Banana A Day – Le Trou

Le Trou is a film that is built upon tiny details, the kind of details that a lesser film maker than Jacques Becker would think unimportant in the telling of this prison break story. Throughout the movie there are many long scenes that include prison bar filing, tunnel digging, and tool creation. While this may seem kind of banal it is actually enthralling. It is fascinating watching the characters solve the many problems that come up as they try to escape their tiny cell and then eventually the prison. Le Trou is based on a real prison break attempt that took place in 1947, so there is a major focus digging through dirt and concrete and not so much beating any high tech security. These characters are brilliant in there planning and I know that I would never be able to come with even part of the escape scheme that is shown. Jacques Becker died a few weeks after finishing the final cut of Le Trou and any director would be proud to leave this film as part of their legacy.