Wages Of Fear

The Wages Of Fear (1953)
directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot


"Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less and stop watching ourselves live." - Chomfort


On the surface, Henri-Georges Clouzot's Wages Of Fear appears to be, very simply, a thrilling adventure epic of four men on a suicidal trucking mission through the mountains of Central America.  Clouzot, however, aimed higher; tying elements of imperialism, tense comraderie and the revival of a zest for life into his exquisitely gut-wrenching narrative arc.  By melding the thrillingly suspenseful trucking sequence with an exploration of man's desire to go back and fix the mistakes of his past, Clouzot creates a sort of Greek tragedy in the third world desert.  In many ways, Wages Of Fear feels like the most ambitious Hitchcock film ever made.


At the outset we're introduced to a sleepy, wayward Central American village where life is not only difficult and dreary, it's soul crushing - a sort of desert prison of poverty, contempt and regret.  Drifters from across the world who have haphazardly wound up in this go nowhere backwater invariably end up converging on the town's saloon; drowning their sorrows in liquor (when the funds are available), avoiding the scorching blaze of the sun and wondering how and when they'll ever get the hell out their malaise and back to some sort of life.


Mario (Yves Montand) is a sort of de facto leader and example of the ex-Pats and part-time lover of Linda, the saloon's bar maid.  Through a series of his own missteps Mario has landed in this dead end town.  He clings to his most prized possession, a Parisian Metro ticket, his talisman for returning back to his home.  Montand exudes a sort of Bogart-like charm with cigarette tucked into the corner of his mouth and kerchief covered neck.  It's such a nod to Bogart there are times when you feel as if Montand's Mario is a spitting image of Bogart's Charlie Alnutt from The African Queen.  You can't help but be drawn to his magnetism and yet, Mario's callous treatment of Linda is an indication of his contempt for the current state of his existence.  Montand manages to bridge the gap in Mario's shortcomings beautifully.  Like Bogart's Spade his panache and cool make him so enigmatic that you can forgive his sometimes severe foibles.


Throughout lengthy set pieces in the first hour of the film, Clouzot reinforces, if a bit too much that life in this part of the world is hardly worth living.  A protest soon breaks out within the natives of the town when the area's true ruler, American oil company SOC has a derrick explosion and several men, mostly local workers are killed.  SOC needs a ton of nitroglycerine trucked into the area where the explosion occurred.  Due to pressure from the natives, scapegoats must be found for this suicide mission.  The slightest bump could send the entire truck into oblivion and none of SOC's union employees can be selected for the job.  Therefore, SOC offers $2000 a man for the 300 mile trek across the mountain, and Mario, his pal Jo, his former friend Luigi and holocaust survivor Bimba are chosen to set out in two separate trucks to deliver the nitro.  If they survive they will earn their ticket to freedom and a new life.


Clouzot's most remarkable gift in the 90 minute mountain drive sequence is his uncanny knack for timing.  This is most beautifully illustrated when a narrow mountain road requires a turnaround on a half-finished wooden platform. Seconds seem to pass like minutes as the harrowing maneuver is delicately handled with marvelous editing and superb camera angles.  It would be easy for Clouzot to simply make this scene a thriller, but he also sets it up as a major plot point and one of the film's primary character definitions.  It is a scene for the ages.


By playing with the confined space of a truck cab, Clouzot has created a little world inside a world where all cursory distractions have been eliminated and the battle of life versus death can commence on the open road.  Marvelous cinematography by Armand Thirard reinforce the claustrophobic confines of the truck's cab and juxtapose that with intercut wide shots of the open road to create a whole new sort of fear.


At times, early in the film, Clouzot's heavy handed efforts to portray the American imperialist influence of SOC do get a bit overbearing and repetitive.  The ugly Americans theme, while valid, could have been delivered in a more efficient manner and Clouzot ought to have clarified the drudgery of daily life in his third world hell-hole in probably half the time he chose to use.  However, it is these same elements of timing that make the majority of the nitro mission so fascinating to watch.  While the opening hour keeps the film from being perfect it is understandable why Clouzot made the choice he did in the opening sequence and even if it drags a bit, the rest of the film more than makes up for it.


It seems ridiculously ambitious for a film-maker to attempt to create a thrilling action film, a political set piece and throw in themes on the division of labor and human cowardice/courage all while delivering some of the finest and most terrifying sequences this side of Psycho.  Yet, Clouzot manages all of this and more with Wages Of Fear, a film which, if you've not had the pleasure of seeing it, may completely redefine what a thriller is for you.


Rating: 9/10