I was not familiar with any of Becker's other films when I decided to check out Le Trou at Film Forum theatre the other day, and of course now will be seeking out his other films. I found Le Trou to be both super interesting and entertaining. Le Trou contains very few, if any of the traditional characters and storylines that seem to be requisite for modern day prison films (the corrupt guards who abuse their power and the inmates, the inmates who have an 'in' with someone in the prison system and get away with murder - literally and figuratively - the prisoner who everyone else picks on mercilessly, the 'king' inmate who everyone fears and really runs the place etc.) No , this is a very different prison film, very straightforward with no prison film cliches. Apparently most of the actors were non-professionals, but they were all great, believable, and likable. Also, there are many inmates to one room/cell, which creates a very strong bond amongst those sharing the cell and it's this grouping together that for me gave the film a kind of unique intimacy. Some reviewers complained about the loud banging as the prisoners tried to tunnel their way out, but I didn't even notice it, everything seemed natural and right to me. Le Tour is suspenseful and engaging throughout.

They take hands to escape from the prison.One of them have a couple of experiences ,so he lead the rest of them.They create the course to outside a so primitive way.They part a bed frame and dug in on the ground.It takes a week to make it.But they do it at the end of this film.

Le Trou (The hole)by french director Jacques Becquer is a masterpiece like few others. Becquer is one of those guys who has the ability to tell you a story and make you feel part of it. That alone is far from being considered a "spark of genius" but it undoubtedly helps pave the way for a film such as Le Trou, a classic of the genre.It's the story of a group of inmates which are planning the escape of the prison. One day, a new one arrives and quickly is drawn into the plan. From that point on, this slow-paced film shows us the life in prison, quite different from what you'd expect after binging on American TV shows for years, and the psychological dimension of the life in prison. Every single detail of their plan is paid attention to. Rightly so because with every step forward they get closer and closer to the world outside the barred windows while, at the same time, keeps us interested in the film as it seems there's always something going on.Towards the end of the movie there's a couple of scenes that after so much build up make the plot "explode" but I won't be spoiling them here. I highly recommend you watch the film. You won't regret it.

Jacques Becker's minimalist and effective "The Hole" tells the story of five prisoners, housed in a French prison during the late 1940s, who plot to dig a tunnel and so escape confinement. Becker would use mostly non-actors for the film's central roles, and seems heavily influenced by both Bresson's "A Man Escaped" and the "prisoner of war" movies of Jean Renoir, a director for whom Becker was an assistant. Becker would die of a heart attack shortly after completing his film."The Hole's" characters are an odd bunch, some sentenced for murder, some mysteriously aloof, some from privileged backgrounds and some suspiciously regarded by others as being untrustworthy at best, prison spies at worst. This all strongly recalls Bresson's (superior) "A Man Escaped", in which a character frets over whether or not to trust or kill a cell mate prior to proceeding with his plans for escape. Bresson's hero decides to trust, there are no betrayals, and the film eventually celebrates the prospects of humanity (the escape would have failed without our hero trusting his fellowman). Becker's film, however, presents the more sour, cynical flip-side to Bresson's; it's a film about disloyalty and the impossibility of solidarity."The Hole's" cinematography, by Ghislain Cloquet, also recalls Bresson's work, which was likewise gracious and almost saintly. And like "A Man Escaped", Becker's film features a heightened use of sounds; the chipping away of concrete, the scraping of metal, heavy breathing and long, tense silences. His plot and tone are wonderfully minimalist, recalling Dassin and Melville's work during the period. Melville would regard "The Hole" as a personal favourite.8/10 – Worth one viewing.