''Angels of Sin'' (original French title: ''Les anges du péché'') was the first

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

directed by

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, ellipses, and sparse use of scoring have l ...

. Made in 1943, nine years after his comedy short '' Public Affairs'', it was Bresson's only film released during the

German occupation of France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

. Working titles included ''Bethany'', and Bresson's favored title ''The Exchange'', but producers felt these titles weren't sensational enough. he Exchange: Narration and Style in Les Anges du péché by David Bordwell from Robert Bresson 2nd edition: edited by James Quandt/ref> This film was made with a cast of professional actors, an aspect it shares with Bresson's next film, '' Les dames du Bois de Boulogne'', which would be his last done that way. Though usually seen as being the most "conventional" of Bresson's features,Films de France: Les Anges du peche
/ref> the religious subject matter and the directness of the film's style is seen by many as auspicious of the director's later work. Bresson collaborated on the film's screenplay with

Raymond Leopold Bruckberger Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

, a Dominican priest, and the noted dramatist

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His wo ...

, who received top billing on the film's posters above the then-unknown Bresson.

Synopsis

Anne-Marie ( Renée Faure), a well–off young woman, decides to become a nun, joining a convent that rehabilitates female prisoners. Through their program, she meets a woman named Thérèse ( Jany Holt) who refuses any help because she says she was innocent of the crime for which she was convicted. After being released from prison, Thérèse murders the man she feels is responsible for her imprisonment and comes to seek sanctuary from the law in the convent. Anne-Marie clashes with her sisters and elders over her zealousness to reform Thérèse, who manipulates and antagonizes her.

Bressonian trademarks

Though fairly conventional for its time in its approach to narrative filmmaking, ''Angels of Sin'' nonetheless contains elements which would later become common in Bresson's work, including a featuring of ellipsis: the shop owner is hardly visible throughout a sequence in which Thérèse buys a gun; there is also little context around the relationship of Thérèse and the man she murders (who, when shot, is only shown in silhouette). Additionally, the film has a prison setting, which would recur in the films ''

A Man Escaped ''A Man Escaped or The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth'' (french: Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut, which literally translates as: "A man condemned to death has escaped or The wind blows where it wants"; the subtitl ...

'' (1956), ''

Pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A th ...

'' (1959), ''

The Trial of Joan of Arc ''The Trial of Joan of Arc'' (french: Procès de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1962 French historical drama film written and directed by Robert Bresson. The title role is played by Florence Delay. Synopsis In 1431, Jeanne d'Arc, a peasant girl who has l ...

'' (1962), and ''

L'Argent ''L'Argent'' ("Money") is the eighteenth novel in the '' Rougon-Macquart'' series by Émile Zola. It was serialized in the periodical ''Gil Blas'' beginning in November 1890 before being published in novel form by Charpentier et Fasquelle in March ...

'' (1983). Lastly, the film ends with a shot of crossed hands being handcuffed: this form of close-up on hands became one of Bresson's most famous stylistic trademarks, and this particular arrangement of the cuffed hands is repeated in the aforementioned ''The Trial of Joan of Arc''. Though not a Bressonian trademark itself, the film also utilizes more fades to black than is common in other French films of the time, showing an early experimentation with film editing.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Angels of the Streets 1943 films 1943 drama films 1940s French-language films Films directed by Robert Bresson French black-and-white films French drama films 1940s French films