Diary of a Country Priest

Based on a novel by George Bernanos, Diary of a Country Priest marked the first in Director Robert Bresson’s so-called “prison trilogy” (followed by Pickpocket and A Man Escaped). The film begins with the arrival of a young, sickly priest (Claude Laydu) at the godless parish of Ambricourt in Northern France. Here he becomes drawn into the complex domestic life of a wealthy Count, his tormented wife, his manipulative daughter, and his mistress, Miss Louise. Narrated by excerpts from his diary, the film follows his efforts to awaken the villagers from their spiritual lethargy, with their struggles, suffering and triumphs representing in a microcosm those of humankind itself.

Bresson’s intensely personal style, minimalist approach to dialogue and music, and use of non-professional actors marked a new kind of filmmaking, which was to influence such diverse names as Paul Schrader, and Richard Linklater and Andrei Tarkovsky (whose favourite film was reputed to be Diary of a Country Priest).