The Poetry of Precision: The Films of Robert Bresson will be the first complete retrospective of Bresson's work in North America in 14 years. TIFF Cinematheque has announced today that the series "features a restored print of his acclaimed first feature Les Anges du péché (1943), a metaphysical thriller set in a convent, and new prints of key titles struck especially for the occasion of this retrospective such as the controversial Le Diable probablement (1977), which was prohibited to viewers under the age of eighteen in France as an incitement to suicide; A Man Escaped (1956), a work of resolute beauty that rigorously elevates the gruelling routines of prison life; Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971), legendary for being unavailable in North America for almost two decades; and his last masterpiece, L'Argent (1983), a terse and chilling indictment of capitalism and modernity."
While the retrospective will run at TIFF Bell Lightbox from February 9 through March 18, it'll actually kick off at Film Forum in New York on January 6. More stops and dates:
- Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley on January 19.
- Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge on January 20.
- Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago on January 21.
- Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson on January 31.
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 1.
- National Gallery of Art in DC on March 3.
- Cleveland Cinematheque on March 3.
- George Eastman House in Rochester on March 6.
- Belcourt Theatre in Nashville on March 9.
- Pacific Cinematheque in Vancouver on April 4.
- Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 13.
- Northwest Film Forum in Seattle on May 1.
- American Cinematheque in Los Angeles on May 10.
One of the occasions of the retrospective is the publication of an expanded and illustrated edition of series curator James Quandt's revered collection, Robert Bresson (Revised), featuring essays by Susan Sontag, André Bazin, P Adams Sitney, and Kristin Thompson. This new edition adds material from David Bordwell, Mark Rappaport, Shigehiko Hasumi, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Serge Daney, Jean-Michel Frodon, Colin Burnett, Richard Suchenski, Jean-Pierre Gorin and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.
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