A Man Escaped
Cinema has always been fond of escape stories. Whether epic or intimate stories, war or prison film, tragedy or comedy, these tales reflect the injustices, violence and conflicts that tear people apart, as well as their propensity for solidarity and compassion. The inventiveness the characters devote to escaping is reminiscent of that of filmmakers who stage their imprisonment in order to better break it down: an always meticulous game, set against a backdrop of spatial constraints and a race against time.
Winner of the Best Director Award, 1957 Cannes Film Festival
During the German occupation, a French officer manages to escape with another prisoner. Bresson films this event almost abstractly, fragmenting the representation and eliminating suspense in favor of gesture. This pivotal film won him the Best Director Award at Cannes.
Robert Bresson
Robert Bresson is a French filmmaker. He directed 13 feature films and wrote an important essay on cinema entitled Notes sur le cinématographe. His awards include the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director in 1957 for A Man Escaped, the Jury Prize in 1962 for The Trial of Joan of Arc and the Grand Prix de Création in 1983 for L'argent. He also won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for The Devil Probably in 1977 and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 1989 at the Venice Film Festival.
Photo : Sam Lévin | Collections de la Cinémathèque québécoise
