The Devil, Probably (1977)
Australian Premiere - 4K Restoration
“By far the most punk movie ever made.” – Richard Hell
“The Devil Probably expresses the malaise of our time more profoundly and more magnificently than any work of art in any medium.” – Andrew Sarris
Bresson’s penultimate film is perhaps his most pronounced declaration of a crisis of meaning in the modern world. Shrouded in nihilism and striking satire, the film focuses on twenty-something Charles (Antoine Monnier) who apathetically rejects participating in the various rhetoric and action circulating amongst Parisian youth, from movements against the environmental crisis to Catholic reformism. It is the inner conflict between the countless despair-inducing issues and the desire for meaning, which he seeks through casual physical intimacy, that renders Charles an archetypal Bressonian protagonist. In this case it is inaction that is his ascetic devotion.
Formally meticulous, The Devil, Probably is a rewarding and haunting watch for its rhythmic depiction of daily life as an existential threat. Banned by the French Government on release for those under the age of eighteen from fear of an impressionable youth, this restoration comes to Australian screens at a time where the film seems eerily relevant to the political concerns of today.
Introduced by Megan Nash at Ritz Cinemas and by Thomas M. Wright at Lido Cinemas.
Rating
Unclassified 18+
Duration
95 min
Country
France
Language
French (English Subtitles)
Cast
Antoine Monnier, Tina Irissari, Henri de Maublanc
Director
Robert Bresson
