I can’t avoid superlatives. ‘Un condamné à mort s’est échappé‘, Robert Bresson‘s 1956 film is the best prison break movie I can remember ever seeing. And I’ve seen quite a few, even if it’s not exactly my favorite genre, from the various adaptations of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ to ‘Papillon’ (two versions) and ‘Escape from Alcatraz’. Of course, the secret is the minimalist mastery of the film director who managed to transform a true case inspired by the recent (when the film was made) history of France into a psychological thriller that keeps its viewers captivated throughout the almost 100 minutes of viewing. All this using the basic tools of filmmaking.
The screenplay, also written by Bresson, is based on the autobiographical book of André Devigny, a French Resistance fighter captured by the Nazis in 1943 and sentenced to death. Escape from Lyon prison, as impossible as it may seem, is his only chance to stay alive. Lieutenant Fontaine, as the hero of the film is named, will try it. The film follows the detention from the moment of arrest to the escape, the struggle with despair, the contact with the other inmates, the preparation and execution of the escape plan. The tension rises towards the end. Having been held in solitary confinement for most of the time, Fontaine is brought a cellmate, a young deserter, in the final days before his escape (and planned execution). To implement his plan, he will have to decide whether to trust him and share with him the plans of the escape.
‘Un condamné à mort s’est échappé‘ tells a story that takes place most of the time in the closed space of the cell where the hero is imprisoned. The camera follows Fontaine and his hands improvising the means of escape, or takes his point of view as it explores the space he is in and looks for escape routes. It’s minimalist cinematography at its finest. The ending is dramatic and tense, in the style of the best thrillers. The musical background is taken from Mozart’s compositions, and Mozart has never sounded so dramatic to me. The voice-over commentary emphasizes the main points of the action and does not sound at all intrusive. Bresson liked to use non-professional actors. François Leterrier, who was a director and screenwriter, but not an actor (he has only acted in one other film), is cast in the lead role. We can say that he was a semi-professional and the performance is excellent, natural and expressive. For those who will see the film for the first time or will watch it again now, ‘Un condamné à mort s’est échappé‘ offers a lesson and a model of how much can be achieved in film making with the basic means: camera, microphone and actors.