A Man Escaped

I find it truly fascinating how the film's almost total absence of establishing shots does not prevent us from understanding the plot. Bresson, as did Carl Th. Dreyer and other filmmakers, has shown that narrative and direction can be just as effective, if not more so, than an abundance of situational shots. It is a shining example of how cinema can tell a story in a unique and memorable way. It is also worth noting that Bresson believed in an austere, minimalist style of filmmaking, far from pompous sets, where traditional acting, with professional actors, often came across as artificial and affected. For him, the camera and its ability to capture reality were essential to telling a story. Or to put it another way, if the world is a shadow on the wall of the Platonic cave, the cinematograph allows us to go back to the reality of the Idea, because it captures that shadow; it does not imitate it.

The original title of the film is Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut.