“The Wages of Fear” The genius William Friedkin’s greatest yet tragic masterpiece

Encounter of two magicians

In October of this year, as I watched the complete version of ``The Wages of Fear'' for the first time on screen, I was smitten with the pleasure that made me feel as if I were a film official who looked down on Friedkin's version, which I encountered when I was in high school. . However, in the end, this is just an act that satisfies the narrow-minded pride of movie fans. Friedkin had the utmost respect for Clouzot and included the following credits in the end credits: ``This work is dedicated to H.G. Clouzot.''

In 1976, Friedkin visited Clouzot at his home in Paris before filming The Wages of Fear. Clouzot, who was sick in his bed, asked Friedkin, ``What are you going to do with this old, boring thing?'' Friedkin reportedly replied, ``Your ``Wages of Fear'' is a masterpiece. It had a great influence on me. When it's finished, I'll be the first to show it to you.'' However, Clouzot ended his life without waiting for its completion.

“Wages of Fear”Copyright © MCMLXXVII by FILM PROPERTIES INTERNATIONAL NV All rights reserved.

The original title of Friedkin's version of ``The Wages of Fear'' is ``SORCERER.'' Friedkin's version of ``The Wages of Fear'' was born from the fateful encounter between Clouzot and Friedkin. This seems to overlap with the fateful encounter between the men depicted in ``The Wages of Fear.'' The meeting of the two film directors may have been the dramatic production that ``The Magician'' was able to achieve (Friedkin did not clearly explain the meaning of the title).

Text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``Gekiga The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW) and ``Takeshi's Birth: Master of Oira and Asakusa'' (NHK). Currently, he is planning a documentary about a famous manga artist.

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"Sorcerer"

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Official website: http://sorcerer2018.com/