Sorcerer (1977)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

Georges Arnaud (novel)
Walon Green (writer)

Release Date:

24 June 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

A group of outcasts from different backgrounds/nationalities are forced by misfortune to work in a remote oil drilling operation in South America...

Plot Keywords:

Fire | Nitroglycerin | Jungle | Escape | Robbery

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Roy Scheider	...	Jackie Scanlon / "Juan Dominguez"
Bruno Cremer	...	Victor Manzon / 'Serrano'
Francisco Rabal	...	Nilo
Amidou	...	Kassem / 'Martinez'
Ramon Bieri	...	Charles Corlette
Peter Capell	...	Lartigue
Karl John	...	Marquez
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Carlos
Chico Martínez	...	Bobby Del Rios
Joe Spinell	...	Spider
Rosario Almontes	...	Agrippa
Richard Holley	...	Billy White
Anne-Marie Deschott	...	Blanche
Jean-Luc Bideau	...	Pascal
Jacques François	...	Lefevre

Also Known As:

Wages of Fear

Runtime:

121 min | Sweden:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Spanish | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:AA (1978) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1978) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Angel Peak National Recreation Area, Bloomfield, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Film Properties International N.V.

Trivia:

The film was originally supposed to be shot in Ecuador for the jungle scenes but when that was deemed too expensive it was moved to the Dominican Republic a virtual military dictatorship at that time. The town in the film is Alto Gracia. Soon after the film was finished the town erupted in real life riots (reflecting a scene from the film) when the president nullified an election that he lost to a liberal candidate. The riots spread to neighboring villages forcing the president to step down.

Goofs:

Continuity: The monetary amount paid to the drivers is inconsistent throughout the film. The oil company first says they will pay "8,000 pesos to each driver". The driver's later demand double that amount (which would be 16,000 pesos). Later when Scanlon crosses the rope bridge he boasts that the two of them will get "double shares of 20,000 apiece" (double shares would actually be 32,000 apiece). At the end, Scanlon is given a check for 40,000 Pesos which would only amount to 10,000 per driver.

Quotes:

Scanlon: You wanna tell me where I'm going?
Vinnie: I swear to Christ I don't know.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Il solitario (2008)

Soundtrack:

Spheres (movement 3)

unforgettable

Being a huge fan of Friedkin,i wanted to see "sorcerer" for a long time;after several months of researches,at last,i could on an old videotape and ,immediately,it emerged as one of the best movies i've ever seen.I must be one of the rare who don't consider it's title so inapropriate,even it's been chosen for obvious commercial reasons (the exorcist/the sorcerer).The sorcerer,it's this fate which gathers 4 men of 4 different countries together;they have nothing in common but will be obliged to collaborate for the same reason;it's too an evil nature which,a little bit like in "deliverance",seems to make everything it cans to make the mission fail.There's a subtext ,"man vs nature",which, from Friedkin's words,was wanted from the beginning,and that,to my mind, considerably enhances the film. The systematic comparisons between the 52's version and this one don't appear to me valuables;i prefer seeing it more as a second adaptation of Arnaud's novel than as a remake.In fact,it's much more close to "the treasure of the sierra madre": the painful irony of the ending and Scheider with his hat looks exactly like Bogart.According to me,even it's a good flick,the original version is very-too much?-faithful to the novel and so,quite easy to foresee (for instance,before the mission, one of the truck is sabotaged so we're sure it's gonna explode at a moment or another). One said,including Friedkin,it bombed the box-office because was no star like Steve mc Queen to attract the audience,but nothing is less sure;first of all,it's unfair for Roy Scheider who previously starred in "the french connection" and "jaws" and was quite famous and,then,it's above all a question of concept:the audience of 77 didn't want to see that kind of movie anymore,-pessimistic,ironic,with an all-male cast and unhappy ending,-and was rather ready to enjoy Lucas and Spielberg's movies. I could speak highly of its qualities for hours: cast and crew,the work on the sound,the Tangerine dream's score,the sequence of the bridge,the surreal atmosphere of the last scenes,but it's already been described in other comments;let's say it's a very special,precious and unforgettable film to me.Hoping now there will have in next months a beautiful dvd edition like those of "to live and die in L.A.",and a serious rehearsal.It deserves it.