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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Gas-oil" or "Hi-Jack Highway")
Directed by Gilles Grangier
France 1955
Dark roads, a stormy night and Jean Gabin are the primary ingredients in Hi-Jack Highway, aka Gas-Oil, a French noir gem. Gabin (Razzia Sur La Chnouf) cements his status as one of the pillars of French cinema with a moody and moving performance. And it gives Jeanne Moreau (Touchez Pas Au Grisbi), one of France’s greatest actresses, one of her first great roles. After spending the night with his girlfriend Alice (Moreau), trucker Jean (Gabin) encounters a dead body on the road home. He reports the incident to the police but they suspect that Jean is responsible for the death. And then there’s that nasty gang of crooks who also are harassing him. Jean is a victim of circumstance and forces beyond his control are closing in on him. But with Alice as his emotional base, he aims to rouse his trucker friends and turn the tables on the forces against him, in this dark and gripping drama co-written by Michel Audiard (Deadly Circuit) and directed by Gilles Grangier (Speaking of Murder). *** Gas-Oil, directed by Gilles Grangier, is a 1955 French crime drama starring Jean Gabin as Jean Chape, a tough, honest truck driver. One icy night, Chape accidentally runs over a body on the road and reports it to the police, only to become entangled in a dangerous web. The dead man was part of a gang involved in a recent robbery, and his accomplices mistakenly believe Chape has their stolen loot. As the gang menaces him, Chape’s quiet life—complete with a steady girlfriend and a prized truck—unravels, forcing him to confront the criminals head-on. Shot in stark black-and-white, the film blends noir tension with a realistic portrayal of 1950s French trucking life, marking the first collaboration between Gabin and screenwriter Michel Audiard. It’s a gritty, understated tale of an ordinary man thrust into extraordinary peril. |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: November 5th, 1955
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review:
Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-rayBox Cover |
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Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | |
Runtime | 1:33:34.666 | |
Video |
1.33 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 38,336,726,681 bytesFeature: 30,506,207,232 bytes Video Bitrate: 39.54 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
DTS-HD Master
Audio French 1555 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1555 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48
kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB |
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Subtitles | English, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Kino
1.33 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 38,336,726,681 bytesFeature: 30,506,207,232 bytes Video Bitrate: 39.54 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Critic and Author Simon Abrams • Theatrical Trailer
Standard Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 8 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 74 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual- mono track (24-bit) in the
original French language. The audio of Hi-Jack Highway plays a
crucial role in shaping its atmosphere and reinforcing its gritty,
realistic tone. As a French crime drama rooted in the working-class
world of truck drivers, the film’s soundscape - comprising its
soundtrack, sound effects, and dialogue - complements its
noir-influenced visuals and understated narrative. The musical score was
composed by Henri Verdun (Naughty
Girl), a lesser-known but capable composer of the era who worked
on several French films in the 1950s. Verdun’s music for Hi-Jack
Highway is sparse and functional, adhering to the film’s minimalist
aesthetic. The lossless reproduces a clean and effective sound. Kino offer optional English
subtitles on their Region 'A'
Blu-ray.
The Kino
Blu-ray
Gilles Grangier's Hi-Jack Highway
was adapted from the novel
Du raisin dans le gaz-oil by Georges Bayle. The film is notable
for marking the first collaboration between iconic Jean Gabin (La
Grande Illusion,
Le Jour Se Leve,
Le Plaisir,) and Michel Audiard (Série
noire,
Taxi for Tobruk,
Greed in the Sun,) a renowned screenwriter known for his sharp
dialogue, although this early pairing doesn’t yet showcase the full
flair of their later, more established works together. Hi-Jack
Highway
(aka "Gas-Oil") emerged in the wake of the 1953 film
The Wages of Fear, another French classic about truck drivers
facing perilous stakes, and it fits into a wave of mid-1950s films
celebrating rugged, working-class protagonists. While it lacks the
bombastic dialogue or grandiosity of later Gabin-Audiard collaborations
(The
Red Light is On,
Maigret Sets a Trap,
The Possessors,
A Monkey in Winter,)
it’s a solid, unpretentious crime flick with a strong cast - Jeanne
Moreau (The
Diary of a Chambermaid,
Eve,
Elevator to the Gallows,
The Bride Wore Black,) still early in her career, plays a
schoolteacher - and a showcase of French cinema’s knack for blending
everyday life with suspense. It’s a snapshot of a bygone era, offering
both a character study of a man caught in unexpected trouble and a
glimpse into the post-war French trucking subculture. It’s a product of
its time - post-war French cinema transitioning from the poetic realism
of the 1930s to the harder-edged narratives of the 1950s - blending
noirish shadows with a documentary-like eye for detail. Hi-Jack
Highway
is absolutely enjoyable - "very French" - and the Kino Blu-ray
|
Menus / Extras
Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
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Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
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