Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

tomgillespie2002 Robert Bresson is known for his stark and stripped-down worlds, where actors were employed as mere 'models' would rather than conduits of expression. The script and story would be where the emotion would resonate, and this would create a rather cold, blank exterior, when in fact there would be great power, grace and humanity lurking beneath its icy surface. Diary of a Country Priest, Bresson's third feature, was the first time the French director would fully embrace this approach, going so far as hiring non- professional actors for the bulk of his cast. Claude Laydu, who plays the titular priest, gives a performance of such complexity that it is often cited as the greatest in the history of motion pictures. Scenes would be re-shot if Bresson felt his actors were, well, acting too much, and Laydu often looks like he's suppressing so much he's going to explode.When you understand what Bresson's goal was with Diary of a Country Priest, Laydu's performance becomes almost transcendent. The unnamed priest, who arrives in his new parish of the small commune of Ambricourt at the beginning of the film, is a weak, sickly presence. He is young, but small, gaunt and gently-spoken. Suffering from an unknown stomach ailment, he gets by on a diet of bread, fruit and wine. Ambricourt's inhabitants are mainly made up of poor but tough peasants and farmers, whose lives are so gruelling that they have little time for God. His arrival is met with scorn and distrust, and their reaction triggers feelings of rejection in the young priest. Even the children laugh at him, and Mass is attended by a sole woman whose intentions are far from Christian. He confides in the Priest of Torcy (Adrien Borel), a respected, straight-talking man of the cloth, who mentors the bewildered young man on what is expected of him. "A priest should never be loved," he is told, but seems perplexed at the cruelty of the world around him, and the lack of love within it.The film really centres around a conversation between Laydu and the Countess (Rachel Berendt), an ageing woman who has never gotten over the death of her son, and whose husband is openly having an affair with a younger woman. The result of this conversation has the village gossiping, and it is this that sparks a remarkable show of faith by the young priest. Bresson's bleak approach compliments these moments well, refusing to over-blow the priest's epiphany before he inevitably starts to wrestle with it, recording all of his thoughts in a small diary. Laydu's performance is masterful, and it was surprising to learn that he later developed a puppet show for children, a world away from his sullen presence here. Alongside Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc and Rossellini's Francesco, giullare di Dio, Diary of a Country Priest is a masterpiece about Catholicism made by an agnostic or atheist, using the Bible's teachings and the institution itself as a way to tell more humanistic story of human anguish and struggle.

Armand gentle. fascinating. honest. lesson. about sacrifice, personal world and circles of existences. a movie as a surgery act. precise, cold, out of definitions. because the novel of Bernanos is hunting cut by hunter. carefully, patiently, as reconstruction of final thing. nothing strange, nothing forced. a religious film but more that. a profound reflection of way to be, portrait of a community, Dostoievsky scene of conversion, and impressive Claude Laydu in role of priest of Ambricourt.ladder of nuances, cruel exploration of reality, shadow of a delicate work, image of lost place, a cast out of tricks and air of a society who remains a huge prey animal. poetry of feelings, crumbs from Don Quijote and Werther, a kind of Prince Myshkin and death as revelation. All is grace. it is a conclusion and a verdict . and heart of a long travel. because it is not story of a Catholic priest. but drawing of a form of escape behind insignificant things. for be more than piece of a gray puzzle.

Boba_Fett1138 Even though I'm not a religious person at all, I'm still often quite fond or religious themed movies. They have a certain atmosphere and it often handles some intriguing themes, such as complete devotion, not just to the Lord but also to a certain cause.Of course this movie is not just for everyone. I mean, hey, first of it all, it's French! It's shot completely in black & white and its slowly moving. But I will say that the it's never really a too hard of a movie to watch. This is mostly because the movie mostly keeps things real and doesn't ever exaggerate or gets overly complicated with any of its themes or emotions. In a way you could call this movie one that is being like a random slice of life, like so many movies used to be made of later on, in mostly France and Italy.Even though the movie its slow, it still at all times remains an intriguing one to watch, which is all due to the way it got shot and directed by Robert Bresson. He lets the actors really tell the story and at the same time also make things work out all the better with the help of its visuals. It's a really beautifully shot movie, with some nice cinematography by Léonce-Henri Burel, who had basically been in the industry since the beginning. Obviously a guy with lots of experience with black & white cinematography. I also don't think he ever did a movie in color, not even during the later years of his career.I like how the characters within the story get slowly developed and fleshed out and also how they all interact with each other. It's part of the reason why this feels like a realistic movie and story and not like one that tries to manipulate your feelings and emotions, or one that feels like it got based on a novel, while in fact it actually did got based on a novel, by Georges Bernanos.Also of its acting feels very natural, which makes its characters work out, which in return also make its story and just overall movie work out. It's one of those movies that also deliberately used actors without any or too much experience. This can at times actually work against a movie but in this case it really worked out brilliantly.No, I will admit that the movie its pace isn't always pleasant and the movie isn't always interesting to watch but overall it all, surprisingly, is still well worth it by the end.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

lotus07 SYNOPSIS: The memories of a young Vicar in a rural French town document the shallow and callus lives of the adults in the community, set against the innocence and growing realizations of its youth.CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Depression is the first thing that comes to mind. This isn't a very uplifting film, even on a spiritual level. It is extremely intimate, drawing the viewer into the mind of the priest and his discovery of the pain and angst of the townspeople that he is sent to over-see. Hollywood has rarely made this type of film. It has to do more with the examination of the soul and the complexities of the human experience.PROS AND CONS: This film is interesting because it is different from most American cinema. It shows that cinematic story telling can be a personal and introspective art as opposed to a neat plot that is resolved in 90 minutes. For anyone struggling with the complexities of life this would be a good film to see and ponder. In the end, all the things we fuss over have little bearing on the big picture.The soft focus black and white print gives an almost impressionistic tone at the beginning of the film. The story moves smartly with short direct scenes that build characters and set the mood. There are no long takes or establishing shots. It is a very terse film, with minimal dialog. The lives of the rural French community are woven together/discovered by the timid priest who is thrust into their midst. The film shows how other cultures think and what they find important and meaningful.In the film's setting the priest is a standard figure of society, much like a postman or fireman, he is the living conscience of the community. The central character is similar to the Catholic Priest played by Spencer Tracy in "Boy's Town", only less dynamic and more introverted. He searches for the meaning of life amongst the cynical souls of rural France where gossip and back stabbing appear to be the norm. All in all a depressing film with a very thin plot. Mostly an introspective character study of the lives of troubled people and their failure to find salvation. There isn't a lot of resolution in the story, just a certain amount of realization on the part of the characters.