Abstract

This study examines the presence of Zen Buddhism in Robert Bresson’s unique method of film construction. I argue that Bresson’s minimalist choices regarding film form and his emphasis on sensory experience at the expense of intellectual analysis overlap significantly with Zen. In addition, I explore Bresson’s unique theory of film acting and discuss the parallels between his idea of the actor-as-model and the process of transcending the self through Zen meditation. The aim of this thesis is to open the door to a new approach to film studies: a method that highlights direct experience and the achievement of a meditative state as opposed to the Western tradition of critical thinking and conceptual analysis.