‘A Man Escaped’ is a powerful and thought-provoking movie, which was directed by Bresson. The movie ‘A Man Escaped’ supposed to the most crucial in the lifeline of the Bresson’s works, and is admired to be nominated as a masterpiece. The movie focuses on the struggle and suffering of the people, who are in the prison. They are searching for the opportunity to escape from the prison in order to end with these unfair suffering and killing surrounding (‘A Man Escaped: Quintessential Bresson’). The movie pictures people with different worldviews and perspectives. Besides, the director wants to express the feelings and emotions both people, who want to live out of the prison and search for every tiny possibility and opportunity to run away, and people, who have already forgotten that there is a life outside the prison and they have to fight for their rights to live in freedom.
However, the director demonstrates not only people, who are ready to die but escape but also people, who are critically desperate in their lives so that they even do not attempt to fight for them and even to think about an escape a solution to their problem. It is the main difference in the characters of all the men in the movie. They are divided into two types – those, who are ready to do their bests and die even for the idea of freedom and fresh air, and those, who have lost their desire to live and fight for their rights and possibilities. It is possible that those people, who are not interested in the escape, are not only afraid of being killed during the escape, but also they are already dead inside – the prison has broken their souls and their spirits.
The protagonist Fontaine realizes that the prison is not a place, where people are able to live and then after being released to stay healthy and sane. He knows that there are only a few people, who are able to be released and not to be killed during the first decade. But there is another thought, which has occurred to his mind, those people, who manage to be released, lost their mind and there is nothing but physical surface in their bodies. Fontaine is aware of the fact, that he is not from the people, who will survive in the prison since he will be sentenced to death. Therefore, there is the only step towards the normal life – the escape. Though, Fontaine is not the only one, who tries to run away. To the list of the escaping people, one may include Orsini as well. However, this desire to survive was not enough to feel the freedom after the escape. His attempt was unsuccessful, so he was caught and executed afterward. Though, the Fontaine’s desire is so limitless that the occasion, which has happened to Orsini, does not stop him from accumulating his thoughts and intentions to escape. The other characters have an influence on the Fontaine’s plans and development of his character as well. Pastor Deleyris tries to strengthen the Fontaine’s inner qualities and soul in general. However, Fontaine does not need this acquired wisdom.
On the other hand, Fontaine affects the other characters too. He uses the knowledge, acquired from Pastor in order to protect and save the other’s lives. Therefore, Fontaine places this faith and hope to Blanchet, who is extremely desperate and hopeless, and without this Fontaine’s help and care he would kill himself in order to escape from this prison reality. Hebrard is imbued with the exaggerated anger, which he tries to demonstrate with the constant skepticism. He is too skeptical and this skepticism is his last solution to deal with the whole situation and environment. Furthermore, Fontaine and Josk have more in common than the other characters. They have made up their minds to be released in their own way just by escaping from that terrifying and blood-curling place. They take the risk to run away and meanwhile their take the desperate step – and kill a German guard in order to get access to the roof, and from there to freedom.
Works Cited
‘A Man Escaped: Quintessential Bresson’. The Criterion Collection, 2017, https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2628-a-man-escaped-quintessential-bresson.
