfavorable notices, but reviews in Europe were glowing. Filmmaker and critic Jean-Luc Godard said, 'Everyone who sees this film will be absolutely astonished [...] because this film is really the world in an hour and a half.' Film critic Tom Milne called it 'perhaps [Bresson's] greatest film to date, certainly his most complex.' Andrew Sarris wrote in his 1970 review: 'No film I have ever seen has come so close to convulsing my entire being ... It stands by itself as one of the loftiest pinnacles of artistically realized emotional experience.' The film premièred at the 1966 Venice Film Festival where it won the OCIC Award, the San Giorgio Prize, and the New Cinema Award. Its final scene, in which Balthazar lies down and dies surrounded by sheep, was lauded by Roger Greenspun of The New York Times as 'surely one of the most affecting passages in the history of film.'
Did You Know?
- The film was believed to be inspired by a passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1868–69 novel The Idiot.
- Bresson confirmed that Marie was inspired by a character in Bernanos' novel, La Joie, and that Balthazar was meant to be based on the priest's death at the end of that novel.
- The cinematographer was Ghislain Cloquet, his first of three films for Bresson.
- Jean-Luc Godard, who praised the film, married Anne Wiazemsky, who played Marie, in 1967.
More in Film Classics 1-23
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record