Le Trou (1960) is the best prison escape film I've ever seen. It has a documentary type feel to it, with crisp, creative black and white cinematography, no musical soundtrack (except for end credits), a tight script and thoughtful characterizations. Le Trou will be sure and impress the true cinephile with its unique vision about human nature, friendship, and betrayal.
The film begins with a non-professional actor, Jean Keraudy, introducing his apparently true story of an escape experience at Le Sante Prison in Paris in 1947. This was the only film Keraudy ever made, and look closely: two fingers on his left hand are amputated, telling us right away that he has lived a tough life. He is a completely natural presence in the film, and the ringleader for the attempted prison break. In fact early on in the story it is mentioned that his character, Roland, has attempted several other escapes in the past, and it's curious with that background why prison officials would have not kept him in solitary confinement, or kept him under closer watch than normal. They put him instead with 3 other men in one cell and to that they suddenly add yet a 5th inmate, a handsome young man named Gaspard (played by Marc Michel of Lola and Umbrellas of Cherbourg fame) accused of trying to kill his wife with a gun.
Was Gaspard an unwitting plant right from the beginning, a man the prison warden knew would crumble eventually if he saw a chance to save his own neck from the noose? Was he deliberately removed from his prior cell and placed in Roland's cell by the warden? The other prisoners, Manu (played brilliantly by lithe but rugged Philippe Leroy in his first film role), Raymond Manieur as the "Monseigneur", and Michel Constantin as Jo Casseine, along with Roland, have to make a decision whether or not to trust this new 5th inmate to their cell with their secret plans. They decide to trust him since he's in for attempted murder and would have a good reason to escape, but the audience is more wary of Gaspard during the course of the film than his cell occupants are. Perhaps they should not have trusted him, after he mentions he betrayed his wife with a 16 year old minor, for if a man will betray his wife he is sure to betray other people in his life as well.
Le Trou should never be shown to any present day prison populations! It provides too many cool ideas about how to escape. Using their own ingenuity they make tools out of common objects in their cell, and take turns digging out into the sewers below. In one incredible scene Roland and Manu have broken through and two guards show up but don't notice them because Manu climbs on top of Roland's shoulders and as the guards walk by they slowly walk around a beam and camouflage themselves! It's brilliant scenes like this that keep the audience fascinated in this film. It's impossible to fall asleep on Le Trou!
As stated by others, the director of this film, Jacques Becker, died only two weeks after completing it. Perhaps in a way he chose this "breaking free" prison story as his swan song because he knew his own end was near and he was contemplating "breaking free" of his illness and this life and entering another, perhaps better, world.
The ending of Le Trou is shocking and made my heart race! This is a great classic. The Criterion disc print is excellent. Highly recommended.
10 out of 10.
The film begins with a non-professional actor, Jean Keraudy, introducing his apparently true story of an escape experience at Le Sante Prison in Paris in 1947. This was the only film Keraudy ever made, and look closely: two fingers on his left hand are amputated, telling us right away that he has lived a tough life. He is a completely natural presence in the film, and the ringleader for the attempted prison break. In fact early on in the story it is mentioned that his character, Roland, has attempted several other escapes in the past, and it's curious with that background why prison officials would have not kept him in solitary confinement, or kept him under closer watch than normal. They put him instead with 3 other men in one cell and to that they suddenly add yet a 5th inmate, a handsome young man named Gaspard (played by Marc Michel of Lola and Umbrellas of Cherbourg fame) accused of trying to kill his wife with a gun.
Was Gaspard an unwitting plant right from the beginning, a man the prison warden knew would crumble eventually if he saw a chance to save his own neck from the noose? Was he deliberately removed from his prior cell and placed in Roland's cell by the warden? The other prisoners, Manu (played brilliantly by lithe but rugged Philippe Leroy in his first film role), Raymond Manieur as the "Monseigneur", and Michel Constantin as Jo Casseine, along with Roland, have to make a decision whether or not to trust this new 5th inmate to their cell with their secret plans. They decide to trust him since he's in for attempted murder and would have a good reason to escape, but the audience is more wary of Gaspard during the course of the film than his cell occupants are. Perhaps they should not have trusted him, after he mentions he betrayed his wife with a 16 year old minor, for if a man will betray his wife he is sure to betray other people in his life as well.
Le Trou should never be shown to any present day prison populations! It provides too many cool ideas about how to escape. Using their own ingenuity they make tools out of common objects in their cell, and take turns digging out into the sewers below. In one incredible scene Roland and Manu have broken through and two guards show up but don't notice them because Manu climbs on top of Roland's shoulders and as the guards walk by they slowly walk around a beam and camouflage themselves! It's brilliant scenes like this that keep the audience fascinated in this film. It's impossible to fall asleep on Le Trou!
As stated by others, the director of this film, Jacques Becker, died only two weeks after completing it. Perhaps in a way he chose this "breaking free" prison story as his swan song because he knew his own end was near and he was contemplating "breaking free" of his illness and this life and entering another, perhaps better, world.
The ending of Le Trou is shocking and made my heart race! This is a great classic. The Criterion disc print is excellent. Highly recommended.
10 out of 10.