A Man Escaped

1956 movie from Robert Bresson, seen as one of his finest films, and one of the more popular films he made.
This characterisation makes sense, as this is the Bresson film, perhaps, most easy to decipher. We are not caught in a kind of minimalist extinguishing of all the signs that could lead to meaning. Instead, we know what the central tension-filled excercise is, and what it represents; the religious symbolism is clear, the search for enlightenment and redemption, who can be taken with, how must one try, how may one get there?
The techniques are classic Bresson. The scenes are short, there are shots of inanimate objects which give a certain amount of woodenness to the whole proceeding. One of the more interesting aspects here is how much of the time is spent examing our hero's back; as almost though he wants to hide from us. In fact, the precise reasoning for this is difficult. The lighting effects also have an interest; Bresson may argue that he is simplistic in his shot selection (he is in fact not, his deliberate lack of artifice in fact draws attention to his direction more than usual), but that does not mean he is powerful, with great contrasts, in his lighting.
This film has a powerful sense of excitement, with a real lead up. In fact, the cumulative effect of such a lpowerful lead up makes the end all the more exciting; a particular thrill in the hugely difficult to access emotionally Bresson.
And we could not mention Bresson without the sound; here we have the keys that rattle, immensely powerfully. The sound is used as a source of tension here, the silences never just 'backdrop' but always a presenence in their quiet; something solid to be broken.
An accesible film from Bresson, making it simple and perhaps slightly less layered, but more pure enjoyable than usual.