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Bresson’s last film: a natural history of money. Robert Bresson’s last film and possibly his greatest, L’Argent adapts a story by Tolstoy for its tale of a young man whose unwitting passing of a counterfeit bill sets off a chain of events that culminates in a shocking ending.

THE PLOT

A forged 500 franc note changes hands trapped in a loop of increasingly intense relations that define the position of money in our society. It’s the idea of money, as a sign of who we are that seems important to Bresson rather than simplistic judgement.

PRIZES, REVIEWS

Winner of the Prix de la mise en scene – Cannes Film Festival

“L’Argent (1983) was another examination of a world riddled by corruption. Like Le Diable (1977) before it, the film centered around the evils of money and its disastrous effects on an essentially innocent young man. Inarguably one of Bresson’s bleakest works, it nevertheless came to the conclusion – through brutal societal retribution and deliverance from membership in society – that “All is Grace.”

It was Bresson’s last film, and he described it as the one with which he was most satisfied. It was the final installment in the career of a man who can be truthfully described as one of cinema’s genuine auteurs. On December 18, 1999, Robert Bresson died, leaving behind over a half-century’s worth of contributions to both his country’s culture and that of the world.” – ALL MOVIE GUIDE