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Based on the 1950 French novel Le Salaire de la peur and critically hailed upon its original release, The Wages of Fear propelled its director Henri-Georges Clouzot (Les Diaboliques) to international fame, and is rightly considered a classic of world cinema.
In a squalid South American village, four desperate men are hired by a US 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’.
‘A masterpiece of suspense’ Christopher Nolan
Extras
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
A Road Trip Out of Hell? Or Into It? - Purgatory and The Wages of Fear (2023, 13 mins): a new video essay by filmmaker and photographer Nic Wassell
Audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin (2017)
Interview with assistant director Michel Romanoff (2005, 23 mins)
Interview with Clouzot biographer Marc Godin (2005, 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 (1989, 99 mins, audio only): the star discusses his distinguished career
Treasures form the BFI National Archive (1920-1960, 30 mins): a selection of archive gems, exploring some of the themes and iconography featured in The Wages of Fear
Original theatrical trailer
Yves Montand