The perfect "prison escape" movie !!!

Slowly paced, greatly done.

Slow, low key prison drama that entertains throughout. Look out for an involuntarily funny 'Nosferatu' moment; you'll know it when you see it.

"A deeply humanistic proclamation of the power of faith." - Ed Gonzalez

He certainly did

A wonder to behold, "A Man Escaped" is Bresson at his minimalist & simplistic best. It's hard to praise the writing & storyline of a film so simple, but that's not what this film is about. The last half of the film in particular is completely captivating, heart pounding & euphoric, as the tension just overflows. The performances feel real, not bursting with emotion, but they suit Bresson's style just perfectly. Finally a mention has to go to Bresson's use of light, which is just ingenious.

For an old film, it's pretty fucking good. Very suspenseful there at the end. Beautifully done.

It's amazing, but it's just so pared down to the bare essentials that it is hard to say much about it. I will say though that I found it heartstoppingly tense throughout, utterly gripping, and as I say it is really stripped back to what needs to be there and nothing more.

Looks like they fucked with the wrong guy.

Unadorned is right, but that just ratchets up the tension, since there's no telegraphing what's going to be a big deal. Making it so every noise could potentially be Fontaine's undoing makes it much more engrossing, since rather than presenting something traditionally cinematic it instead translates the experience of an escaping prisoner, where the wrong noise or chipping off a bit too much wood could undo everything.

Didn't pull me in as much as I wanted it to, but an entertaining slow burn nonetheless.

Unfettered even by the standards of Bresson, though not as lean as my favorite of his, Pickpocket. He has such a gift for creating dramatic tension from the mundanity of routine and the anticipation of what's to come, and can get your heart racing with the simplest actions.

The sparseness which always makes or breaks Bresson is nonnegotiable here. There story would not be as effective without it. These are lean, brave men in small rooms, and the lack of context and non-essential material allows the strength of their character to reveal itself. I also have to say I adore the title. It's simple and blunt, which matches the film perfectly, but its anonymity suggests bureaucracy - I love to think of it as an excerpt from the Nazi report on the event.

Overrated

So, a man escaped. And Bresson was there to tell it. And I knew the end. And I still got really nervous and excited when it happened. And this strange experiment worked despite the lack of a mystery, a surprise, something to have my attention fixed on. A really impressive gem.

Likely the best prison escape film ever made. The minimalist, bullshit-free singular focus of the narrative makes for a very intense, compelling story. Even though you know what's happening (it's in the title), the way the story is told is exciting and unlike anything I've seen before. The ending is very moving, as well.

Bresson's minimalist approach is perfect for Devigny's story. Got to love a good prison break film.

#145

An austere and complex film that deals primarily in oppositions: isolation/community, bondage/freedom, grace/judgment. Bresson masterfully builds the tension to a satisfying and subtly cathartic conclusion. He also uses multiple elements--such as brief bursts of Mozart, the interplay of light/shadow, and especially ellipses--to bring a sense of transcendence, of a world beyond this one, even as he consistently focuses the camera on the concrete and often minuscule details of the escape.

excellent, but nothing beats 'woman in the dunes' for this kind of thing.