A Man Escaped (Un condamné à mort s'est échappé or Le vent souffle où il veut)
© 1956 Gaumont - Nouvelle Editions de Films
Robert Bresson's films are imbued with a beguiling simplicity. They unfold in a matter-of-fact manner and linger long after they have ended. A Man Escaped is no exception.
Based on the memoirs of André Devigny, A Man Escaped tells the story of a man by the name "Fontaine", who is imprisoned in the Montluc prison, by the Nazis, during the second world war. Specifically, it recounts his escape.
Like Devigny, Bresson was a member of the resitstance, and was captured and imprisoned by the Nazis. There's certainly an authenticity to the resignation many of the men have to whatever fate awaits them.
The courage of those who took tremendous risks during the war is probably beyond the comprehension of those of us who have grown up in comparatively comfortable times. Once in prison, many risked their lives once more to smuggle food, writing materials and messages of hope.
Fontaine is an interesting character, not the least because we never quite know him. He says and does nothing to win the audience's sympathy, and his narrative, which guides us through the story, is, like many of the characters in Bresson's work - matter of fact. Yet we can't help but wish him success. Perhaps it's a fundamental sense of moral righteousness, since Fontaine isn't overly interesting or likeable.
His bid for freedom is prolonged by the painstaking preparation involved. Fontaine may not be warm or charismatic, but he is certainly meticulous.
Eventually, he shares his cell with another prisoner: a young man whom Fontaine regards with considerable suspicion. Has the lad been planted in Fontaine's cell to gather intelligence? Will Fontaine have to kill him in order to escape?
The French title of the film is based on a saying from the Bible. Those familiar with Bresson's film, will be aware of religious motifs in previous works. Here, the saying is perhaps not as religious, but simply a statement describing how so many people lived - and died - during the war. Survival can be a cruel matter of chance. Imprisoned by the Nazis, and accused of serious crimes, one never knows if or when one will be dispassionately dispatched, in an environment where life means so little.
Though it revolves around the diurnal monotony that is Fontaine's existence, this is is a thoroughly engrossing film, that intrigues and rewards despite, or perhaps because of, the few revelations that are made about the people and location in the film. Bresson's saring use of Mozart's C Minor Mass is poetic and powerful.