Le Trou

press release: 

LE TROU

France | 1960 | DCP | 131 min. | French with English subtitles

Director: Jacques Becker

Cast: Michel Constantin, Marc Michel, Catherine Spaak

Becker, brings his humanism and gift for careful, realistic observation to this classic prison-escape movie, the last work of his career. Four Parisian cellmates collaborate in digging a tunnel to freedom, but matters are complicated when a fifth member joins the team, leading to suspicion and uneasiness. An adaptation of a novel by real-life ex-convict Jose Giovanni who based his story upon a true jail-break, Le Trou is a tense story of collective struggle, mistrust, and loyalty.

Jacques Becker: A Master Before the Wave

An enormously versatile director, Jacques Becker (1906–1960) distinguished himself in the French film industry with a series of box office successes that saw him oscillating between period melodramas, working-class romances, nail-biting studies in suspense, and even an absorbing biopic of a great artist. Becker, in a career that was cut short by his untimely death at age 53, counted Francois Truffaut, Jean Renoir and Jean-Pierre Melville among his admirers. This series provides a healthy sampling of Becker’s strong body of work, including all three features (Antoine et Antoinette, Rendezvous in July, Edouard et Caroline) that comprise his “Youth Trilogy.” Special Thanks to Rialto Pictures and Amélie Garin-Davet and Laurence Geannopulos of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.