Based on the 1950 French novel Le Salaire de la peur, The Wages of Fear was critically hailed upon its original release, propelling its director Henri-Georges Clouzot (Les Diaboliques) to international fame, and is rightly considered a classic of world cinema. Now newly restored in 4K, it will be released by the BFI in a Dual Format Edition in October, packed with special features, as part of BFI THRILLER: Who Can You Trust? – http://www.bfi.org.uk/thriller

In a squalid South American village, four desperate men are hired by a US oil company to embark on a treacherous journey, transporting a volatile cargo of nitro-glycerine to a massive oil well fire. Friendships and courage are pushed to the limit in this nail-biting thriller by a director would go on to be dubbed the ‘French Hitchcock’.

The Blu-ray/DVD release of The Wages of Fear will be launched with a screening at BFI Southbank on Saturday 21 October at 8.10pm (in NFT1), part of BFI THRILLER: Who Can You Trust?, a suspense-filled season of thrillers with classic film and TV screenings at BFI Southbank (Friday 20 October – Sunday 10 December), preview events, film re-releases (including Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs), a UK-wide touring programme and more.

The Wages of Fear [Le Salaire de la peur] will be released on UK dual format (Blu-ray & DVD) on 23 October 2017 by the BFI at the RRP of £19.99.

Dual format features:

A new 4K restoration of the original French theatrical release, this is the longest version of the film (152 mins) to be released in the UK

• Presented here in High Definition and Standard Definition
• Interview with Assistant Director Michel Romanoff (2005, 23 mins)
• Interview with Clouzot biographer Marc Godin (2005, 10 mins)
• Interview with Professor Lucy Mazdon (2017, 35 mins): an in-depth interview about Henri-Georges Clouzot and The Wages of Fear
• Audio commentary with film critic Adrian Martin
• The Guardian Lecture: Yves Montand in conversation with Don Allen (99 mins, audio only): recorded in 1989, the star discusses his distinguished career
• Original theatrical trailer
• Illustrated booklet with a new essay by Andy Miller, original reviews by Karel Reisz and Penelope Houston, an appreciation of Clouzot by Paul Ryan, and full film credits