Based on the 1950 French novel Le Salaire de la peur and critically hailed upon its release, The Wages of Fear propelled its director Henri-Georges Clouzot (Les Diaboliques) to international fame, and is rightly considered a classic of cinema.
In a squalid South American village, four desperate men are hired by an American oil company to embark on a treacherous journey, transporting a volatile cargo of nitro-glycerine to a massive oil well fire. Friendships and courage are pushed to the limit in this nail-biting thriller by a director who would go on to be dubbed the ‘French Hitchcock’.
Available for the first time in the UK, this new 4K restoration of the original French theatrical release is presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
Interview with Assistant Director Michel Romanoff (2009, 23 mins)
Interview with Clouzot biographer Marc Godin (2009, 10 mins)
Interview with Professor Lucy Mazdon (2017, 35 mins): an in-depth interview about Henri-Georges Clouzot and The Wages of Fear
The Guardian Lecture: Yves Montand in conversation with Don Allen (98 mins, audio only): recorded in 1989, the star discusses his distinguished career
Audio commentary with film critic Adrian Martin (2017, 152 mins)
Original theatrical trailer
Illustrated booklet with a new essay by Andy Miller, original reviews by Karel Reisz and Penelope Houston, an appreciation of Clouzot by Paul Ryan, and full film credits
