Le Diable Probablement
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''The Devil Probably'' (), also spelled ''The Devil, Probably'', is a 1977 French
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson made a notable contribution to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, an ...
. It was entered into the
27th Berlin International Film Festival The 27th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June to 5 July 1977. The festival opened with ''Nickelodeon'' by Peter Bogdanovich. The Golden Bear was awarded to '' The Ascent'' directed by Larisa Shepitko. Since this edit ...
, where it won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize. It was Bresson's penultimate work, preceding his 1983 film ''
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 1891. T ...
''.


Plot

The film opens with two contradictory newspaper headlines informing us of Charles's death, shot in
Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...
. Beginning six months previously, the remainder of the film examines the events leading up to this event, through flashbacks and the perspectives of those around him, especially his friends Michel, Alberte and Edwige. Charles is a disillusioned student living in Paris. He is detached from society and struggles with a growing sense of alienation. The people around him, including his girlfriend Alberte and his others friends, do not understand his inner turmoil. Charles finds no inspiration from left-wing politics or religion, nor from the work of his environmental activist friend, Michel. He finds a similar void in sex with Alberte and with another casual acquaintance. Psychoanalysis fails to repair his nihilistic outlook. He increasingly observes the world with a sense of unease and horror, and expresses a profound dissatisfaction with it. He becomes more focused on the idea of suicide. During a discussion on a bus, a passenger asks "Who made this mockery of humanity? Who’s leading us by the nose?", and another replies "The devil probably", symbolising Charles's inner anguish and despair. Finally, Charles makes an arrangement with his drug-addicted friend Valentin to end his life using a handgun.


Cast

* Antoine Monnier - Charles * Tina Irissari - Alberte * Henri de Maublanc - Michel * Laetitia Carcano - Edwige * Nicolas Deguy - Valentin * Régis Hanrion - Dr. Mime * Geoffroy Gaussen - bookseller * Roger Honorat - police officer


Production

The film is only Bresson's second original script after ''
Au hasard Balthazar ''Au hasard Balthazar'' (; meaning "Balthazar, at Random"), also known as ''Balthazar'', is a 1966 tragedy film directed by Robert Bresson. Believed to be inspired by a passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1868–69 novel ''The Idiot'', the film foll ...
''. The commission which allocated advance funding to directors did not do so for Bresson, and the personal intervention of the Culture Minister, , was required for it to be financed. The film was shot in Paris during the 1976 heatwave.


Reception

Upon release, the film was banned in France for those aged under eighteen because of its suicidal themes. It shared the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize with two minor films at the
27th Berlin International Film Festival The 27th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June to 5 July 1977. The festival opened with ''Nickelodeon'' by Peter Bogdanovich. The Golden Bear was awarded to '' The Ascent'' directed by Larisa Shepitko. Since this edit ...
, but only after German film director
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...
and British film critic
Derek Malcolm Derek Elliston Michael Malcolm (12 May 1932 – 15 July 2023) was an English film critic and historian. Early life Derek Elliston Michael Malcolm was born on 12 May 1932. He was the son of Douglas Malcolm (died 1967) and Dorothy Vera (died 196 ...
had threatened to leave the jury if their support for it for the top prize were not made public. Fassbinder said:
Robert Bresson's ''Le Diable Probablement '' ... is the most shattering film I've seen in this Berlin Festival. I think it's a major film .. the futureand this world will probably last for another few thousand yearsthis film will be more important than all the rubbish which is now considered important but which never really goes deep enough The questions Bresson asks will never be unimportant.
Fassbinder would go on to refer to the film in his own 1979 film '' Die Dritte Generation'', where a character remarks that it is "a sad movie", but "so long as the movies are sad, our lives can stay funny". The critic J. Hoberman described the film with one sentence: "A Dostoyevskian story of a tormented soul, presented in the stylized manner of a medieval illumination."
Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television (band), ...
described the film as "by far the most punk movie ever." The film was well-received among critics, currently holding a 85% "fresh" rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
based on 20 reviews.


See also

*
List of French films of 1977 A list of films produced in France in 1977. See also *1977 in France *1977 in French television Notes External links French films of 1977at the Internet Movie DatabaseFrench films of 1977at Cinema-francais.fr {{DEFAULTSORT:French Films ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Devil Probably, The 1977 films 1970s French-language films 1977 drama films Films directed by Robert Bresson Films scored by Philippe Sarde Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winners French drama films 1970s French films