Diary of a Country Priest
From the Novel by
GEORGES BERNANOS
DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIES Screenplay, Adaptation and Direction by
ROBERT BRESSON:
I don't think I'm doing anything wrong
in writing down daily,
with absolute frankness,
the simplest
and most insignificant secrets
of a life actually lacking
any trace of mystery.
My parish. My first parish.
Must I believe
that it's only for duty's sake
that I refuse to acknowledge
my poor health?
My bicycle is very useful,
but I can't ride uphill on an empty
stomach without feeling faint.
I deliberately cut out
meat and vegetables,
eating only small quantities of
wine-soaked bread whenever I feel dizzy.
I add a lot of sugar to the wine.
I let my bread harden
for several days.
Thanks to this diet,
my head is clear,
and I feel much stronger.
Old Fabregars came
to the sacristy this morning.
Aside from the fee for my time,
God knows, Mr. Fabregars,
I'd like you to have use
of the draperies for free.
A lot of old moth-eaten rags
held together by patches.
What could they have cost?
- Candles are very expensive.
You do have a soft time of it.
There's no excuse
for exploiting the poor.
You like your money easy, Father.
As I see it, it's simple:
I ask one thing. It's only just.
Let my poor old wife
be buried decently.
The usual service.
And for that I'll not pay
a penny more, you hear?
I was still distraught
when I went to see the priest of Torcy.
God, I wish I had
his health and mental balance.!
You should have
shown him the door.
Yes, shown him the door.
Besides, I know Fabregars.
The old guy has plenty.
You young priests!
What have you young men
In my time
they made men of the church,
leaders of parishes, real masters!
Seminaries these days
send us choirboys,
young ragamuffins who think
they're working harder than anyone
because they never manage
to finish anything.
At the first sign of difficulty,
they say the priesthood isn't what
they expected and drop everything.
I will not drop everything,
I assure you.
Besides exterminating the devil,
your other dream is to be loved
for who you are.
The church doesn't care a whit
whether you're loved, my son.
Be respected, obeyed.
Keep order all day long,
knowing full well disorder
will win out tomorrow,
because in this sorry world,
the night undoes the work of the day.
''Keep order all day long. ''
The priest of Torcy's
words came back to me
as I peeled potatoes for my soup.
The right-hand man
came up from behind.
Good news, Father.
The council agreed to your request.
It will install electricity for you
at its own expense.
There remain
just the usual formalities.
- Will it take long?
- Two or three months. Four at the most.
I'd have loved to tell him
a thing or two about his cabaret.
He puts on a dance every Sunday
and calls it ''The Families'Ball, ''
where boys have fun
Good day, Father.
I didn't dare.
The simplest tasks
are by no means the easiest.
An awful night.
As soon as I closed my eyes,
sadness overwhelmed me.
I'd have done anything this morning
for a word of compassion or kindness.
I was expecting a lot
from catechism class,
the children preparing
for holy communion.
especially Sraphita Dumouchel.
Communion is
to re - to receive -
How about you?
It's to receive -
Receive Jesus
in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
And how did He establish
the Eucharist?
To establish the Eucharist,
to His disciples, saying,
''Take and eat. This is My body.''
He took wine and said,
''Take and drink. This is My blood.
Do this in remembrance of Me.''
That will do for today's class.
Sraphita, come forward for a good mark.
The others may go.
Are you anxious
to make your communion?
Why not?
It'll come soon enough.
Yet you understand me,
and you listen so well.
It's because
you have such beautiful eyes.
They had plotted it together.
But why such hostility?
What had I done to them?
Miss Louise
attends holy mass every day.
Without her,
Her position as governess at the manor
dictates a certain distance between us.
This morning she buried
her face in her hands,
but at the blessing,
I could see she'd been crying.
You must feel very lonely.
Her ladyship is very kind,
but Miss Chantal enjoys humiliating me
and treats me like a servant.
Is she your only pupil?
The countess had a son, but he died.
She adored him.
No one at the manor
ever mentions him.
I'll call on the count next Thursday.
This visit to the manor
has me quite worried.
A good first impression
could spell success for my plans
for a youth club
and sports program.
The count's influence and wealth
could help me to achieve them.
The land is barren
and the barn empty.
That's true.
I'm not saying no, Father,
but give me time to think it over.
He's said to be hard on his farmers,
and he's no model parishioner.
Why has he so quickly become
the so desperately rare
friend, ally and companion?
Mrs. Pegriot will prepare it for you.
I've let her know.
I didn't dare tell him
my stomach only tolerates dry bread.
I won't taste his rabbit stew,
for which I'll have to pay
the housekeeper a half day's wages.
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