À nous la liberté, sometimes written as À nous la liberté!, (English: Freedom Forever or Freedom for Us) is a 1931 French musical film directed by René Clair. With a score by Georges Auric, it has more music than any of Clair's other early works. Praised for its use of sound and Academy Award-nominated scenic design, the film has been called Clair's "crowning achievement".

Plot

Inmates at a French prison make toy wooden horses at a long table. Émile, one of the prisoners, distracts a guard so his friend, Louis, can steal a hook-shaped tool. That night, the pair escape from their cell. Louis scales the inner wall of the facility using a rope tied to the hook, but Émile is spotted when he tries to follow. Émile throws the rope to Louis and tells him to run for it. Several guards chase Émile, while Louis climbs the outer wall. Panicked, Louis runs into a road and is hit by a bicyclist. He rides off on the man's bicycle and ends up winning a race. Later, he covers up his theft of a small shop by acting as though he was attacked by a thief while the proprietor was out of the room.