A Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth

An extraordinary film that captivated both Krzysztof Kieślowski and the Safdie brothers. The story takes place in 1943, in Nazi-occupied Lyon. A member of the French Resistance, Fontaine, is sent to a notorious prison (his character is based on André Devigny, the author of the autobiographical book that served as the basis for the screenplay). Despite the brutal conditions of the prison, Fontaine refuses to succumb to despair – deep down, he believes that, against all odds, he will find a way to escape. Robert Bresson’s film meticulously documents the process of preparing for the titular escape. Fontaine, as he works toward his goal, resembles an artist carefully crafting the masterpiece of his life, displaying remarkable determination, inner strength, and ingenuity worthy of an early-day MacGyver. Although A Man Escaped has a meditative, seemingly anti-commercial quality, the later career of François Leterrier – the actor who played Fontaine – took an ironic turn. Shortly after the film’s release, he became known as a director, helming, among other works, one of the installments in the Emmanuelle series.

Piotr Czerkawski

Robert Bresson is considered by many to be one of the greatest French filmmakers. Jean-Luc Godard said that Bresson was to cinema what Dostoyevsky was to literature and Mozart to music. Bresson became famous for his ascetic style and the humanistic tone of his films, lined with a Catholic worldview. Some of the frequently recurring themes in his films include redemption, martyrdom and a metaphysical reflection on the soul and human nature.

Catalog MFF Nowe Horyzonty 13. edition