A Man Escaped DVD – Roland Monod, Charles Le Clainche

A member of the French Resistance (Francois Leterrier), imprisoned and condemned to death by the Nazis, plots his escape from his cell at Montluc with the help of his teenage cellmate. Andre Devigny, whose own experiences form the basis of the film, acted as technical adviser to the film’s director, Robert Bresson, and all the cast were non-professional.

This compelling thrilling tale of courage and faith recounts a Resistance fighter’s daring escape from a Nazi prison just hours before he was to be executed. Based on a true story the film meticulously details Lieutenant Fontaine’s preparations for escape. With stealth and precision he puts into action a plan as suspenseful as anything out of Hitchcock. At the height of his powers using non-professional actors and a rigorously spare style acclaimed director Robert Bresson (Pickpocket Lancelot Of The Lake) created a radiantly intense classic that became an inspiration for the New Wave.