The Wages of Fear
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| The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la peur) |
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 original film poster |
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| Directed by | Henri-Georges Clouzot |
| Produced by | Raymond Borderie |
| Written by | Georges Arnaud Henri-Georges Clouzot |
| Starring | Yves Montand Charles Vanel Peter van Eyck Antonio Centa |
| Music by | Georges Auric |
| Release date(s) |  22 April 1953 16 February 1955 |
| Running time | 131 min |
| Language | French |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Le Salaire de la peur (released in English-speaking countries as The Wages of Fear) is a 1953 film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and starring Yves Montand.
The film was remade in 1977 by William Friedkin as Sorcerer.
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[edit] Plot
The wells of an American oil company in the South American jungle have caught fire, and need to be put out with a blast of nitroglycerine. The firm hires four desperate men to drive two trucks along a rickety road through the jungle to transport a load of the highly volatile explosive to the fire.
[edit] Synopsis
The film centers on the fates of a handful of men who are stuck in a South American town. The town, Las Piedras, is isolated due to the surrounding desert but it maintains contact with the outside world through a small airport. The airfare, however, is beyond the means of the main characters. There is little opportunity for employment aside from the American corporation that dominates the town. The company, called SOC, operates the nearby oil fields and owns a walled compound within the town. SOC is accused of unethical practices such as exploiting local workers and taking the law into its own hands.
The first half of the film develops the main characters by examining their daily struggles. Most of the action takes place in the town's cantina. The four most prominent characters are: the Frenchmen Mario and M. Jo, the German Bimba and the Italian Luigi. Mario is a Corsican who lived in Paris for awhile. M. Jo is an ex-gangster who used to run bootleg. Bimba's father was murdered by the Nazis and he, himself, worked for three years in a salt mine. Luigi is a frugal hardworking individual who learns that he is dying from a lung disease.
The catalyst to the film's action sequence is a massive fire at one of the SOC oil fields. The only means to extinguish the flames and cap the well is the use of explosives. The only explosive, however, that is readily available is nitroglycerine. Due to the short notice and lack of proper equipment, the only means of transportation are the use of jerry cans placed in two large trucks. Due to the poor condition of the roads and the highly volatile nature of nitroglycerine the job is considered too dangerous for the unionized SOC employees. Thus, the company recruits drivers from the local community. Despite the dangers many of the locals volunteer, lured by the high pay ($2,000 per driver). The pool of applicants is narrowed down to four handpicked drivers. All the main characters except for M. Jo are chosen. One of the chosen drivers, however, fails to appear on the appointed day and M. Jo is substituted in his place. It is insinuated, but never shown, that Jo murdered the driver in order to usurp his place.
The final half of the film is an extended action sequence focusing on the drive to the oil field. M. Jo and Mario are in one vehicle and Luigi and Bimba are in the other with thirty minutes separating them in order to limit potential casualties. The drivers are forced to deal with a series of physical and mental obstacles. The inevitable finally occurs when Lugi and Bimba are vaporized by their cargo. Mario and Jo arrive at the scene only to find a large crater rapidly filling up with oil from a severed pipeline. Jo exits the vehicle in order to help Mario navigate it through the crater. The vehicle, however, becomes bogged down and during their frantic attempts to free it Mario runs over Jo. Although, the vehicle is ultimately freed from the muck, Jo is mortally wounded. On their arrival at the oil field they are hailed as heroes, but M. Jo is dead and Mario collapses from exhaustion.
Upon his recovery Mario collects his money and heads home. The final scene shows him jubilantly driving down a mountain road inter cut with a party at the cantina. He then takes a corner too fast and swerves off the road, plunging to his death many feet below.
[edit] Critical Reception
The film as been hailed by many prominent critics:
- Bosley Crowther: "The excitement derives entirely from the awareness of nitroglycerine and the gingerly, breathless handling of it. You sit there waiting for the theatre to explode."
- Roger Ebert: "The film's extended suspense sequences deserve a place among the great stretches of cinema."
- Pauline Kael: "An existential thriller--the most original and shocking French melodrama of the 50s."
[edit] Controversy
Due to the negative portrayal of the American oil company, SOC, the film has been accused of anti-Americanism. This controversy lead to removal of several scenes during its U.S. release.
The depiction Véra Clouzot's character as an easily manipulated simpleton, has led to accusations of sexism.
[edit] Cast includes
- Yves Montand as Mario
- Charles Vanel as M. Jo
- Peter van Eyck as Bimba
- Folco Lulli as Luigi
- Antonio Centa
- Véra Clouzot
- Darling Légitimus
- Luis De Lima
- Jo Dest
- Darío Moreno
[edit] External links
- Salaire de la peur, Le at the Internet Movie Database
- Criterion Collection essay by Dennis Lehane
- Review of film at They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
| Henri-Georges Clouzot |
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L'assassin habite au 21 (1942) • Le Corbeau (1943) • Quai des orfèvres (1947) • Manon (1948) • Miquette et sa mère (1949) • Retour à la vie (1949) • Wages of Fear (1952) • Les Diaboliques (1954) • Le Mystère Picasso (1956) • Les Espions (1957) • La Vérité (1960) • Grands chefs d'orchestre (1966) • La Prisonnière (1968) |
| Preceded by: Les Diaboliques |
The Criterion Collection 36 |
Succeeded by: Time Bandits |
