The Hole (1960)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The hole |
| Original title | Le Trou |
| Country of production | France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1960 |
| length | 132 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Jacques Becker |
| script |
Jean Aurel Jacques Becker José Giovanni |
| music | Philippe Arthuys |
| occupation | |
| |
| synchronization | |
| |
The Hole (Original title: Le Trou) is a French feature film by Jacques Becker , his last, from 1960 based on a story by José Giovanni . The black and white film with Michel Constantin , Philippe Leroy and Philippe Meunier tells the true story of four escapes from the Parisian prison La Santé in 1947.
action
Four inmates of a cell in La Santé prison in Paris , Manu Borelli, Georges Cassine, Roland Darbant and Maurice Willman, are serving long sentences. When young Claude Gaspard is the fifth prisoner to be transferred to the cell (his wife accuses him of attempting murder), the other four, after some hesitation, let him in on the escape plan. Nevertheless, the likeable Gaspard, who comes from a well-off environment, never seems to be fully integrated into the group. In the following weeks the prisoners, led by Darbant, break through the cell floor into the cellar of the institution in order to dig through a tunnel to access the Paris sewer system . The prison corridor in front of the cell is monitored with a mirror that has been converted into a kind of periscope during the heavy work in which the five take turns , in order to be protected from surprises by the guards. To adapt to the regular inspection rounds of the guards, they make an hourglass. In the morning, when the breakthrough into the sewer system was successful, Borelli and Gaspard were already looking out from a manhole cover hundreds of meters from the prison. Gaspard is considering getting into a passing taxi and fleeing with his buddy or alone, but decides against it. The group wants to break out in the evening. But then Claude Gaspard is called to the director of the prison; the lawsuit against him will soon be dropped. The conversation lasts for over two hours, then he is allowed back into his cell. The distrust of his fellow prisoners can be felt when Gaspard returns, but at the same time there is an optimistic mood as freedom is near. When the paneled floor hatch that leads to the escape tunnel is opened in the evening, the door scout notices that the whole corridor in front of the cell is suddenly filled with guards: the escape plan has been uncovered. The cellmates now suspect Gaspard as a traitor and rush at him, furious; the guards can tear the men away; they are placed against the wall of the cell block without clothes. Gaspard is not undressed, treated less harshly and taken to the holding cell. Darbant, on whom the outbreak plan was based, looks at him thoughtfully and says only: "Poor Gaspard". Whether the breakout plan was thwarted or otherwise uncovered on the basis of the conversation between the prison director and Gaspard, whose release would certainly have been endangered by the escape of his fellow prisoners, remains open at the end of the film .
Script and staging
Becker filmed the novel José Giovannis, who was a prisoner himself involved in the outbreak. José Giovannis was released early himself later. Jean Keraudy, Giovanni's fellow prisoner, played the same role as Roland as in his real prison break. Giovanni and Becker worked on the script together, and Becker cast other roles, besides Roland's, with amateur actors.
The film is strictly reductionistically staged as a claustrophobic chamber play. Individual shots of the film last around four minutes without editing, which enables Becker to transfer the tension that the prisoners are under to the viewer. There is no opening credits and no music for over two hours until the credits.
reception
The film was a failure at first and was only gradually recognized as a masterpiece. Shown in Cannes in 1960 , it was nominated for the Palme d' Or, but received no award.
Individual evidence
Web links
- The hole in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Film Noir- The Hole