MovieChat Forums > Le trou (1997) Discussion > The HourGlass

The HourGlass

posted 10 years ago by Sonatine97
5 replies | jump to latest

I simply adore this film: I must have watched it at least 5 times over the last 7 days after it was recommended from another IMDB board "A Man Escaped".

It is solid throughout: barely any fat to slow down the story or pace. Great acting from the largely amateur cast; and superb direction, lighting & camerawork.

I know people on here have highlighted a few innconsistences with either the story or the method of escape; but I choose to overlook those and enjoy the movie for what it is: pure escapism (no pun intended)

However, there is little "bug" that I keep over-thinking about, and that is the making of the hour-glass. We see Roland watch the sand slip through the makeshift hourglass, and then declares "exactly 30 minutes!". But how does he know this when none of the prisoners in the cell carry a watch, and neither is there a clock in the cell? So how did Roland measure the time?

"...but what I know about is Texas, an' down here... you're on your own."

[–] aliza_tvito 10 years ago

/ So how did Roland measure the time?/ - The church bells were heard from outside (with an intervals of 30min I guess).

Listen to your enemy, for God is talking

[–] Sonatine97 10 years ago

Good point!

I will check next time I get round to watching again; I guess I was probably so absorbed with the goings-on witihn the prison cell. that I barely noticed the sounds of the outside world.

thanks again

"...but what I know about is Texas, an' down here... you're on your own."

[–] lubin-freddy 9 years ago

I just watched this for the first time, and yes, it was bells, church or otherwise, that go off every 30 minutes.

Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools.

[–] KingCobra686 8 years ago

They definitely didnt have pocketwatches, otherwise they wouldnt have needed to make the hourglass.

I suppose they could have timed it against the guards and their patrol patterns. It seemed like they followed a very strict schedule.

[–] bg_mog 8 years ago

They used the church bell. We know it strikes every 60 minutes to indicate the hour because in another scene towards the end of the movie, you can hear the same bell sound six times and Manu says "six o'clock, let's go back to the others!"

Their little hourglass was purportedly timed for 30 minute intervals. This is obviously unrealistic because you can see the sand gushing through way too fast to last for 30 minutes. (Not a big problem though because the real escapists could have used a smaller interval and flipped it more often.)