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    A Man Escaped

    Original title: Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut
    • 19561956
    • Not RatedNot Rated
    • 1h 41min
    IMDb RATING
    8.3/10
    20K
    YOUR RATING
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    Three Reasons Criterion Trailer for A Man Escaped
    Trailer1:56
    1 Video
    53 Photos
    DramaThrillerWar

    A captured French Resistance fighter during WWII engineers a daunting escape from a Nazi prison in France.
    A captured French Resistance fighter during WWII engineers a daunting escape from a Nazi prison in France.
    A captured French Resistance fighter during WWII engineers a daunting escape from a Nazi prison in France.
    A captured French Resistance fighter during WWII engineers a daunting escape from a Nazi prison in France.
    A captured French Resistance fighter during WWII engineers a daunting escape from a Nazi prison in France.

    • Director
      • Robert Bresson
    • Writers
      • André Devigny(memoir)
      • Robert Bresson(scenario)
    • Stars
      • François Leterrier
      • Charles Le Clainche
      • Maurice Beerblock
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Robert Bresson
    • Writers
      • André Devigny(memoir)
      • Robert Bresson(scenario)
    • Stars
      • François Leterrier
      • Charles Le Clainche
      • Maurice Beerblock
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 79User reviews
    • 109Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    A Man Escaped: The Criterion Collection
    Trailer 1:56
    A Man Escaped: The Criterion Collection

    Photos53

    François Leterrier in Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    François Leterrier in Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    François Leterrier in Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    Charles Le Clainche and François Leterrier in Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    François Leterrier in Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    François Leterrier in Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    Charles Le Clainche and François Leterrier in Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)
    Charles Le Clainche and François Leterrier in Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)

    Top cast

    Edit
    François Leterrier
    François Leterrier
    • Le lieutenant Fontaineas Le lieutenant Fontaine
    Charles Le Clainche
    • François Jostas François Jost
    Maurice Beerblock
    • Blanchetas Blanchet
    Roland Monod
    • Le pasteur Deleyrisas Le pasteur Deleyris
    Jacques Ertaud
    • Orsinias Orsini
    Jean Paul Delhumeau
    • Hebrardas Hebrard
    Roger Treherne
    • Terryas Terry
    Jean Philippe Delamarre
    • Le prisonnier 10as Le prisonnier 10
    Jacques Oerlemans
    • Le gardien-chefas Le gardien-chef
    Klaus Detlef Grevenhorst
    • L'officier de L'Abwehras L'officier de L'Abwehr
    Leonhard Schmidt
    • Le garde de l'escorteas Le garde de l'escorte
    Roger Planchon
    Roger Planchon
    • Le garde cyclisteas Le garde cycliste
    André Collombet
      César Gattegno
      • Le prisonnier Xas Le prisonnier X
      • (uncredited)
      Max Schoendorff
      • Un soldat allemandas Un soldat allemand
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Robert Bresson
      • Writers
        • André Devigny(memoir)
        • Robert Bresson(scenario) (dialogue)
      • All cast & crew
      See production, box office, & company info

      Storyline

      Edit
      Captured French Resistance fighter Lieutenant Fontaine awaits a certain death sentence for espionage in a stark Nazi prison in Lyon, France. Facing malnourishment and paralyzing fear, he must plot an extraordinary escape, complicated by the questions of whom to trust, and what lies beyond the small portion of the prison they are housed in. —Sam Spector
      escape from prisonattempted escapeprisonfrench resistanceprison cell40 more
      • Plot summary
      • Add synopsis
      • Taglines
        • Robert Bresson's Prize Winning Film
      • Genres
        • Drama
        • Thriller
        • War
      • Certificate
        • Not Rated
      • Parents guide

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Robert Bresson insisted on complete authenticity. Original author André Devigny served as adviser on the film, which was actually shot in the same Montluc prison where he was incarcerated. André Devigny also loaned Robert Bresson the ropes and hooks he had used in his escape.
      • Quotes

        Le lieutenant Fontaine: I think my courage abandoned me for a moment and I cried.

      • Alternate versions
        After the "Fin" title card, there is a version that plays music to a black screen, while another version displays "Exit Music" in white letters against the black screen.
      • Connections
        Featured in The Road to Bresson (1984)
      • Soundtracks
        Great Mass in C Minor, No.16 (K.427) - Kyrie
        Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      User reviews79

      Review
      Top review
      9/10
      "I think my courage abandoned me for a moment and I cried."
      A MAN ESCAPED is a great war drama about despair and unbearable circumstances from which a man tries to escape. The main protagonist is an activist of the resistance movement. He was arrested after one action. After the initial shock, the young man begins to plan an escape from prison, and he moves in a race against time because his enemies threaten him with liquidation.

      The story is honest and realistic in many segments. The plot is, if we ignore the mystical introduction, very simple. Scenery is confined to a very small space, which directly contributes to an increased sense of fear, despair and anxiety of the main character. Mr. Bresson made the film without specific decorations, classic turnaround and growing tensions. Simply, the focus is on the prisoner who tried to escape. The plot is realistic and spontaneous. One young man must choose between life and certain death. He was on his own in the inner monologue on the difficult road to knowledge.

      François Leterrier as Lieutenant Fontaine is calm and dedicated to the inner struggle. His performance is impressive. It's hard to believe that he is not a professional actor. His appearance is unreal and convincing. This is evident in his haggard and engrossed face, bloody shirt and torn stockings.

      This film is a reflection of a cruel experience. One man in a desperate, depressed and uncertain fight for his life, or perhaps some form of redemption.
      helpful•6
      0
      • elvircorhodzic
      • Jan 3, 2017

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • August 26, 1957 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • France
      • Languages
        • French
        • German
      • Also known as
        • A Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth
      • Filming locations
        • Studios de Saint-Maurice, Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France
      • Production companies
        • Gaumont
        • Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        • 1h 41min
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.37 : 1

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