Wages of Fear (1953)

The Wages Of Fear



Recently, I've beeen reading the book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind. A book charting the rise of the Director as Auteur through the 1970's. Following directors such as Martin Scorcese, William Friedkin and Francis Ford Coppola as they changed Hollywood's perception of the role of the Director. One thing that was continuously mentioned was the influences of the European New-wave directors; the very reason many of the new Hollywood Film-makers chose their proffession.

One such director is Henri-Georges Clouzot, A parisian director worshipped by fans such as William Friedkin. The Wages of Fear was Clouzot's masterpiece and would later be remade, albeit unsuccessfully, as The Sorcerer by Friedkin.

The film starts slowly, giving us a taste of the boredom felt by our main characters; a group of down-on-their-luck unemployed adventurers. They hang around the saloon in an unspecified South American town, scraping the pennies together for their next meal. Their desperation is evident as the first whiff of work fills them with hope.
To stop an oil-well burning out of control, the manager offers them a job transporting nitroglycerine 300 miles to collapse the well. The job is almost certainly a suicide mission, as the slightest bump could turn their truck into fireball.
Four are chosen as the best drivers and set off in two trucks across mountainous terrain and rugged roads. If it weren't treacherous enough, they must skillfully navigate past oil slicks, landslides whilst battling with their own nerves.

The first act sets up with the knowledge that these men will do anything for money, sacrificing friends and lovers. The lengthy middle act( The journey itself) shows us the difference between perceived courage and real courage. Jo (Charles Vanel), the big man about town, slowly comes apart as fear works on him. It's up to the fearless Mario(Yves Montand) to carry the load and his quivering companion.

The other truck is driven by the unlikely pairing of Luigi and Bimba; an odd couple who gradually warm to each other. The stone-cold Bimba coming out of his shell and befriending his portly companion.

The final act reminds us that having no fear has its own consequences, which I won't get into, for fear of spoiling the film.

There are some twists that will jolt you from your seat, as you hang on the edge of it during the second act.

I initially had fears that I wouldn't like this film. That maybe it hadn't aged well. They were totally unfounded. Agreed, the first act does stretch on, but you'll appreciate the calm before the storm.

For anyone who liked the greed thread through There Will Be Blood(This means you Cal), this is a must see. For anyone else It's a must see for a whole load of other reasons.

Rating 10 /10

A masterpiece.