tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post6169478714421217999..comments2024-03-10T07:42:17.071-04:00Comments on The Film Doctor: Besmirched in Oil: notes on Clouzot's The Wages of FearThe Film Doctor http://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-39168453554291246472009-01-19T20:31:00.000-05:002009-01-19T20:31:00.000-05:00Hokahey,Thanks for the comments. I find I can go b...Hokahey,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comments. I find I can go back repeatedly to <I>The Wages of Fear</I> for the mise en scene alone, but I don't know the Sorcerer remake that well. In Dr. K.'s Super-Spectacular Blog, Dr. K. wrote up a good appreciation of the remake not too long ago.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-63804639805253341362009-01-19T19:30:00.000-05:002009-01-19T19:30:00.000-05:00This comment is late - but I just noticed this pos...This comment is late - but I just noticed this post. I LOVE "The Wages of Fear"! Beautiful black and white!<BR/><BR/>Also, have you seen the critically panned "Sorcerer" - Friedkin's American version of "Wages"? I have to admit I'm a big fan of Friedkin's sprawling remake.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-73076484745359486782008-12-30T14:55:00.000-05:002008-12-30T14:55:00.000-05:00Thanks for explaining your position, Ed. I am jus...Thanks for explaining your position, Ed. I am just beginning to learn about Clouzot's work, and look forward to more of his movies. I recommend <I>Diabolique</I> as the best French film to give Hitchcock serious competition.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-36288892887994684122008-12-30T14:03:00.000-05:002008-12-30T14:03:00.000-05:00I haven't seen Diabolique.But things get pretty co...I haven't seen <I>Diabolique</I>.<BR/><BR/>But things get pretty confused by the end of <I>Le Corbeau</I>, which for most of its length is really taut and morally ambiguous. And <I>Quai des orfevres</I> is saddled with a weird "happy ending" that negates much of the mystery leading up to it -- although in that case at least, Clouzot seems pretty damn uninterested in the actual plot all along, preferring to focus on some of the sideline distractions. I've also seen the documentary <I>The Mystery of Picasso</I>, and really like it, though I'd attribute that mostly to Picasso himself rather than Clouzot's rather straightforward documentation of his drawings.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I certainly wasn't looking for a happy ending from <I>Wages</I>, just one that didn't feel so arbitrary and O. Henryesque ironic.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-61282765455757121542008-12-30T13:50:00.000-05:002008-12-30T13:50:00.000-05:00Ed, You didn't like the ending of Diabolique?I con...Ed, You didn't like the ending of <I>Diabolique</I>?<BR/><BR/>I confess I haven't seen any of Clouzot's other films. I see what you mean about the ending. It has an odd dance of the dead ironic feel, but it is consistent with the nihilism of the film, given that Jo just implied that there's nothing after death. It also makes psychological sense that Mario would feel untouchable after the ordeal and therefore drive badly. I don't know how the original novel ended, but it makes sense to me that the film cannot have a happy ending, and so therefore Clouzot chose this ironic twist.<BR/><BR/>A nihilistic aesthetic sense can easily produce crappy movies, since it doesn't matter either way. <I>The Wages of Fear</I> holds up well for me because it is so compelling and corrosive at the same time.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-47057488936488116902008-12-30T13:30:00.000-05:002008-12-30T13:30:00.000-05:00Interesting thoughts about a very interesting film...Interesting thoughts about a very interesting film. I don't know if Clouzot has ever made a film I find wholly satisfying though, and he especially tends to falter with his endings. I love the lengthy suspense sequence that takes up the bulk of the film of course, but the ending has always struck me as rather cheap. After a whole film whose main thrust is about the exploitation of the poor and the suicidal lengths that men will go to for material gains, Mario's ending seems totally disconnected from everything else that has happened, just a cheap shock, one last nihilistic twist.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-45629220347833316282008-12-30T09:59:00.000-05:002008-12-30T09:59:00.000-05:00Thanks, JUS. Happy New Year to you and yours, as ...Thanks, JUS. Happy New Year to you and yours, as well.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-87436179364210665332008-12-30T09:37:00.000-05:002008-12-30T09:37:00.000-05:00I enjoyed this post exploring the intersection of ...I enjoyed this post exploring the intersection of classic film and current crisis.<BR/><BR/>We just added this to our Netflix queue.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the perspective you share and have a Happy New Year!bdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12363138274673033039noreply@blogger.com