The Wages of Fear (The Criterion Collection) (1953)

Product Description In the squalid, impoverished South American town of Las Piedras, desperate men and women from all over the world scrape out a living and dream of escape, under the watchful eye of the ruling Southern Oil Company. When a well explodes 300 miles away, the American company conscripts four of these unfortunates to drive trucks loaded with volatile nitroglycerin through treacherous mountains, a suicide mission that is their only way out. Additional Features The 1999 DVD release was prominent since it contained the recently rereleased 148-minute version after playing the art-house circuit, but the disc (#36 in Criterion's line) didn't have much else going for it. This 2005 release (still number #36) adds the usual Criterion luster, starting off right with a beautiful transfer (virtually none of the dirt on the original DVD) and a smarter take on the subtitles. The cut is slightly different, but just by a few frames. As for the extra disc, there's a deft documentary on director Clouzot and some so-so new interviews. The excerpt from Yves Montand shot a few years before he died in 1991 is charming. --Doug Thomas