The Hole

The Hole is a 1960 French crime film directed by Jacques Becker. It is an adaptation of José Giovanni's 1957 book The Break. It was called The Night Watch when first released in the United States, but is released under its French title today. The film is based on a true event concerning five prison inmates in La Santé Prison in France in 1947. Becker, who died just weeks after shooting had wrapped, cast mostly non-actors for the main roles, including one man (Jean Keraudy) who was actually involved in the 1947 escape attempt, and who introduces the film. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Gaspard, a very polite prisoner, is moved to a cell (block 11, cell 6) designed for, and containing, four inmates due to repair works in his block. The cellmates keep busy making cardboard boxes. Gaspard receives a food parcel from his mistress and has to watch while the guard chops up the sausages and prods the jams, searching for concealed tools. The four existing cellmates expect long prison sentences, ranging from 10 years to possibly execution by guillotine, and have a pre-existing plan to escape. Gaspard himself is accused of the attempted murder of his wife, and faces a potential 20-year sentence.