This is the perfect opportunity to mention the two concepts of plot and story. They are often mixed together as if they were synonyms, but they are separate concepts of the structure. Basically plot refers to what happens physically, while story refers to the emotional journey of the character. This is all plot and no story. And thats quite unique i believe and for 1956, a bold decision by the director, and probably why it is regarded as a milestone in french cinema.
Fontaine is arrested by the nazis for sabotage and put in prison. The whole movie describes his ingenious planning of an escape, before his execution. The actor who plays Fontaine, François Leterrier, is a complete stone face. He is solely driven by his desire to escape and does not show any emotional change or development during the whole movie. Now and then the voiceover describes his frustrations in an objective fashion, but the character shows no emotions.
Now, on the other hand, the planning, preparation and execution of the escape is shown down to the smallest details, like how he makes a rope or reconfigures a lamp into a hook etc. It is almost like a DIY "How to escape prison X". The trick is that his emotionless persona, forces the viewer to experience the feeling himself of being locked in a small cell, while at the same time being able to keep working on the impossible task of escaping. All the shots in the movie are close to very close, almost claustrophobic, which adds to the sense of being physically restrained and unable to overview the area of confinement. The viewer becomes the prisoner who is desperately trying to escape.
"A Man Escaped" is a unique experience of how minimalistic a movie can be while still extremely engaging. It has become a classic because it is so strictly excuted and takes the viewer as prisoner. Every prison break movie must be compared to this one. There are only a few instances where he makes some weird decisions, like dropping piecess of glass into a metal bucket. Would make too much noise. Or throwing pieces of a torn paper message on the floor. When the viewer is forced to watch only plot, it has to be damn perfect
Rating: 9/10
