Customer Reviews

The Wages of Fear

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It is difficult to overstate what a terrific blend of suspense, biting images, and nihilistic philosophy this film is. It works at several levels, the most compelling being a thoroughly existential treatment of the action adventure movie. Clouzot layers his irreverent cynicism into every aspect of the film, but it is actuated by the tight interplay of the characters. They are the kind of fugitives, hucksters, fortune seekers, down on their luckers you'd expect to find at a squalid, end of the world drilling camp. The director portrays them all in a dour, brave light as they struggle with futility and fear.

The corruption, exploitation and innocence, are brought to a boil by a raging inferno and a couple of truck loads of nitroglycerine. Three hundred miles of rugged roads are all that separates these desperadoes from a ticket out of town. Clouzot rolls his audience into the drama with ingenious visual cues, cables stressed to snapping, tobacco blown from its paper. He uses no gimmicks, though, to impose an artificial sense of spectacle. Everything is shown with a taut authenticity. The film never loses its devil-me-care bravado in spite of all its tension and pathos. Clouzot intersperses little milestones of grace, in a prayer or a dance, with images of death. Alternately-- ambivalence, compassion and admiration are elicited for characters pushed beyond human boundaries and endurance.

It resembles Treasure of the Sierra Madre (another excellent film), but caves in to none of its happy endings, higher ideals, saving benedictions. All here is carried out in a quiet desperation as every vestige of hope, purpose, escape are systematically sabotaged. All that is left is the moment, and survival. The scenes on the bridge, the oil pond, the road, are among the most unforgettable in cinema. The characters strive for freedom but are continually confronted with their interdependence and frailty. The director's final gesture, in the face of potential victory, provides a seal of consistency to this sinister, masterful brew. Clouzot delves into motivations, relationships, doubt. He challenges pat assumptions of life and destiny. It is a remarkable and original film, even more so in the context of the conventions imposed on Hollywood films of that era.

I wanted to amend my earlier review. I reviewed the 148-minute VHS version, which I highly recommend. I strongly caution against getting the (less expensive) 131-minute VHS version. The picture quality is very poor and the subtitles are often almost unreadable, i.e. white writing against an almost white background. The full-length VHS and DVD versions are terrific, with clear, crisp picture and perfectly legible subtitles.

We can thank the Movie Gods that Jean Gabin didn't want to play a coward or else we'd never have had Charles Vanel's superb performance in Clouzot's The Wages of Fear: it's notable that Friedkin's intriguingly feverish but suspense-free remake didn't even attempt to give its equivalent deadbeat killer a similar arc, despite the fact that the character and his curious shifting relationship with Yves Montand cuts to the very core of the story's take on the nature of courage, bravado and machismo. At the beginning of the film Vanel is the tough guy who can walk the walk, while Montand is his puppy doggish sidekick, throwing over his best friend for his new crush until his feet of clay are revealed when the chips are down. Even in a place where, in the absence of white women the white men cling to each other, this relationship seems to go a few steps beyond mere hero-worship, but when they hit the road the power in the relationship shifts, and in the process we get to watch Yves Montand become a genuine movie star before our very eyes, which is almost as exciting as the road trip to Hell with a truckload of unstable nitro and miles of very, very bumpy roads. Almost, because I doubt there's anything to beat the film's extraordinary double-jeopardy sequence on a rotting platform on a mountain road - a scene pretty much done for real - which takes your breath away until you suddenly realize that the second truck is going to have to do the same thing in even worse conditions... I remember when I saw that at a revival house a couple of years ago I genuinely forgot to breathe during that sequence, and found myself doing the same even on DVD.

Criterion's recent 2-disc DVD is a great improvement on their previous single-disc version in terms of picture quality and extras, but sadly, the `new and improved' subtitle translation is just as politically correct as the old one, dropping most of the obscenities and all of the racist language that's an important part of the hatred and self-loathing that drives the characters to risk everything for a chance for a ticket out of this backwater South American hellhole (amazingly recreated in the Carmargue in France because Montand refused to film in Fascist Spain). The shoot may have been jinxed by delays, accidents and colossal budget overruns, but damn, it was worth it.

There are two things often said about this film that I would like to strongly agree with: first, it begins rather slowly, and second, it really is one of, if not THE, most suspenseful films ever made.

The first third of the movie moves inexplicably slowly. I can understand many of the reasons why: the attempt to define the characters, to show their interactions with one another, to depict the quiet desperation of their live to make it plausible that four men would undertake such an astonishingly dangerous job as hauling nitroglycerin over treacherous jungle and mountains dirt roads. Even granting all that, however, the start is by any standard, really, really slow. And I suspect that a couple of the one star reviews proclaiming the film a bore either gave up before getting to the good parts or never recovered from the slow start.

The most suspenseful film ever made? A couple of reviewers indicated that the film has been so over hyped along these lines that it would be impossible for any film to come up to one's expectations. There are two edges to this sword. I am far more impressed that despite being hyped as the most suspenseful film ever made, I was nonetheless utterly on the edge of my seat for most of the final 100 minutes. And if some of the scenes seem somewhat familiar, it is undoubtedly because of the score of films that have plundered this film for their own tension-filled scenes.

I have often thought that Yves Montand was, at his best, one of the more compelling performers of the last half of the twentieth century. He wasn't consistently successful internationally. Sometimes one or two decades would come between some of his greatest triumphs. To illustrate, I think Montand's two greatest film appearances were THE WAGES OF FEAR (1953) and JEAN DE FLORETTE/MANON OF THE SPRING (1986), only thirty-three years apart.

Finally, I have to agree somewhat with a couple of reviewers who disliked the ending. Nihilism was very fashionable in the early 1950s in European cinema. The ending, which seems completely unnecessary and not organically connected with the rest of the film, reflects less any inner necessity for a downer ending than the general mood in "serious" films at the time. So, in a sense, one could argue that this movie manages to be one of the great classics of cinema despite a slow beginning and an arbitrarily negativistic ending. Where the film shines is in the utterly riveting journey through the jungle and mountains.

This movie has two flaws. The first is that some of the logic is screwy; the second is the oilman O'Brien is a grotesque anti-American caricature, in sharp contrast to the beautifully limned characterizations of the protagonists. Neither of these flaws make a whit of difference in my reaction to this film. THE WAGES OF FEAR is all the things others have claimed: an action-packed suspense classic with a strong existential flavor. But, first and foremost, it is a masterful MOVIE. When you watch WAGES, you can't help but notice there isn't a wasted foot of film: Clouzot seemingly never plants a wrong foot in 2 1/2 hours of storytelling. The 'slow' first half in the hot little village is never less than completely absorbing...you can smell the stale breezeless air, hear the buzzing flies, and taste the salt of your own sweat after an hour of Clouzot's detailed, swooning-from-the-humidity immersion of the audience into this hellish purgatory: by the time O'Brien is looking for drivers, you know exactly why these men are so desperate to risk death to get out. (One man, denied the job, commits suicide; another, who did get the job, may have been murdered by one of our 'heroes'. It is a plot point left tantalizingly unresolved.) The pitiless journey they must make to get their $2000 is unforgettable: every emotion, every frayed nerve-end is exposed during the ordeal. We see these men at their most elemental and vicious and cowardly...but we also see their incredible nobility and love for each other later - when they have gone so far beyond turning back that hope, dignity and courage are the only things they have left to combat their fear and despair. Even though none of these things matter when a hard bump on the road will immolate the saint and the sinner alike, they nevertheless become the only things that matter. It's a beautiful, inspiring message for a film to contain. Those moments in WAGES where we see the men at their best (the scene where Lulli is discovered alive after the blast; Montand's comforting the dying Vanel at journey's end) are even more indelible and affecting than the noirish scenes of the men falling apart from stress - and THOSE are considerably powerful. Some of the setpieces -the rickety wooden precipice and the oil puddle foremost - aren't just suspenseful: the remote locations, stark black and white photography and tense editing create moments of timeless beauty and wonder, even (especially?) with the threat of death looming close by. Remade for no earthly reason I can discern, and another example of how superior French films before the Nouvelle Vague were to those that followed. Godard, Truffaut, Resnais: none of them ever made a film approaching the power or beauty of CHILDREN OF PARADISE, FORBIDDEN GAMES, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST or this movie. Essential viewing.

When Henri-Georges Clouzot's "The Wages of Fear" made its way to the U.S. in 1953, the American distributor proceeded to hack out 20 minutes of a film in which pacing and momentum were key elements.

Still, film buffs had no problem locking into the tale of four expatriate losers who seek salvation by trucking crates of unstable nitroglycerin across 300 miles of Venezuelan badlands. "Dangerous work. Good pay," the U.S. oil company promised, desperate to blow out a towering fire at its money well. Two trucks are dispatched for the suicide mission, their drivers cold-sweating every bump, every turn of the wheels.

Even with the distributor's cuts, the film became known worldwide as a classic of throat-tightening suspense. "Fear" influenced generations of rough-and-ready directors such as Sam Peckinpah, who stole its opening scene of a boy torturing cockroaches for "The Wild Bunch." In 1977, William Friedkin remade "Fear" as "Sorcerer," his gritty follow-up to "The Exorcist." He dedicated the film to Clouzot. (Universal released "Sorcerer" on DVD earlier this year; it's well worth watching despite the raggedy video.)

"Fear" finally was restored to its original 148 minutes in the early 1990s. The Criterion Collection released the director's cut on laserdisc, and again on DVD in 1999 (without extras). Now Criterion's back in the driver's seat with a double-disc worthy of the film. The set boasts significantly upgraded audio/video and a bonus disc that tells the story of this remarkable film and its troubled director.

Clouzot said of his visual style, "I always aim to accentuate the chiaroscuro, to oppose light and shadow." The restored images amplify Clouzot's artistry, delivering dramatic contrasts and little grain. A fine-grain master was the source for the high-definition transfer. The black-and-white video (1.33:1, as shot) is pretty much free of age-related wear. The Dolby 1 audio also got a makeover. It's parked in the center speaker, but for fuller sound, ditch the surround.

The main extra is the Clouzot documentary "The Enlightened Tyrant," made in 2004 for French TV. The disc also includes revealing interviews with assistant director Michel Romanoff and Clouzot biographer Marc Godin. Also, Montand talks about his film career and working with Clouzot in a puff piece taped in 1988, a few years before the singer-actor's death. There is no commentary track, unfortunately.

The intentions of the U.S. distributor that cut up the film remain unclear, but the evidence in an extra about censorship points to political and social motives. Several missing scenes attacked American imperialism by dramatizing how the oil company valued crude over human life. Another deletion amplified the suggestions of homosexuality in the drivers' evolving relationships. And the removal of Clouzot's penultimate punch line -- a character dies seeing "Nothing, nothing" in the afterlife -- lessened the existential despair at the heart of the tale.

I had been hunting this one down for a while until I managed to get my hands on a copy. Luckily it was the original director's cut and not the edited American version. I went into this movie with extremely high expectations and I was not disappointed in the least. The performances were uniformly excellent. I was drawn in by Mario's unfailing tenacity as much as I was repulsed by his willingness to commit a reprehensible act in his drive to accomplish the mission (see the movie to see what I mean). I sympathized with Jo, who, although a whiner and coward, was the wisest of the bunch.

The cinematography is alternately beautiful and bleak, capturing the graveness of the situation wonderfully. The oil slick scene is amazing. The tension builds to almost agonizing levels, and then goes a bit further. I'm a Hitchcock fan, but I don't think Hitch ever directed anything that reaches the level of suspense of The Wages of Fear.

People have said that they thought the introduction went on too long, but I'd have to disagree. The long introduction serves to firmly establish the characters and give weight to their actions. The full 148-minute version is the one too see if you enjoy strong character development, but the 131-minute version is available for those with less patience.

And yes, there is not a happy ending. Some might say it was a letdown. I admit to feeling that way for a minute or two until I started replaying the movie in my mind (and this is a movie that stays with you, guaranteed). I came to appreciate the bleak ending, and in fact, relish it. I found it to be--and I believe that this was the director's intention-- just desserts.

"Wages of Fear" is one of the greatest films I'veever seen and vastly superior to William Freidkin's '70s remake as"Scorcerer." Prefect direction by Henri-Georges Clouzot, stunning b/w photography by Armand Thirard, and a great performance by Charles Vanel as "Jo:" "You're being paid to drive, I'm being paid to worry." Don't listen to those who say the first half of the film is boring, it's not if you enjoy solid character development. And Jo, while indeed a "whiner," is the film's most memorable character because he is so real. You've met a version of this guy in your own life at one time or another. The ending is hardly a let down either as some have stated... it's what life is all about.

Three years before DIABOLIQUE, director Henri-Georges Clouzot had already asked his wife, Vera Clouzot, and one of the biggest stars of French cinema, Charles Vanel, to play together in WAGES OF FEAR. A young italian actor, Yves Montand, was chosen to face Charles Vanel in this movie which, in my opinion, is one of the 50 best movies ever filmed.

Lost in a little south american town (Colombia or Venezuela ?), Montand and Vanel are ready to risk their lives to earn the US$ 2000 the local branch of an american oil company offers to those who have enough guts to drive two trucks, loaded of nitroglycerine, to nowhere land. The story is well-known.

If you haven't seen WAGES OF FEAR yet, you don't know your luck. Be prepared for a wild ride not only through hellish landscapes but also through the purest and the lowest of human feelings. Wait for scenes of anthology which are already written in letters of fire in Movie History. Observe Vera Clouzot's dresses that reflect in black and white the destiny of the characters and listen to the final waltz ending one of the most pessimistic movies ever made.

No extra features with this Criterion release. Great sound and above-average image transfer with, unfortunately, a white vertical line that will appear during long minutes on your private screen.

A DVD for your library.

This movie is in black & white, it's old, it contains multiple languages, subtitles, and it's what I consider a long running time. With all that said, it makes the movie all the more endearing. Wages of Fear sits next to my copy of Seven Samurai, and if the house was on fire, that's the 2 movies I'd grab on the way out.