Scavenger Hunt 67 (October)

Film 25/31 - Task 21 - Palm d’or winner from another country
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“They don’t pay us to drive, they pay us to be afraid”

Stone. Cold. Masterpiece.

I’ve only had this on my watchlist for a short time - since I saw Clouzot’s Diabolique earlier in Hooptober, but as a big fan of Friedken’s Sorcerer, I was certainly looking forward to this.

I was a bit put off because of longstanding biases against older films and certainly ones with extended runtimes, but wow.   Sure the first hour or so may feel languid and even overly lived in, but knowing what was coming I took the time to appreciate all the character moments and illustration of poverty stricken ennui.  To think that some of the squalor and anti-American sentiments were excised when this was first released in the US, is sad, but not surprising.  I’m just glad Criterion released the original version and a video essay of what was cut (among other deep extras).

Once the trucks packed with Nitro leave on their mission, it is a masterclass on sustained tension.  Ninety minutes and basically no let up.  One set piece after the other, the corrugated steel road, the wooden road extension, the rock and the oil pit.   With each sequence, Clouzot illustrates an economy of camera shots and movements, each surgically calibrated to heighten tension and keep the viewer riveted.  By the end, we are ready to collapse with exhaustion along with our main character right in front of the burning oil derrick.   From here we are in celebratory mode along with the rest of the cast and, thus, wholly unprepared for how Clouzot slams the door on our expectations - particularly as an American accustomed to Hollywood endings.

Peppered throughout are incredible character moments.  The interplay between Mario and Jo and Mario discovers Jo is a coward, and then later his empathy and compassion towards Jo at the end.  The exchanges between Luigi and Bimba, particularly as Bimba explains why he is shaving.  Classic.  

I learned in the extras that this too 2 years to film, and that’s not surprising given the level of technical and environmental challenges at work.  

I’m glad I saw this after Sorceror since had I watched this first I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed Friedken’s version nearly as much.

An absolute masterpiece.