A MAN ESCAPED

| 1957 – 101′ – CLASSIC, DRAMA, THRILLER, ACTION, WAR, PERIOD & HISTORY.
Written by: Robert Bresson, André Devigny.
Directed by: Robert Bresson.
Starring: François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Mono, Jacques Ertaud, Jean-Paul Delhumeau, Jean-Philippe Delamarre, Roger Planchon.
Official Selection Cannes International Film Festival 1957.
In French with English subtitles.
A The Criterion Collection release. |

In a film based on the writings of French Resistance fighter and POW André Devigny, Fontaine (François Leterrier) is being held by the Nazis at Fort Montluc. When he gets word that he’s scheduled for execution, Fontaine channels his energy into hatching a plan to break out. His plan is interrupted when he is assigned a new roommate. Fontaine grudgingly brings the newcomer in on the escape effort, which involves homespun weapons and an intricate knowledge of the layout of the prison itself. With the simplest of concepts and sparest of techniques, Robert Bresson made one of the most suspenseful jailbreak films of all time. Based on the account of an imprisoned French Resistance leader, this unbelievably taut and methodical marvel follows the fictional Fontaine’s single-minded pursuit of freedom, detailing the planning and execution of his escape with gripping precision. But A Man Escape is not merely about process–it’s also a work of intense spirituality and humanity.

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