Au Hasard Balthazar

Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) is the story of a donkey.

It is one of the most sad and strangely beautiful movies I have ever seen. It was written and directed by the French filmmaker Robert Bresson, who Roger Ebert once called "a saint of the cinema."

I love all Bresson's movies, but Balthazar may be my favorite. (It's on Netflix.)

The movie has nothing to do with Balthazar Bakery, Plain Sight's tour of which continues today. But it gives me a rare excuse to mention this haunting movie filled with tenderness and cruelty and the unforgettable sound of one forlorn donkey (named Balthazar) braying.

After that digression, let's get to the visuals.

Top Picture:

Xavier Gonzalez pours honey into a batch of batter for Balthazar's multigrain bread. Eating certain multigrain breads makes you feel you're doing penance for every toothsome thing you ever ate. You won't have that problem with Balthazar's multigrain.

Gonzalez measures quantities by weight more than by measure. In a moment, as the last of the honey dribbles into the tub, he will turn to look at the digital scale on the wall (partially visible behind his head). If the weight is right, he will move on to the next ingredient.

Second Picture:

Another Balthazar employee guides a line of Pullman-style loaves through a slicer.

Third Picture:

Humberto Martinez, one of Balthazar's top bakers, sets loaves of olive bread on a conveyer belt for loading into the 500-degree ovens. The basket gives the loaf its distinctive lines.

Fourth Picture:

A rack of rolls awaits the arrival of one of Balthazar's delivery trucks, painted the same pale yellow with early 20th Century typography as the bakery's logo.

Tomorrow:

Pastries, Danish, and desserts.

PS: If, when you expand the picture, it slips behind the Re/Max ad, simply scroll down until the ad is off the screen, then expand the pictures. (But, of course, read the ReMax ad first.)

Tags: Englewood | Bread | Balthazar Bakery | photography | bakeries

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