This war film has a perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to stream on Amazon Prime. A Man Escaped is a French prison film directed by Robert Bresson. The film is loosely based on the memoir of André Devigny, a member of the French Resistance who was imprisoned by the occupying German forces at Montluc prison during World War II, and is inspired by Devigny’s real-life escape. It was released in 1956. The cast included François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, and Roland Monod.
The film’s synopsis reads: “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.”
Bresson won Best Director at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival and the film was named by the National Board of Review as one of the best foreign films of 1956.
Today, the film is often considered Bresson’s masterpiece. It was ranked 69th in the 2012 Sight & Sound critics’ poll.
Roger Ebert wrote: “Watching a film like A Man Escaped is like a lesson in the cinema. It teaches by demonstration all the sorts of things that are not necessary in a movie.
“By implication, it suggests most of the things we’re accustomed to are superfluous. I can’t think of a single unnecessary shot in A Man Escaped.”
A fan described the film as “intricate” and added: “Still just as powerful.”
Another said: “A towering achievement in world cinema, a film that transcends its wartime setting to speak to the timeless struggles and triumphs of the human spirit.
“With its mesmerising visuals, haunting score, and profound thematic depth, it is a work of art that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. Bresson’s masterpiece is not just a film to be watched, but a profound meditation on the nature of existence and the eternal quest for freedom and meaning.”
A Man Escaped is available to stream on Amazon Prime.