A rare and revealing visit with the elusive master filmmaker, Without a Trace (Ni vu, ni connu) by the French series Cinéastes de notre temps presents an hour long interview with Robert Bresson.
Regarded by some of cinema’s beloved directors—Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky just to name a few—as the one to exemplify film as art, Bresson discusses a wide range of topics at his country home while taking a break from shooting Au hasard Balthazar. He describes in-depth his approach to filmmaking while sharing the inspiration behind his films and his thoughts on the state of the then contemporary cinema. It is amazing to see Bresson, who is considered by critics to be an ascetic filmmaker, talk about his admiration for a recent film he had seen at the theater: the third film in the James Bond series, Goldfinger.
Robert Bresson’s philosophy on the aesthetics of film makes Without a Trace an important historical document. Andrei Tarkovsky stated, An artist should not create sketches, produce notebooks filled with half-baked ideas—he should create works that count, and this is very true of Robert Bresson. His films are worlds in of themselves, timeless cinematic experiences that count. Tarkovsky, who received the Grand Prix du cinéma de creation award (Best Director) at Cannes 1983 for Nostalghia along with Robert Bresson for L’Argent, declared:
In capturing such a unique filmmaker and providing unparalleled insight into his work and ideas, Without a Trace is a genuine experience into the world of Robert Bresson.
