SUSPENSE! CLOSE TO PROSTRATING! ONE OF THE GREATEST SHOCKERS OF ALL TIME!
When this film was made, Yves Montand carried enough clout to reportedly make director Henri-Georges Clouzot change his mind on where to shoot it. Clouzot’s original plans were Spain, but Montand (whose family had once fled from fascists in Italy) refused to have anything to do with Spain as long as Francisco Franco was in power.
The actor was a man of principles, which goes completely against any character in his first successful film, The Wages of Fear. Above all, this is a story of survival.
An arrival that triggers confrontations
Adventurers from several countries gather in the small South American town of Las Piedras, where they are hoping for a job of some kind, but they don’t come around often. One of the newest arrivals is Jo (Charles Vanel), a veteran gangster who’s approached by a Corsican, Marco (Montand). The latter is in awe of the older man, who seems to generate respect wherever he’s going, even though his arrival triggers a few confrontations. When a huge fire erupts at an oil field owned by the American company SOC, it is decided that the only way to extinguish the flames is with explosives. Two trucks loaded with nitroglycerine have to be driven to the field, which is 300 miles away, and SOC needs four men stupid or greedy enough to take the assignment. Well, there’s plenty of candidates in Las Piedras.
Huge, influential classic
The movie that launched Clouzot to international fame, and managed to win the top prize at the world’s two biggest film festivals, is still a huge, influential classic. After all, the immediate modern film that came to my mind while watching this is Speed (1994). The director and his co-writer Jérôme Géronimi cleverly establish a rich cast of characters and take their time doing so without losing our interest. There’s plenty of tension between these sweaty, gung-ho figures, especially in an amusing scene where two of them clash over champagne after a dance, and there’s a lot of color and humor to the portrayal of the bums of Las Piedras. Languages shift from French to Spanish to Italian to English.
A whole new level of excitement sets in.
When the two trucks with nitroglycerine (which obviously could blow up at any minute if there’s enough friction) start moving, a whole new level of excitement sets in and a series of adventures on the very unsafe road to the burning oil wells follows. The filmmakers vary the dangers along the journey; the landscape, which in lieu of Spain became the south of France, is exceptionally rural and dry, with a scorching sun, convincingly adding to the pressure. But as the challenges become increasingly complex and a greater degree of courage is needed to go through with solutions that sometimes seem too risky, the dynamic between the men change – especially between Marco and Jo, who are driving one of the trucks. Marco starts out as cocky and idolizing, Jo as seasoned and cool, but the assignment is a true test that brings forth the real men behind the mask.
The film turns into a story about the meaning of courage but also masculinity in general, since Marco’s brand of machismo also makes him believe that it is right to treat his girlfriend (played by the director’s wife Véra) like shit.
The New Wave critics and filmmakers contributed much to cinema, but they never understood Clouzot. Their unfair dismissal of his films helped destroy his career, which is a shame. Several scenes were also cut from this film for its U.S. premiere, due to accusations of anti-Americanism. One would like to think that people are smarter now. I’m sure they’re not, but at least the film’s considered a true classic now – and we can see it in its entirety.
The Wages of Fear 1953-France-Italy. 148 min. B/W. Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Screenplay: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jérôme Géronimi. Novel: Georges Arnaud. Cast: Yves Montand (Mario), Charles Vanel (Jo), Peter Van Eyck (Bimba), Véra Clouzot, Folco Lulli, William Tubbs.
Trivia: Original title: Le salaire de la peur. Co-produced by Clouzot. Remade in the U.S. as Sorcerer (1977) and France as The Wages of Fear (2024); the film also inspired Violent Road (1958).
BAFTA: Best Film. Berlin: Golden Bear. Cannes: Grand Prix.