Burnett - The invention of Robert Bresson the auteur and his market

THE INVENTION OF ROBERT BRESSON

THE INVENTION OF ROBERT BRESSON

The Auteur and His Market

Colin Burnett

Indiana University Press

Bloomington and Indianapolis

This book is a publication of

Indiana University Press

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Herman B Wells Library 350

1320 East 10th Street

Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA

iupress.indiana.edu

2017 by Colin Burnett

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No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.

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Manufactured in the United States of America

Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-0-253-02469-5 (cloth)

ISBN 978-0-253-02486-2 (paperback)

ISBN 978-0-253-02501-2 (ebook)

1 2 3 4 5 22 21 20 19 18 17

for Carol and Norman

To direct attention to the artists market invites misunderstanding. There are those who resent any suggestion that the artist is not an absolute spirit pursuing his aesthetical way like a bird: they will read any proposition about the relation between artist and market as a coarse innuendo about artists following a style because it is profitable.

But the artist need never become a creature of the market: he may choose which of the briefs he will take up, and he responds to some of its suggestions, ignores others, and sometimes turns yet others on their heads in a pointed way. Artists who get along in a market, and most of the ones we know about did so, manifest their brief and in it general social facts, as well as current ideas about art.

Michael Baxandall,

The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany

Contents

Acknowledgments

I VIEW THIS BOOK as a testament to the power stubborn hunches often hold over the life of an academic. For roughly eighteen years, since I was an undergraduate student at Concordia University in Montral, Ive been riding a single hunchthat the cinema of Robert Bresson could be more effectively grounded in history. Many deserve thanks for helping me turn a hunch into a dissertation, and now a dissertation into a book.

In 1998, Edmund Egan, my professor of philosophical aesthetics, recommended Susan Sontags Spiritual Style in the Films of Robert Bresson. I read itrepeatedly. It was a defining experience. Two of her ideas set my mind abuzz (and continue to do so today): Bressons is a reflective art that holds emotional payoffs in abeyance, and the tradition to which it belongs is poorly understood.

Concordia University is where the search for answers about this tradition first began to yield results. I am particularly grateful to my mentors there. Martin Lefebvre taught me the importance of methodological precision and lucidity, and of asking, why does this matter? John W. Locke generously committed to an independent study on Bressons cinematographers when neither one of us was certain it would lead anywhere. Virginia Nixon introduced me to the work of Michael Baxandall, which proved to be pivotal years later. Peter Rist showed enthusiasm for my first paper on Bresson, and encouraged me to pursue an MA on the strength of it. Donato Totaro published my first piece on Bresson. And I had many long conversations about Bresson (and much else) with fellow MA students Michael Baker, Brian Crane, Santiago Hidalgo, Farbod Honarpisheh, Randolph Jordan, Chris Meir, and Adam Rosadiuk, and each left a lasting impression.

At the University of WisconsinMadison, my early findings grew into a dissertation project. Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell encouraged me to be creative as I expanded the range of my primary materials, shared their views on various art-historical approaches, and opened many doors. Lea Jacobs bolstered my commitment to close analysis. My dissertation committeeJeff Smith, Ben Singer, Vance Kepley Jr., and Barbara Buengerconsistently pushed the project toward fresh avenues of film and art-historical research. I owe a special debt of gratitude to my advisor, Kelley Conway. Her extensive knowledge of France and of French film history and scholarship helped me make new connections and develop confidence as I dove deeper and deeper into the circumstantial matter. Merci infiniment!

My fellow Badgers endured my prattling on about Bresson for years. I hope they know how much I picked up from themall passionate lovers of ideas and movies: Masha Belodubrovskya, Casey Coleman, Brandon Colvin, Kyle Conway, Kaitlyn Fyfe, Heather Heckman, Jonah Horwitz, Derek Johnson, Charlie Michael, Mark Minett, Sreya Mitra, John Powers, Matt Sienkiewicz, Josh Shepperd, Jake Smith, Katherine Spring, Dave Resha, and Brad Schauer.

My colleagues and students at Washington University in St. Louis, where I have been since 2011, created nothing short of ideal conditions for converting the dissertation into a book. Gaylyn Studlar, William Paul, Todd Decker, Jennifer Kapcynski, and Julia Walker read earlier versions of the manuscript and provided vital feedback. Robert Hegel, Diane Lewis, Philip Sewell, and Ignacio Snchez Prado all generously shared their thoughts about the challenges of book publishing and much else. The final stages of research benefited from the intrepidity of Melissa Forbes, Eloisa Monteoliva, Carly Schulman, and Claudia Vaughn. And I would be remiss not to give special thanks to Rebecca Wanzo, a dear colleague and friend who at every phase of the revision process pressed me to think bigand then biggerabout the implications of my ideas and the reach of my findings. Theres a Qubcois expression: je me souviens.

Over the last decade, Ive been lucky enough to benefit from feedback and encouragement from a number of colleagues in French film studies. Susan Hayward had kind words for my research way back at the 2005 Studies in French Cinema conference, and it was a considerable boost. Phil Powrie kindly walked a young MA student through some of the basics of scholarly publishing. James Quandt included an earlier version of . Richard Neupert read every word of the manuscript and reminded me at a crucial moment to think of the reader. And the two anonymous readers, Tim Palmer and Brian Price, provided sage advice that challenged me to clarify my intervention andthe best recommendation any author could hope forto do what I do best.

Ive taken several research trips to Paris over the years and been greeted with warmth and hospitalitydespite my clunky accent dQubecker. At the Bibliothque du Film, archivist Valdo Kneubuhler and his patient team put up with my irritatingly frequent photocopy requests and assisted me in uncovering more than I could have imagined about the production history of Bressons films. Many, many thanks are due to Jonathan Hourigan, who opened the most important door of them all, provided line-by-line commentary on my first scholarly article on Bresson, and continues to impress with his generosity and knowledge of all things Bresson. Sidney Jzquel clarified for me the importance of his uncle, . And Mylne Bresson kindly hosted me for lunch on several occasions, countenanced my impassioned quibbling over the details of her husbands legacy, and helped me steer clear of error on several points.