The Wages of Fear (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]

Wow! What a film, wish it was released in English, reading the sub-titles can be annoying, but what a movie, full of breathtaking suspence, drama and intrigue. Mr Montand is brilliant, all the actors are good which adds of course to the film. Well done Director.

There are only 3 reviews of the Blu-Ray version of this masterpiece (compared with 33 for the regular Criterion DVD) and two of these hardly count. By contrast, Robin Simmons has provided a superb critique to which it would be difficult to add. My objective here is simply to reinforce some of his comments and to urge prospective buyers to heed his wise words. Some reviewers of earlier versions have complained about the length of the first part (roughly 40%) and have questioned its utility in the overall narrative. They are quite wrong. By painting a graphically depressing picture of the miserable South American hell hole in which the characters find themselves and from which they long to escape but cannot; by taking time to introduce them and their fears and obsessions, Clouzot justifies the risks they are taking in embarking on the seemingly crazy expedition; by showing us how they behave towards each other in civilian life — the jealousy, the cruelty, the bravado, the bullying,the cowardice,the generosity,the refinement below the surface of some of the band of losers from which the favoured four will be chosen, he is able to enhance the drama and suspense of the fateful journey by adding to the natural physical hazards those arising from the hazards of the human soul and spirit(as when Jo, the most self-assured of all, disintegrates into a dangerous liability), and conversely to display how some who lack strength of character in ordinary life (such as Mario) can dig down deep and come up with what is needed to succeed. It also allows us to admire the judgement of Clouzot in selecting from such a rich choice of alternatives the four whose chemistry would ultimately produce the most sparks and explosions! In fact, the first hour is one of the most powerful pieces of cinema in the repertoire up to the time of its production, and the remainder is almost a second movie. The hair-raising obstacles that faced the four bounty-hunters, and the motives that propelled them on their fateful journey, are reminiscent of Von Stroheim’s GREED and Houston’s TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. The reviewers have praised the impact of Clouzot on future directors, but his debt to these great predecessors should be acknowledged. He milks every obstacle for maximum suspense, not just the physical as I pointed out, but for every ounce of emotional friction between the characters. It is bravura stuff all round, from director and his cast, and only a sadistic egomaniac like Clouzot could have made this film, or at least made it in this particular way. The absorbing extras document the extraordinary demands he placed on them, and the disdain for safety and expense that characterised his obsessive dedication to the project. One can imagine Werner Herzog taking several leaves from his book a decade or two later. The final melodramatic but brilliantly executed scene of Mario in the now-empty lorry called to my mind a similar episode in Kauffman’s THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING. As in all forms of Art, the influences that a director inherits and those that he gifts to his successors form the continuum that ensures its growth and development. Finally, the censored episodes included as an extra in this splendid Blu-Ray version emphasize the venal role of the Oil Industry in polluting those countries it exploits and degrading the local populace. In 1952, this may have dumbed down Clouzot’s political message, but in the post-Iraq and Libya era, quite enough remains for the audience to get the message.

This is a thriller about four men who risk their lives transporting nitroglycerin across a dangerous mountainous terrain in an unnamed South American country (perhaps Venezuela or one of the Guyanas) for two thousand dollars which will mean their passport to freedom. The film is the dark side of Casablanca. However, whereas in the latter film there is hope and ultimately freedom through the actions and feelings of its major characters, Wages is a nihilistic film where people are trapped by their weaknesses, their poverty, their absence of morality, and their economy controlled by oil (the equivalent of gold). While in Casablanca the characters have goals to achieve, in this film the characters just want to escape and have no purpose in life. In spite of this, when the drivers struggled with getting the nitro across, the audience cheers for them. At least, I did. Similar to his horror film, this movie, albeit not about murder mysteries, kept me effectively at the edge of my seat as I watched the drivers speeding or slowing trucks full of explosive nitro on bumpy roads and dangerous curves, and overcoming natural obstacles (a huge boulder blocking the road). I also liked the realistic setting of this film: to see the abject poverty of this community gave the film a sense of reality that one doesn’t see often in this type of movies. Although I will not give away its conclusion, I felt that this was contrived by the director for pure manipulation. Not only is the environment a trap, but the director seems to manipulate so the conclusion fits his claustrophobic vision of the world. I thought it was the weakest part of the film and a let down.

Produto é 100% de qualidade,gostei muito só espero a pintura não sair,que agredido que não vai sai com um tempo.