Wages of Fear

UPC: 715515042512

Studio: Criterion

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Not For Children]

Summary: Together with Diabolique, The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la Peur) earned Henri-Georges Clouzot the reputation as a "French Hitchcock." In truth, Clouzot's ability to sustain suspense may have even exceeded Hitchcock's; when originally released, Wages ran 155 tension-filled minutes. Based on the much-imitated novel by Georges Arnaud, the film is set in Central America. The Southern Oil Company, which pretty much rules the roost in the impoverished village of Las Piedras, sends out a call for long-distance truck drivers. Southern Oil's wages of 2,000 dollars per man are, literally, to die for -- the drivers are obliged to transport highly volatile nitroglycerine shipments across some of the most treacherous terrain on earth. Through expository dialogue, tense interactions and flashbacks, we become intimately acquainted with the four drivers who sign up for this death-defying mission: Corsican Yves Montand, Italian Folco Lulli, German Peter Van Eyck, and Frenchman Charles Vanel. The first half of the film slowly, methodically introduces the characters and their motivations. The second half -- the drive itself -- is a relentless, goosebump-inducing assault on the audience's senses. The winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival, The Wages of Fear was remade by William Friedkin as Sorcerer (1977). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Awards: Best Film - Any Source – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Grand Prix – Cannes Film Festival Golden Bear – Berlin International Film Festival

Features: Restored high definition digital transfer with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Video interviews with assistant director Michel Romanoff and Clouzot biographer Marc Godin
Video interview with Yves Montand from 1988
Henri-Georges Clouzot: The Enlightened Tyrant, a 2004 documentary on the director's career
Censored, an analysis of cuts made to the film for its 1955 U.S. release
Plus: A booklet featuring an essay by novelist Dennis Lehane

Wages of Fear

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 04/21/2009

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: 1 USA & territories, Canada

Runtime: 147 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) French

Subtitles: English

Richard Gilliam

Le Salaire de la Peur is among the most suspenseful films of the 1950s, notable for slowly building character development and atmosphere before its dramatic climax. In its original 148-minute version, the story lags in spots as director Henri-Georges Clouzot indulges some anti-United States propaganda. Not surprisingly, the film was re-edited for release in the U.S., and many critics preferred the faster pacing and more focused narrative. International acclaim came quickly, including the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Yves Montand gives one of his best performances, though current-day audiences may find his character's chauvinism and condescension toward women unappealing. The female lead is strikingly played by V?ra Clouzot, the director's wife. She had only a brief film career but appeared in two classics, this film and Les Diaboliques, which was also directed by her husband. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Antonio Centa  Actor 
Jo Dest  Actor 
Georges Auric  Composer (Music Score) 
Henri-Georges Clouzot  Director 
Henri-Georges Clouzot  Producer 
Henri-Georges Clouzot  Screenwriter 
Jerome Geronimi  Screenwriter 
Louis Wipf  Producer 
Yves Montand  Actor 
Charles Vanel  Actor 
Peter Van Eyck  Actor 
William Tubbs  Actor 
Véra Clouzot  Actor 
Dario Moreno  Actor 
Folco Lulli  Actor 

Country: France,Italy