The Wages Of Fear (1953)

Welcome to In The Balcony. We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Plus, you'll be eligible for the monthly $1 million prize. (Not really.)

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Pages:
1
2

The Wages Of Fear (1953); Suspense to the Extreme
Topic Started: Jan 17 2008, 06:19 AM (357 Views)
AndyFish	Jan 17 2008, 06:19 AM Post #1
Movie Watcha Foist Class Posts: 203 Group: Members Member #224 Joined: June 11, 2007	I watched this again the other night-- the first time I ever saw it was on Turner and it started at some ungodly hour like 2am-- it was a Friday night and I thought I'd watch 20 minutes or so before turning in-- HA! This story about some desperate men taking jobs in a convoy whose mission is to deliver Nitro Glicerin to quell an oil fire, but the company has neither the resources or the intention of attempting to make this in any way safe, so they have to dispatch multiple trucks at the same time in the hopes that one of them makes it! The dangerous mission pays well, so... The movie starts a little slow-- but for some reason it grabbed my intention and held on. I kept saying I'll only watch another five minutes but I just couldn't stop. Needless to say I was late for a Saturday morning class the next day-- and to make it worse, I was the instructor! But well worth the missed sleep. Check this one out. Andy
	www.hebsandfish.com


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Jan 17 2008, 06:46 AM Post #2
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,168 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	I had to edit this post....it gave me a headache reading it. Ok...I wanted to see this too Andy, but it was on too late. I saw the William Friedkin remake, Sorcerer, at the movies in the mid 70's. It had Roy Scheider in it and I thought it was very good but I've never seen it on cable.
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


JazzGuyy	Jan 17 2008, 09:52 AM Post #3
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 2,177 Group: Members Member #110 Joined: June 1, 2006	The Wages of Fear is one of the best suspense films ever made, IMO. By suspense here I don't mean spies and stuff, I mean where you are on the edge of your seat and sweating for most of the film as you wait for everything to go up in smoke and don't see how these guys are ever going to get out of the mess they are in. No cliffhanger has ever come close to what this film can do. I first saw this as a teen and have seen it several time since. The tension is a little less on subsequent viewings but still there. If you haven't seen this, please do. You won't be sorry.



The Batman	Jan 17 2008, 04:19 PM Post #4
Charter Member Posts: 5,570 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 4, 2005	So, is it out on DVD?



Laughing Gravy	Jan 17 2008, 04:34 PM Post #5
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Yes, on Criterion.



The Batman	Jan 17 2008, 05:36 PM Post #6
Charter Member Posts: 5,570 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 4, 2005	Thang kew.



Laughing Gravy	Feb 2 2008, 06:54 AM Post #7
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	I watched the Criterion last night. Agree with the early posters, it's white-knuckle time. When I got up to go pee, I was careful not to bump into anything for fear of the TV exploding. The DVD has one of the finest B&W transfers I've ever seen, too. Le Corbeau is still my favorite Clouzot film, but this one is a simply perfect film and it's clearly time to open the Criterion Diabolique. The Wages of Fear's U.S. release was held up for two years and then the film was heavily censored, supposedly because it's "anti-American". Well, yeah, it is. The American oil company doesn't give a damn about the natives it's chewing up down there. I'm not sure American opinion has changed all that much with what we do worldwide, either. Oh, and the film's "hero", Mario (Yves Montand) is also not much of a hero, if you want my opinion. And Linda -- rrrrwwwwwlllll! A great film; don't miss it.



George Kaplan	Feb 2 2008, 08:10 AM Post #8
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 661 Group: Members Member #62 Joined: October 15, 2005	Glad to hear that the transfer is top notch--I've only seen lousy prints of Wages. How's the sound?



Laughing Gravy	Mar 15 2008, 06:21 PM Post #9
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	The sound is beautiful, man. Hey, let me report that I loaned this film to my FNF buddy Pete the Noir Guy, who brought it back and said it was so intense and suspensful that he could scarcely watch the damn thing; he was afraid he was gonna have a stroke or sumpin'. Yeah, it's that good!



The Batman	Mar 24 2009, 07:57 AM Post #10
Charter Member Posts: 5,570 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 4, 2005	Laughing Gravy Feb 2 2008, 06:54 AM A great film; don't miss it. Agreed! And the Criterion print is beautiful!



Black Tiger	Mar 24 2009, 09:00 AM Post #11
Charter Member Posts: 1,813 Group: Members Member #50 Joined: September 15, 2005	Saw Wages of Fear again last year at the Film Forum in NYC. It was every bit as suspenseful as I remembered it. The audience ranged from teens to octogenarians and it was funny seeing so many people including myself squirming in our seats during the tenser moments. Especially the nitro-pouring scene. Yves Montand, Charles Vanel and Peter Van Eyck are terrific. Vera Clouzot has never been more beautiful. Henri Georges Clouzot can really direct a gripping story. Also check out his Les Diaboliques. Edited by Black Tiger, Mar 24 2009, 09:01 AM.



panzer the great & terrible	Mar 25 2009, 09:22 PM Post #12
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,340 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	So, Mr. G, did you ever break out the Criterion Les Diaboliques? I'd love a report on it. Only two things in my life so far have really frightened me, and one was the bathroom scene in that movie, which I saw at the perfect age, twelve. Man, I thought an electric shock ran thru my body!
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Mar 28 2009, 01:57 PM Post #13
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,168 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	As much as I like The Wages Of Fear, I'd rank it 4th on a Clouzot list: Quai des Orfevres Les Diaboliques Le Corbeau The Wages OF Fear
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


panzer the great & terrible	Mar 28 2009, 02:19 PM Post #14
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,340 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	I'd rank them all about the same, and I'd add La Verit� to the list because for one thing, Brigitte Bardot's in it, and for another thing, French intellectuals hate it. 'Nuff said!
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Mar 28 2009, 02:24 PM Post #15
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,168 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	panzer the great & terrible Mar 28 2009, 02:19 PM I'd add La Verit� to the list because for one thing.. I haven't seen it. One sad thing about Clouzot films is there ain't many o' them.
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Dans le Balcon · Next Topic »

Pages:
1
2