'A Man Escaped' (1956) is based on the real-life experiences of Andre Devigny, a French resistance fighter imprisoned by the Nazis. 'Diary of a Country Priest' (1950) is an account, adapted from the 1936 novel by Georges Bernanos, of an awkward young priest who saves the souls of others while he himself is dying of stomach cancer. Like 'Les Anges,' 'Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne' (1945) featured dramatic cinematography, atmospheric music and professional actors-all elements which Bresson would later shun in his quest to forge a purer cinematic art.īresson's next three films marked the development of his own personal, mature style. A melodramatic tale of a convent novice who sacrifices her life to save the soul of a murderer, it nevertheless defined the thematic territory of grace and redemption which Bresson would continue to explore. During WWII, Bresson was a prisoner of war from June 1940 to April 1941-an experience which profoundly marked his subsequent work in the cinema.īresson made a stunning feature debut with 'Les Anges du peche' (1943), scripted by him and with dialogue by Jean Giraudoux. In between other, unexceptional assignments as a screenwriter, he made a medium-length film, the long-lost 'Les Affaires publiques,' in 1934. Bresson originally pursued a career as a painter but turned to film in the early 1930s, gaining his first experience as a script consultant on 'C'etait un musicien' (1933), directed by Frederic Zelnick and Maurice Gleize.

Bresson cinematography