L'Argent

1983 1h 25m FR

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 303

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A forged 500-franc note is passed from person to person and shop to shop, until it falls into the hands of a genuine innocent who doesn't see it for what it is—which will have devastating consequences on his life.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Christian Patey
Yvon Targe
Vincent Risterucci
Lucien
Sylvie Van Den Elsen
Grey Haired Woman
Michel Briguet
Grey Haired Woman's Father
Caroline Lang
Elise
Marc Ernest Fourneau
Norbert
Jean-Frédéric Ducasse
Didier Baussy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Bresson
Writers: Robert Bresson, Leo Tolstoy
Languages: French
Countries: France, Switzerland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Switzerland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Bresson, shot by Pasqualino De Santis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jean-François Naudon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Christian Patey and Vincent Risterucci and Sylvie Van Den Elsen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0085180 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Bresson directs. Pasqualino De Santis behind the camera. Jean-François Naudon cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Switzerland. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
243 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Switzerland.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Robert Bresson, shot by Pasqualino De Santis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Jean-François Naudon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Christian Patey and Vincent Risterucci and Sylvie Van Den Elsen carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0085180 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "paris, france", "capitalism", "money", "murder".

The technical file

Cinematography: Pasqualino De Santis
Editing: Jean-François Naudon
Production design: Pierre Guffroy
Costume design: Monique Dury
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: L'Argent (1983)

Also by

Robert Bresson

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-01-01
★ 7/10
The sentiment of this film is rather horribly - and effectively - cynical. A dodgy 500 Franc note is being circulated amongst businesses and people who know it isn't real. Until, that is, is falls into the hands of honest delivery driver "Yvon" (Christian Patey) who has no idea that he is about to become the victim of this scam. His boss insists that the pretty skint man make good the loss and his options are limited. Petty crime seems the obvious solution and so he hooks up with some would-be bank robbers. Needless to say, that goes awry and soon the young lad is facing a lengthy prison term and his marriage starts to dissolve before his eyes. Proof, if it were ever needed, that prison isn't always the best solution - the youngster starts to despair, and upon his release that frustration and angst leads him to a far greater crime. There is something unpleasantly venal about this whole thing. The young man is wittingly used by others but hasn't the wits of his own to appreciate, until it is too late, that he is little better than a pawn in a rather inhuman and depressing cycle of greed and indifference. Patey delivers well here, as does Robert Bresson in creating an atmosphere that suffocates any semblance of hope and demonstrates the compelling addiction of corruption - exactly, I suspect, as Tolstoy intended in his original story. In the end, I found this to be more of a powerful character study of one young man who, there but for the grace of God, could be any one of us!

Production companies