Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) on Netflix
In the countryside near the Pyrenees, children adopt a baby donkey and christen him Balthazar alongside Marie. Farmhands work him relentlessly, and later he passes into the charge of Gérard.
- Netflix4.4/5
- IMDb7.7/1025,189 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes100%
Trailer
Plot summary
Jacques and his sisters live on a farm near the Pyrenees, and a baby donkey adopted there is christened Balthazar in the same ceremony that baptizes Marie, Jacques' childhood sweetheart, whose father teaches at the school nearby. Marie's family later takes the donkey over informally, and local farmhands work him relentlessly. Years later an accident sends him running off, and he finds his way back to Marie, now a teenager. A local bakery takes him for delivery rounds, where Gérard, who leads a gang of young criminals, works as delivery boy.
Cast
- Walter Greenas Jacques
- François Lafargeas Gérard
- Jean-Claude Guilbertas Arnold
- Philippe Asselinas Marie's Father
- Pierre Klossowskias Merchant
- Nathalie Joyautas Marie's Mother
- Marie-Claire Frémontas Baker's Wife
- Jean-Joël Barbieras The Priest
- Jean Rémignardas Notary
- Jacques Sorbetsas Police Officer
- François Sullerotas Baker
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Anne Wiazemsky, who played Marie, wrote in her 2007 novel Jeune Fille that she and the director Robert Bresson grew close while shooting, staying in adjoining rooms, and that he repeatedly tried to kiss her until she pushed him away; she later slept with a crew member, which she said gave her the courage to reject him.
- Au hasard Balthazar inspired John Abraham's 1977 Tamil-language film Agraharathil Kazhutai, which was listed in IBN Live's 100 Greatest Indian movies of all time and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil in 1978.
