The 1956 b+w film by Robert Bresson that tells the tale of a French POW named Fontaine. Based on the memoirs of Andre Devigny who was held at Fort Montluc in Lyon, France during World War II.
I saw this as the humble French answer to the Great Escape. So, as you can imagine, we were spared the heroic American blockbuster propaganda. Unarguably minimalistic, the beauty of this film is complimented by the French dialogue and seemingly unwavering, static emotion of the main character Fontaine, as well as the support. From this, a lot of the emotional development is left to the viewer, and we become so engrossed in the desire to escape from the depression felt from complete lack of freedom within the prison. The mental analysis and understanding of the characters is of utmost importance as we are not fed emotion through scenes of gratuitous violence, depictions of the cruelty of war and prisoner torture, which is refreshing and allows for contemplation. This film is understandably accoladed.
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