Le Trou - cinema review

(France 1959)
directed by Jacques Becker, starring Michel Constantin, Philippe Leroy, Catherine Spaak
b/w, 140', 35mm, Italian dubbed version
1974, La Santé Prison, Paris. Five inmates try to escape by digging a tunnel under the prison. They're on the verge of making it, but a traitor jeopardizes the attempt. Based on the novel by José Giovanni, Le Trou is the last film by French director Becker. It is also one of Becker's most celebrated works: incredibly tense, bold and compelling,the film is narrated in an anti-heroic fashion that is often seen as the bridge between the old generation of French directors and the new Nouvelle Vague auteurs.