Le Trou (The Hole) (1960) was made during the French New Wave film period. Director Jacques Becker was well respected by his peers but never became well known. Becker included many of the elements of New Wave filmmaking including a documentary style, direct sounds, natural light and long takes. Like many New Wave films there is no musical soundtrack.
Le Trou is a muscular film featuring 5 prisoners digging a hole and escaping through the sewer system below the prison, and there is a lot of digging. The drama focuses on the friendship and trust of the men along with the underlying tension and danger of getting caught. There is a naturalness and fluidity to the action which is even more amazing since Becker did not use trained actors.
The film is based on a novel written in 1957 by José Giovanni, an ex-convict himself, called “The Break” and based on real events from ten years earlier. Jean Keraudy, one of the lead actors in the film, actually lead the escape that is described in Le Trou. Giovanni who was one of his colleagues gave him the pseudonym Roland Darbant in his novel that inspired the movie.
Jean Keraudy
Flicks review:
https://kxci.org/podcast/le-trou/Available on the Criterion Channel
