My friends, the end of Melbourne Cinematheque is upon us. To send us out of 2011 is, once again, the work of Henri-Georges Clouzot. On Wednesday ACMI is screening Le Mystere Picasso (1956) and The Wages of Fear (1953).
Le Mystere Picasso is a documentary which looks at Pablo Picasso’s creative process. Using a transparent ‘canvas’ the viewer is given an uninterrupted view off Picasso’s paintings as they go from basic brushstrokes to complicated and complex figures. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.
The Wages of Fear is another Cannes Film Festival winner, this time the 1953 Palm d’Or. Clouzot’s first international breakout film is set in South American and follows the travels of four European men hired by an American oil company as drivers. After introducing the men through their visiting of the local cantina, Clouzot follows them as they develop a deep rivalry between each other, becoming more obsessed with the idea of a fortune that awaits them at the end of their job.
