Un Condamné à Mort S’est Échappé [A Man Escaped] ***** (1956, François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock) – Classic Movie Review 9554

Director Robert Bresson’s 1956 French film Un Condamné à Mort S’est Échappé ou Le Vent Souffle où il Veut [A Man Escaped] is the brilliantly made, stark, true story of a captured French Resistance fighter, Lieutenant Fontaine (François Leterrier), escaping with a new, young cell-mate (Charles Le Clainche) from a Gestapo prison during World War Two.

Much of it is shot at the authentic location in Prison de Montluc, Lyon, Rhône, Rhône-Alpes, France, though there is also filming at Studios de Saint-Maurice, Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France.

The great director Bresson’s trademarks are all here: non-professional actors, scenes pared down to only the necessary detail, and uplifting intensity.

A Man Escaped is a landmark world-cinema film.

Bresson’s screenplay is based on André Devigny’s version of the story.

Bresson won best director award at Cannes in 1957.

Also in the cast are Charles Le Clainche, Roland Monod, Maurice Beerblock, Jacques Ertaud, Jean Paul Delhumeau, Roger Treherne, Jean Philippe Delamarre, César Gattegno, Jacques Oerlemans, Klaus Detlef Grevenhorst and Leonhard Schmidt.

A Man Escaped [Un Condamné à Mort S’est Échappé ou Le Vent Souffle où il Veut] is directed by Robert Bresson, runs 102 minutes, is made by SNE Gaumont and Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF), is released by Gaumont (1956) (France), Continental Distributing (1957) (US) and Gala Film Distributors (1960) (UK), is written by Robert Bresson (scenario and dialogue), based on André Devigny’s memoir, is shot in black and white by Léonce Henri Burel, is produced by Alain Poiré and Jean Thuillier and is designed by Pierre Charbonnier, with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

It is released by Artificial Eye (1993) (UK) (VHS) and (2008) (UK) (DVD).

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9554

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