A Man Escaped [DVD]

A film about one man, alone, thrown back on his own resources.

If you consider a film which focuses on a single character, mostly in a single location, with minimal dialogue, then you might expect a narrative of great emotional intensity, but you probably would not expect the tension and immediacy that this film also has. I came across it by chance, and stayed glued to the screen, spellbound.

This is not a "Colditz"-style story, with its emphasis on comradeship in adversity, and attempt to see both guards and prisoners as individuals, with human frailties.

The hero is held in solitary confinement - that is why there are so few other characters. The enemy are faceless oppressors; we do not see his interrogation, the torture is evident from the condition in which he is returned to his cell.

The absolute emptiness of his cell is mirrored in the sparse, bare style of the narrative. It has the courage to disregard all extraneous concerns and concentrate on its single theme - the amazing resourcefulness and courage of a single individual, under almost intolerable conditions.

Watching this film is an intense, compelling experience, but ultimately uplifting, as it demonstrates what a human being is capable of.

I first saw "A Man Escaped" in my Introduction to Cinema Studies course during my first year at university. It immediately became one of the the greatest films I had ever seen. Over time, my feeling on it has evolved to the point that it is now one of my favorite films as well. The story is told in a sparse, visually narrow style that forces the viewer to use their imagination. The prison is never seen as a whole, we are only shown pieces of it--a wall, a doorway, and so on. The German prison guards are more often only heard as footsteps coming to the prisoner Fontaine's cell door. Rarely do we venture outside of Fontaine's cell once he is imprisioned, and when we do, it is usually to the same place, where he washes himself with the other prisoners. With the exception of the end, the plot of the movie revolves entirely around Fontaine's plan and execution of an escape. The magic of the film is that Bresson makes these minutae indescribably watchable; we are invested in Fontaine's every action through the whole of the film, and we watch with anticipation as he grows closer to his goal with each passing month, day, minute. "A Man Escaped" is a beautifully rendered work of cinema, and it will appeal to everyone who wishes to do more than while away the time seeing a simple 'movie'.

Having seen the paltry American disc which is overpriced and intermitently available, I greatly anticipated this release from Artificial Eye, and I am quite pleased. The film itself has never looked better, bright and clean with minimal dirt and clear sound. If that weren't enough, there is also a wonderful Dutch documentary (with English subtitles) called "The Road to Bresson" which is almost an hour long and features interviews with Andrei Tarkovsky, Louis Malle, and Paul Schrader amongst others. There is also footage of the notoriously camera-shy director accepting his award for Best Director (for "L'Argent") at the 1983 Cannes film festival. Finally, there is also a delightful surprise at the end for Bresson fans which I will not ruin here.

Even though I am region locked to the US Region 1 (I have to watch this on my PC), I purchased this DVD instead because I was so excited to see it so well presented by AE. It's slighlty cheaper than our DVD on Amazon.com as well (even with the exchange rate), and has an excellent bonus feature. Well worth the price and bravo to Artificial Eye for doing such a fine job!

If you have any serious interest in cinema then this is simply essential. Often imitated, universally admired, Bresson dismissed every accepted rule and convention and simply built his own. From the very first composing of the credits you know you are in the hands of a master. Bresson decides to give you what you need - and nothing more. No music (except the sparest use of glorious Mozart when he wants the film to rise to a different level of significance) - the only soundtrack being just the essential sounds to punctuate the action. No overhead tracking shots, no vistas - just a focus on only the action you need to see and follow - detail detail detail.. The simplest of dialogue, the most direct 'acting'. This is the antithesis of Hollywood bombast - it's like an antidote. And yet the simplicity carries more impact, it has more meaning, and ultimately is genuinely transendental in what it delivers. Faith. Absolute Belief. Determination against all odds. Trust in others and friendship and the best of human nature. It is ultimately religiously uplifting - without addressing this directly at all. Want to show an escape from a moving car? - we just need a speedo, hand flirting with a door handle, glimpse through the windows and a revving engine. Total focus that delivers total intensity. The simplicity of the ending is breathtaking and so so right. Astonishing.