Certainly slow and showing fear of escape but realistic.

but without the usual bravado. The film is slow, yes, but not due to excessive "talkiness" or tedious dialogue. Everything from the lighting, facial expressions, voices and simple interactions create the sort of tension that is intensified by the presence of more than one "enemy." The last thirty minutes kept me on the edge of my seat.

.......don't expect speed. For your patience you will be rewarded with great dramatic pacing. This is a movie about man's ability to endure and to show fortitude in the face of tremendous adversity. Shot in stark black and white, this film has it's own pace. While it is an escape movie, it is the quiet and reserved building of tension which is most rewarding to watch. Don't expect THE DIRTY DOZEN or THE GREAT ESCAPE. Bresson is much more concerned with the numbing routine the prisoners must face behind walls. The movie traces the escape plans of Lt. Fontaine, a member of the French resistance imprisoned in occupied France during World War II. Fontaine is serving what amounts to a death sentence for blowing up a strategic bridge used by the Nazis. He and his compatriots endure tremendous hardship, and with the exception of cleaning out their slop pails and washing up, they sit in their cells staring at the walls, No communication is permitted, no writing instruments allowed. How Fontaine learns to communicate, to not abandon hope, and to effect his escape are really the only actions in this movie. Like another of his films, AU HASARD BALTHASAR, which follows the various sufferings of a mule named Balthazar living in the French countryside, Bresson is concerned with universal themes like good vs. evil and human suffering. How Lt. Fontaine eventulally regains his freedom is a study in resourcefulness and patience. Highly recommended.....

This is a powerful film.The director took some calculated risks, he wanted to make the viewer become an audience, take a share in what the main character is thinking and feeling. Bresson, who was held prisoner, gives us a taste of the isolation and boredom these men felt but the story is so strong you've got to keep watching to see how it comes out. The relationship with Jost is excellent. Fontaine needs a partner and the boy must get out of prison and become a participant, rather than a passive dolt, waiting for the next man with a gun or a steel toed boot to come along and kick and prod him into any direction he wants.