A Man Escaped
Original title: Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
25K
YOUR RATING
A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 4 wins & 3 nominations total
César Gattegno
- Le prisonnier X
- (uncredited)
Max Schoendorff
- Un soldat allemand
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRobert Bresson insisted on complete authenticity. Original author André Devigny served as adviser on the film, which was actually shot in the same Montluc prison where he was incarcerated. André Devigny also loaned Robert Bresson the ropes and hooks he had used in his escape.
- Quotes
Le lieutenant Fontaine: I laughed nervously which soothed me.
- Alternate versionsAfter the "Fin" title card, there is a version that plays music to a black screen, while another version displays "Exit Music" in white letters against the black screen.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Road to Bresson (1984)
- SoundtracksGreat Mass in C Minor, No.16 (K.427) - Kyrie
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Featured review
Was there ever a sparer, more concentrated film?
Was there ever a sparer, more concentrated film? The painstaking focus on the ritual-like preparation for the escape is almost wrenching in its calm severity; yet always graceful, always fluid. The details of the final escape make for one of the most memorable sequences in cinema - interspersed with episodes of doubt in which he falters for hours or more before taking the next step, just as he delays the escape itself for many days even though he knows his execution is imminent. It's almost like a sombre dance with death, or at least a morally exacting examination of one's limits and a fear of the transcendent (which in this case is represented merely by freedom itself). There are no moments of light relief or variation here, just an attention to process and causality - the concentration on the plan almost becomes a means of redemption, until carrying out the plan becomes almost superfluous if not destructive. Of all Bresson's films, this is the one that best engages on a thematic level while simultaneously working as narrative - his distilled gravity constitutes a fantastically effective suspense mechanism; a model of tight storytelling.
helpful•478
- allyjack
- Aug 13, 1999
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- A Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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