Criterion Pick: "A Man Escaped"

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge champion of the Criterion Collection. As with many devout cinephiles, I am an avid Criterion collector. Right now, I would say my collection is rather modest, but it's growing. During my journey through the collection, I've come across some of the greatest films I've personally ever seen along with the most informative supplemental material. It is because of this that I've decided that I'm going to try to write about one film in the Criterion Collection biweekly. I hope you all enjoy.

A Man Escaped (1956) Directed by Robert Bresson

Robert Bresson's A Man Escaped is a film that is completely unburdened from what viewers expect from cinema. There is almost no added music for suspense, no surprises in the editing, very simple camera work, and the film stars only non actors. The film itself plays very straight. We simply watch the main character Fontaine, as he goes through his daily routine in the prison and looks for a way he can escape his cell. We see very little of anyone else in the film and when we do, there is very little added drama. There is no stereotypical evil or overly nice Nazi guard. The guards just exist- doing their job as they are told.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying this film is boring. Far from it. I found it gripping in every sense of the word and the subject of the film alone forces you to care about what happens. We as an audience want Fontaine to escape, because if he doesn't he faces his imminent death. As we reach the climax, there is a moment in the film in which Fontaine has to take decisive action on a matter. Depending on he chooses to handle the situation - it will change everything, including how we as an audience will judge him. It's these moments in the film that a completely natural tension is created without any superfluous elements.

Everything in A Man Escaped is a matter of life or death. It's the small details that exist that draw the viewer in, despite the film being void of almost any cinematic flare.