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.

I should think so.

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.

We charge everyone the same.

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

got in your veins these days?

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.

A true priest is never loved.

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.

I'm getting electric light?

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

getting young girls drunk.

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.

The girls had given me hope,

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,

Jesus broke bread and gave it

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,

the church would be empty.

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.

I could have a choirboy take it

to old Mrs. Ferrant. She'd be delighted.

Father, I approve of all your ideas.

Oh, my ideas.

But I warn you against

putting them into practice.

I don't follow.

The people here are malicious.

Believe me, I know.

If I may offer a bit of advice,

well, don't be in too much of a hurry.

Don't show your hand at once.

Let them take the first step.

There is no urgency.

It's just that these things

are dear to my heart.

As for my land and my barn,

I wouldn't discourage you.

We'll discuss them later

when we get down to working out

something practical together.

You're not looking at all well.

You should take care of your health.

My stomach is very temperamental.

I hesitate, sir,

to mention your daughter.

My daughter?

What is the matter?

I'm concerned about her sadness.

Her face is far from cheerful.

There is something hard

and rigid in her expression

far beyond her years.

Chantal sad?

You must be joking.

Could someone be rubbing her

the wrong way?

Would a little more understanding

from Miss Louise -

You're mad.

The mention of Miss Louise's name

seemed to upset him terribly.

His face hardened.

Why?

I seized the first opportunity

to return to the manor...

a decision I had arrived at quickly.

The servant was

several moments in coming.

I was sure I'd meet the count,

who was usually at the manor

Thursday afternoons.

But I met the countess instead.

I must have surprised her.

Am I disturbing you?

Not at all.

I knew she was withdrawn

and entirely absorbed

in the memory of her dead child.

She approached,

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