Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writers:

Robert Bresson (scenario and dialogue)
André Devigny (memoir)

Release Date:

26 August 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | War

Plot:

French Resistance activist Andre Devigny is imprisoned by the Nazis, and devotes his waking hours to planning an elaborate escape...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Nazi | French Resistance | Prison Break | Spoon

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

François Leterrier	...	Fontaine
Charles Le Clainche	...	Jost
Maurice Beerblock	...	Blanchet
Roland Monod	...	Priest of Leiris
Jacques Ertaud	...	Orsini
Jean Paul Delhumeau	...	Hebrard
Roger Treherne	...	Terry
Jean Philippe Delamarre	...	Le Prisonnier 110
César Gattegno	...	Prisoner X
Jacques Oerlemans	...	Chief Warden
Klaus Detlef Grevenhorst	...	L'Officier de L'Abwehr
Leonhard Schmidt	...	Escort Guard
Roger Planchon	...	Guard on a Bike
Max Schöndorff	...	Soldat Allemand

Also Known As:

A Man Escaped (International: English title)
A Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth (USA) (complete title)
Le vent souffle où il veut (France) (short title)
Apodrasis mellothanaton (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Ein zum Tode Verurteilter ist entflohen (West Germany) [de]
En dödsdömd har rymt (Sweden) [sv]
En dødsdømt flygter (Denmark) [da]
Enas katadikasmenos se thanato edrapetefse (Greece) [el]
Fugiu Um Condenado à Morte (Portugal) [pt]
Ha-Nidon L'Muv'it Barah (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Kuolemaantuomittu on karannut (Finland) [fi]
Rangaistusvanki on karannut eli tuuli puhaltaa siellä missä haluaa (Finland) [fi]
Um Condenado à Morte Escapou (Brazil) [pt]
Un condannato a morte è scappato (Italy) [it]
Un condenado a muerte se ha escapado (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

99 min | Portugal:90 min (censored version)

Country:

France

Language:

French | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | UK:U (1990) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Prison de Montluc, Lyon, Rhône, Rhône-Alpes, France

Company:

Gaumont

Trivia:

Robert Bresson himself had been a prisoner of war during WWII.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gefängnisbilder (2000)

Soundtrack:

Great Mass in Do Minor, No.16 (K.427) - Agnus Dei

The sound, the sound!

This movie, perhaps above all others, exemplifies just how important sound is in cinema. In fact, sounds (excluding dialogue) help carry the plot as much as the visuals and dialogue.

The crunching of the gravel under their feet really creates a sense of realism to the story. If you or I were escaping from prison, all the sounds Fontaine must pay attention to we must as well.

I doubt you'll find this film at your local video store, but I encourage everyone to check it out. It's like the Shawshank of the 1950s.