A Man Escaped

Robert Bresson's 1956 adaptation of prisoner-of-war André Devigny's memoir transforms the French Resistance fighter's capture, imprisonment, and escape from the Gestapo during the German occupation into a film of almost documentary-level detail. Kept in a tiny stone cell with a high window and a thick wooden door, the prisoner (renamed Fontaine here and played by François Leterrier) slowly gains intimate knowledge of his world: the surfaces in his room, the sounds reverberating through the hall, and the prison's layout, which he is able to absorb in brief sojourns outside his enclosure. Bresson defies expectations of action cinema by focusing on Fontaine's patience and perseverance in planning his breakout. Insistent close-ups magnify each step, from constructing and hiding ropes and hooks, to painstakingly carving out an exit (Bresson transforms a pair of fellow inmates into a Greek chorus commenting on Fontaine's progress). A Man Escaped is a beautiful, almost meditative, and strangely rousing film in which the slightest gesture carries dramatic weight. Re-mastered in high definition from the original 35mm negative for DVD and Blu-ray, this Criterion Collection release features extras including a visual essay on Bresson's use of sound, an archival TV interview with Bresson, documentaries on the director's art and career, and a booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Tony Pipolo. A masterpiece of French cinema, this is highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)