I apologize for the lack of follow-up discussion on "The Wages of Fear", but it's been a busier week at work than I expected. I also have a cute, fuzzy kitten at home, and playing fetch (yes, she plays fetch) and dangling toys in front of her eats up a lot of time. You may have also noticed the lack of "New and New-ish Movie" reviews in the past week; that's because I'm going to be writing more DVD and movie reviews for the News and Review (I finally get to manipulate the orgasmic/flaccid popcorn guy!!), so almost every new and new-ish movie I see is going to go there instead of here. I'll be sure to provide links to my reviews on the SNR website, rather than force you to navigate that morass. In addition, rather than just reviewing "New and New-ish" movies, I'll simply review everything I see not intended for publication or as an ESFS Movie of the Week; it's more writing, but I find that I "lose" a movie too easily if I don't write something about it, so it will be worth the effort.
OK, back to "The Wages of Fear". I wanted to ask everyone who has seen the movie to give their thoughts about the introductory third of the movie set in the impoverished Central American village (i.e., everything before the introduction of the nitroglycerin truck storyline). If you read the critical notes I published on "Wages of Fear", you see a lot of varying opinions about the first act of the movie. Clouzot's original 156-minute cut that won the Palm d'Or at Cannes was trimmed by 25 minutes by American censors, and the cuts came almost exclusively from the early sequences (there is some nudity and language, but not 25 minutes worth - most people speculate that the implied anti-imperialism aimed at a Standard Oil-like company was the main cause of the cuts). "Wages of Fear" was re-released in the mid-1990's in a restored 148-minute "Director's Cut", although Clouzot passed away in 1977, so you figure that one out.
So what do you think of the opening sequences? I think that almost everyone can agree that the action scenes are thrilling, exploiting as they do the essential quality of cinematic tension, but for some viewers, the opening scenes may be too slow, too labored (it takes an hour for the trucks to get rolling) and too bleak for their taste. In my opinion, the opening sequences are essential towards developing the characters and the themes of exploitation, comradeship and rat race savagery, as well as setting up the town as slightly unreal, a beautifully squalid purgatory for the world's drifters. It's what elevates "The Wages of Fear" from a crackerjack entertainment to something permanent and profound.
What does everyone else think?
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I am almost finished formulating the January ESFS schedule, but if anyone has any suggestions for future movies (or actors, directors, genres), please comment or send me an e-mail. For now, I am trying to schedule a diverse plate of films, but in the future I might try some theme months (e.g., highlighting a particular director/actor/genre/decade, etc.). I have also had some second thoughts about retiring all of the old bits, especially the Dare Daniel, which could act as a bit of a palate-cleanser...I'll probably bring that one back as a monthly feature in 2009. If you have any thoughts or suggestions about this or anything else ESFS-related, please send them my way.
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4 comments:
It's almost 5, so I will make this quick, but i really loved the first part of the movie. I loved that it was in French, Spanish and English and that I had no idea where it was until Jo said he had flow in from Tegucigalpa.
The very first scene reminded me of our first look at where Cabiria lives in Nights of Cabiria.
gbomb
I totally agree. One of my favorite things about the opening sequences was how non-descript everything was.
It also establishes all of the sexual dynamics that permeate throughout the movie - Montand treating his "girlfriend" like a dog is particularly vicious.
I also agree that the beginning section is exactly what makes it a masterful piece of art, rather than just a well-done action movie. I have always thought about what it would be like if Spielberg were to do a remake of it, and how either vapid or overblown it would be. Clouzot's first aim is to get to the drama of the movie, to make his political and philosophical points. The tension of the journey is derived from everything that is established in those first forty minutes.
It also gives the adventure a very creepy sense of anxious nihilism: this is not a story in which we know that once the drivers' goal is achieved, everything will be fine. The emotional/moral struggle is more interesting than the set-pieces. For example, whether Montand can get the truck through the lake of oil is seconary to whether he is willing to sacrifice his friend to do it.
I don't think any of that kind of tension or depth can exist without the introduction.
I think a few minutes could have been shaved off the beginning, but just here and there. What could have gone? None of the scenes, not the cab ride, not the lazing around in front of the store or the drive to the airport or Linda's scenes and great dresses or anything with Luigi. I think all of the build up is really important in the end. When they are dancing in the cafe and listening to the same radio station that marco is listening to while driving. That scene ties everything back to the first hour and makes it more poignant.
gbomb
I finally got to this one. I don't have anything to add to what has already been said. I disliked the ending. The montage of the dancers and the dancing truck was terrific, but the overall ending felt less than meaningful to me.
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