The Wages of Fear – The Criterion Collection (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: France/Italy, 1953
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Writers: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jérôme Géronimi
Cast: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter van Eyck, Véra Clouzot, William Tubbs, Darío Moreno, Jo Dest, Antonio Centa, Luis De Lima

Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 153 Minutes 31 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (4K UHD), 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Blu-ray)
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (UHD), Region A (Blu-Ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"In a squalid South American oil town, four desperate men sign on for a suicide mission to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin over a treacherous mountain route. As they ferry their explosive cargo to a faraway oil fire, each bump and jolt tests their courage, their friendship, and their nerves." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4k UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "This 4K restoration was undertaken by TF1 Studio, in collaboration with La Cinémathèque française and with the support of the CNC, the Archives audiovisuelles de Monaco, Kodak, and CGR cinémas.

The 35 mm original camera negative was scanned using a wet-gate system to mitigate significant damage, and a 35 mm fine-grain positive was used to replace some sections. The use of these two elements resulted in an additional four minutes of film compared with previously released versions.”

The Wages of Fear comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 89.4 GB

Feature: 87.8 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That said, The Big Heat has never looked better on home media.

The Wages of Fear comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.1 GB

Feature: 35 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. That said, besides French, these other languages are spoken: English, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

There are no extras on the 4K UHD disc.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include the original theatrical trailer (2 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer made by Janus Films (1 minute 39 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French and English with non-removable English subtitles), a featurette titled The Wages of Fear: The Restoration (8 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a featurette titled Censored, which analyzes the cuts made to the film for its 1955 U.S. release (12 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival documentary titled Henri-Georges Clouzot: The Enlightened Tyrant (52 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a French TV interview with actor Yves Montand (5 minutes, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Marc Godin, biographer of director Henri-Georges Clouzot (10 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles),and an interview with assistant director Michel Romanoff (22 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Other extras include a 40-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled No Exit written by Dennis Lehane, a compilation of interviews with the cast and crew of the film, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Henri-Georges Clouzot directed The Wages of Fear. He is also known for directing Quai des Orfèvres, Manon, Diabolique, La verité, and Woman in Chains.

Four desperate men, trapped in a desolate town in an impoverished South American country, take on a dangerous job that pays well and gives them an opportunity to finally leave.

The Wages of Fear is a film about who controls fate. Do we determine our destiny by the choices we make, or has one’s path been predetermined? If fate is predetermined, then when your time comes regarding death, there is no way to escape it. In that context, The Wages of Fear concludes with a coda that perfectly captures the essence of doomed fate.

The opening setup does a superb job fleshing out characters' backstories and laying the foundation for what follows. It's obvious from the start that no one wants to be there, and they'd leave if they could. When the opportunity arises to leave, four men take on an improbable task in which death is almost certain with the hope of finally escaping the situation they are trapped in.

The Wages of Fear has an exemplary cast, who are all exceptional in their roles. The standout performance is Yves Montand (The War Is Over), who portrays Mario, a Corsican playboy who spends his time lying about and never working. His character has a confidence and self-perseverance that the other three men on the dangerous trek lack. The other performance of note is Véra Clouzot, making her acting debut in the role of Mario’s girlfriend, Linda. Her character exudes exuberance, which sharply contrasts with the bleak outlook of the other characters. She appeared in only three films, all directed by her husband, Henri-Georges Clouzot, before her tragic death at the age of 46.

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s direction is a masterclass in how to create tense moments. There are many striking moments, like a scene where a woman is praying by a religious statue while a man is hanging from a tree above her. The lengthy driving sequences, where characters transport dangerous cargo over treacherous terrain, are essential when discussing tense moments. Additionally, Clouzot's ability to create an utterly believable environment is another notable strength of his direction.

There is an authenticity to characters, and it is their fears that drive the narrative. The narrative is meticulously constructed; it does a phenomenal job holding your attention, and its finale stays with you long after. Instead of using a traditional musical score, The Wages of Fear emphasizes natural sounds, allowing them to take center stage. This approach enhances the film's atmosphere. Ultimately, The Wages of Fear is a gripping melodrama/thriller where everything perfectly falls into place.

The Criterion Collection gives The Wages of Fear an exceptional release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras; highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer