Directed by:
Robert BressonScreenplay:
Robert BressonCinematography:
Léonce-Henri BurelCast:
François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Monod, Roger Planchon, Jacques Ertaud, Jean Paul Delhumeau, Roger Treherne (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Based on the memoir by Andre Devigny, a member of the French Resistance imprisoned and sentenced to death by the Gestapo during the German occupation, Bresson transforms Devigny's daring escape into an ascetic film of documentary detail. Kept in a tiny stone cell with a high window and a thick wooden door, the prisoner makes himself intimate with his world--every surface of his room, every sound reverberating through the hall, and every detail of the prison's layout that he can absorb in brief sojourns from his cell. Bresson magnifies every detail with insistent close-ups and detailed examinations of every step of Fontaine's plan, from constructing and hiding ropes and hooks to painstakingly carving out an exit in the heavy cell door, and provides a sort of Greek chorus of fellow prisoners. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (2)
Prison Break French style, and incredibly realistic. The intimate narrative may be as cold as a penguin’s butt, and the supporting characters seem like mere necessary backdrops in their behaviour and speech, but as a depiction of real, depressing events I believed it. Sometimes there is strength in simplicity, and this classic film, although not among the most typical representatives of this saying, is an example of it. 70%
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An extremely interesting film, which is very calm in its execution, despite being about a prison escape. Its poetics make it a film noir, but one without action, and it is very slow-paced. But that doesn't matter at all, because watching everything unfold through the eyes of the one trying to escape creates enough tension, along with strong, emotional moments. Even without music. It can be done if you want to; you just need to understand the film and its possibilities.
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