Films
/
A Man Escaped (1956)
A Man Escaped (1956) poster

A Man Escaped (1956)

Un condamné à mort s'est échappé

Drama, Thriller • 1h 42m

Director: Robert Bresson

Cast: François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Monod, Jacques Ertaud, Jean Paul Delhumeau, Roger Treherne, Jean Philippe Delamarre, Jacques Oerlemans, Klaus Detlef Grevenhorst, Leonhard Schmidt, Roger Planchon

Criterion Blu-ray

Best English-friendly release · updated 3 months ago

Overview

A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from prison.

Release details

Best Video Release

Criterion Blu-ray, 2K restoration

Best Audio Release

2004 New Yorker DVD

TSPDT
2026: #84
2025: #81
2024: #78
2023: #78
2022: #78
Criterion Forum
Review

Picture: 8, Audio: 7, Extras: 8

Length
102 mins
Type
Movie
Alternative Titles
A Man Escaped or The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth

Featured in Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films

See more →

Director: Lucrecia Martel

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Apple TV 4K Streaming

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K

Best Audio:

2005 WB DVD

Audio Notes:

> Criterion Blu-ray > StudioCanal Blu-ray. Maybe 1998 LaserDisc better? See Blah-Ray

Director: Preston Sturges

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Arrow Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Arrow Blu-ray slightly better than Criterion Blu-ray, not sure about France Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

(Arrow Blu-ray better than Criterion)

Director: Forugh Farrokhzad

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Radiance Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio Blu-ray

Director: Wong Kar-Wai

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2012 Criterion Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2012 Criterion Blu-ray is the most accurate

4K Blu-ray unrecommended because of controversial colours, no HDR, minimal resolution uptick, and DNR master

Best Audio:

2002 Criterion DVD for original Dolby Digital 5.0 theatrical

Audio Notes:

The 4K Blu-ray 5.1 adds additional foley and effects.

Director: John Carpenter

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Sources: blog.sporv.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:
Audio Notes:
  • the only track on Universal 4K, which is in DTS:X, has a mixing error of around 6dB too low on side channels, otherwise very similar to other 5.1 mixes.

Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · filmpreserve.org (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

SFFP new 4K restoration

Director: David Lynch

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

 Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in December

Video Notes:

Subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking

Best Audio:

1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD

Audio Notes:

Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Best English-Friendly:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray or US Disney Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · lddb.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray
Comparisons: https://slow.pics/c/6JWnlfit

Best Audio:

All sources are within margin of error. Comparisons: Japanese, English
Alternate Streamline English dub is available only on 1994 Fox LD.

Additional Info:

US GKIDS Blu-ray has more bonuses than the US Disney Blu-ray

Director: Carol Reed

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray/Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray (shared encode); slight improvement over the 2015 StudioCanal Blu-ray

Best Audio:

StudioCanal/LG UHDs

Audio Notes:

StudioCanal/LG UHDs port the 1999 Criterion DVD, considered the best source

Additional Info:

StudioCanal has a remastered Blu-ray, Lionsgate only a 4K Blu-ray

More from Robert Bresson

See more →

Director: Robert Bresson

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

BFI Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Strong VDMS encode of a 4K scan.

No comparisons available against France Potemkine or Japan IVC. They are presumably from the same master, but do not feature English subs.

Audio Notes:

TBD: BFI Blu-ray’s mono sounds clean. No hiss but not noticeably muffled/filtered either. No known comparisons against older releases.

Director: Robert Bresson

Best English-Friendly & Video:

France Gaumont Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Gaumont France is 4k transfer, not sure about Japan

Director: Robert Bresson

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Director: Robert Bresson

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Potemkine France Blu-ray is a recent 4K restoration compared to the old Japan Imagica Blu-ray, it unfortunately also has the eclair teal https://slow.pics/c/BIIWAPtO

Given that it's a Janus theatrical release, an English-friendly and Criterion release can be expected in the near future.

Director: Robert Bresson

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Radiance Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Upcoming Radiance Blu-ray is the only Blu-ray so far, although it's only an HD transfer, not 4K like other recent Bresson releases

Director: Robert Bresson

Best English-Friendly:

France Gaumont Blu-ray

Best Video:

Germany/France/Japan

Video Notes:

Germany/France/Japan has Blu-ray, 4K restoration

Director: Robert Bresson

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

BFI Blu-ray is better than Criterion, see DVDBeaver comparison. 4K transfer, but has the eclair teal tint

Director: Robert Bresson

Best English-Friendly:

No Blu-ray has EN subtitles, HD Streaming is the easiest way to watch

Best Video:

France StudioCanal or Kadokawa Blu-ray, 4K restoration

Director: Robert Bresson

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray/Criterion Blu-ray (preference)

Video Notes:

BFI and Criterion BDs are same restoration, but BFI is much darker and Criterion is much brighter. Unsure which is correct.

Director: Robert Bresson

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion, 4k transfer

More from Criterion

See more →

Director: Joachim Trier

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

MUBI 4K Blu-ray has zero extras

Directors: Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

4K encode is low-pass filtered and noticeably so, which was unfortunately par for the course with Criterion 4Ks until sometime in 2024, and the encode is still less than ideal even despite that. Still better than the Criterion and Lionsgate Blu-Ray discs for the Dolby Vision grading alone.

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Eureka UK is considering doing a 4K https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24363810&postcount=264

Video Notes:

Wonderful underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion, but NexSpec encode has clipped highlights with the occasional blockiness. The Criterion Blu-Ray, sourced from their 4K remaster, ironically makes for a more consistent and overall pleasing experience.

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion HD Streaming

Video Notes:

Criterion HD Streaming is a new restoration

Director: Anatole Litvak

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion OOP DVD

Director: Preston Sturges

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion The Palm Beach Story Blu-ray extras

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

While it's included on both Criterion The Palm Beach Story extras and Arrow's Sullivan's Travels' extras, Criterion uses a different source and is vastly superior, see caps

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray worse than Blu-ray with poor encoding (review)

Director: Michael Bay

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney+ HD Streaming

Upcoming Release:

4K possibly teased?

Video Notes:

Disney+ has new master better than Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Criterion DVD/Disney Blu-ray is missing a line:

Hummel: (line missing)
 
Lou Lindstrom: "Hello Frank. Lou Lindstrom"

Disney+:

Hummel: Hummel.

Lou Lindstrom: "Hello Frank. Lou Lindstrom"

Director: Charlie Chaplin

Best English-Friendly & Video:

1928 version: Image Entertainment DVD

1969 version: Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab) · caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Director: David Lynch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray or Optimum/Kadokawa Blu-rays

Sources: Reddit (opens in a new tab) · dvdexotica.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Edit history

3 edits

Researched and maintained by

M_AvanshadyAdamA

· last reviewed 3 months ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.