Diary of a Country Priest

Diary of a Country Priest is a 1951 French drama film written and directed by Robert Bresson, and starring Claude Laydu in his debut film performance. A faithful adaptation of Georges Bernanos' novel of the same name, which had won the Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1936, it tells the story of a sickly young Catholic priest who has been assigned a small village in northern France as his first parish. The film was lauded for Laydu's performance, which has been called one of the greatest in the history of cinema, and won numerous awards, including the Grand Prize at the Venice International Film Festival and the Prix Louis Delluc. Plot In the small village of Ambricourt, the new parish priest keeps a diary, which he can be seen writing in and heard reading from throughout the film. Due to an undiagnosed stomach ailment, he has excluded meat and vegetables from his diet and primarily subsists on cheap wine with sugar and bread added. The locals are mostly either indifferent or hostile to the young priest, whether it be an old man who complains about the fees to bury his wife or the students of the catechism class who play tricks, so, as this is his first appointment, he often consults with the older and more experienced Priest of Torcy, who says he needs to worry about keeping order, rather than being loved. The only parishioner who attends daily mass is Miss Louise, the young governess at the local manor, who is secretly having an affair with the Count. She complains that her ward, Chantal, mistreats her, so the priest says he will go talk to the Count, who he has been looking for an excuse to see about getting help starting a youth club and sports program. The Count initially approves of the priest's plans, but cools when the priest attempts to broach the subject of the conflict between Chantal and Louise. When the priest revisits the manor, the Count avoids him, so he is greeted by the Countess, who withdrew from the world when Chantal's younger brother died several years ago, but he soon begins to feel ill and leaves. He goes to see Dr. Delbende, an elderly physician with a struggling practice who, though an atheist, is friends with and was recommended by the Priest of Torcy. The doctor palpates the priest's abdomen at length, but offers no diagnosis.