Robert Bresson
Robert Bresson (1901–1999) was a French director and screenwriter regarded as one of the most rigorous and influential stylists in the history of cinema. After early work as a painter and a brief experience as a German prisoner of war, he developed a distinctive theory and practice he called cinematography, working with non-professional 'models' rather than actors, stripping his films of psychology and dramatic emphasis, and isolating gesture, object, and sound with rare precision. His acclaimed films include Diary of a Country Priest, A Man Escaped, Pickpocket, Au Hasard Balthazar, Mouchette, and L'Argent.