The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la peur). Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953.
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Edition screened: BFI Blu-ray, released 2017. French language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 152 minutes.
Summary: Torturing of insects and abuse of a dog.
Details:
1) The opening of the film after the title sequence is a close-up of several cockroaches tied together with string, pulling in opposing directions. A boy who has tied them together picks the strings up with a stick 2:20-2:28.
2) An ice cream vendor leaves his nice dog unattended and tied to his wagon for a moment. A fat ugly man whips a few rocks at the dog at close range. The dog yips when hit and the man comments “I hate mutts.” 3:44-3:52.
The Wages of Fear, an exceptionally fine, tense drama, is setup by these two scenes of typical animal cruelty. Many films open with a close-up of insects in conflict or in peril, most referencing Buñuel’s L’Âge d’or and intended to remind viewers of the true scale and worth of humanity in the world. In this case “the world” is an impoverished South American village filled with drunks, drifters, and desperate locals. The only thing that possibly could make life worse would be the presence of an American oil company that further tightens the noose by exploiting the desperation of the townspeople . . . [cue ugly white man who throws rocks at the ice cream dog].