Bresson's stark visual style is well-suited to this drama about a French POW in a Nazi prison. As there is little exposition, the setting and characters are not well explained. Who are the three guys walking in the courtyard who help the hero? During the whole planning stage of the escape, the layout of the prison is never clear. Although they threaten to, the guards never inspect the cells. The story moves very slowly. Watching the prisoners go through the same routine day after day becomes rather tiresome, as does the overuse of fades. Perhaps Bresson is trying to show the drudgery of prison life, but it does not make for interesting cinema. Things do perk up towards the end.
Review of A Man Escaped
