A Man Escaped (1956)

 Robert Bresson's "A Man Escaped"

What struck me most about Robert Bresson's 1956 film "A Man Escaped" was just how much Bresson could do with so little. The plot itself simply revolves around a prisoner of war attempting to escape a Nazi internment camp. All the while, the story's framing, its pace, and its careful observations of the prison escape are all very simple and measured. On paper, the film sounds like a very boring affair. However, despite the simplicity in the plot and execution, "A Man Escaped" is a film full to the brim with suspense, intrigue, and existentialism. 

The film is based on a memoir by Andre Devigny, who was a member of the French Resistance during the war. The events that unfold in the film are replicated directly from Andre's experience in Montluc prison (although the film gives this prison a different name). Through Bresson's intimate direction, we watch as our protagonist, called Fontaine in the story, attempts various methods of escape. Eventually, Fontaine is able to inspire hope within the prisoners around him, rally support, chip away at his various methods of escape, carefully execute a singular vision for his plan, and free himself from the confinement he faces.

Bresson visually makes the framing of the story very intimate. I've noticed this with many Bresson films. He typically likes shots of people's hands as they are doing things and performing tasks. We watch as Fontaine carefully chips away at the door with a spoon, wrap bedframe wiring, or dust away evidence of his work. This intense focus on what Fontaine is doing allows the viewer to be completely tuned in to this intricate and careful maneuvering of Fontaine, which also allows us to feel his sense of effort and precision. 

What this also does is provide the sense of suspense as well as a claustrophobic atmosphere that Bresson seems to be aiming for. We anticipate Fontaine's every movement because any one of them could be loud enough or noticeable enough to get him caught or killed. By focusing in on single actions, those actions become the very action of the film itself. This sense of intensity heightens every move Fontaine makes. Bresson also seems to like to restrict the scope of the film, opting for a more tightened and squeezed frame, thus instilling in the viewer the same sense of restriction that Fontaine feels. 

Every shot aides in this atmosphere of claustrophobia, restriction, and intense carefulness. I was watching Fontaine perform these actions with the same amount of tenseness and attention that one would while watching someone place dynamite in a matchbox. Bresson's direction is so immersive and places you directly into the shoes of Fontaine that you can't help to match his emotional state of anxiety, fear, and suspense.

What Bresson does in “A Man Escaped” is something he does in many of his films. Bresson typically does in his films are present the actor as being something mechanical and robotic. Bresson drills into his actors that they must appear in front of the camera lacking a ‘performance,’ so to speak. The effect is something very aesthetically unique to a Bresson film in general. What this accomplishes is allowing the ‘performance’ of the actor to be toned back so that the physical actions of the character become the prevailing ‘performance’ of the piece and thereby, the action in and of itself. While watching “A Man Escaped,” I noticed how utterly flat the actor Francois Leterrier plays Fontaine. This, however, does not detract the viewer from emotionally connecting themselves to the character. Rather, it allows the viewer to focus on the actions themselves. These action then dictate the internal emotional state of the character, something the viewer has a larger hand in projecting onto. As you watch Fontaine continue to work at escaping through his various means, the actual act of moving towards this goal becomes the emotionally prevailing force of the entire film. Setback after setback and obstacle after obstacle forces Fontaine to continue maneuvering, continue working, and continue striving for escape; something he must do physically in every scene. Rather than project an emotional viewpoint and force this viewpoint onto the viewer, the viewer themselves can project emotion. The emotion that I projected the entire film was resilience, i.e. determination, strength, toughness, and thereby a sense of hope.

Because the film is very sensory-orientated and because there is little emotionality that is being projected by the protagonist, there is a far deeper layer that the viewer gets to unravel that is beyond the sensory experience. One you gain all the action-oriented piece, you begin to derive a meaning to the very actions themselves. For example, the cellmate directly across from Fontaine gets violently tortured and beaten when he attempts his escape. Also, the cellmate directly next to Fontaine has given up completely and is now just waiting for death. Both of the characters that are near to Fontaine have reached a point of their resilience when it has run its course and freedom remains a distant goal. Hope has to be abandoned by these characters. However, despite this lack of hope that seems pervasive throughout this prison camp, Fontaine continues. Fontaine hangs on tightly to his sense of hope in the face of such hopelessness and despair. You can feel this notion emanating from the film. Fontaine continues to try and escape even after several attempts fail or reach a dead end. Even at the beginning of the film, he is beaten for trying to escape. Yet still, he does not give up. Because of this, I have found "A Man Escaped" to be a tonal differentiation from the typical Bresson films I have seen, which are usually more nihilistic and bleak. There is a sense of spiritual and existential resiliency in the film. Even when faced with insurmountable odds and continuous setbacks, Fontaine persists. He persists not only in his escape, but in the sheer act of hope itself. Given that this film is only 11 years after the end of the war and the Nazi's occupation of France, it is a timely message of resiliency and unwavering faith in continuing on, especially after all the horrors witnessed. 

Robert Bresson's "A Man Escaped" is more than just a jailbreak movie. "A Man Escaped" is a spiritual film below the surface of its action-oriented plot. It is a film that ponders what to do in the face of so much terror and inescapable doom. Fontaine's cellmate next to him was on the verge of committing suicide before he heard Fontaine knocking on his wall. It is a film about not giving up hope, in continuing on despite the pushbacks and setbacks. More than anything else, it is a film that chooses life over despair.