What did the one guy do by kind of shimming something into the hinge after he had filed through it so they could open that door which used a different kind of lock? I know it was something so they could put it back and have it look like it was still secure; but I just don't understand the mechanical specifics there and I am curious.
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Hi SlackerInc. I'm watching that scene now, but describing the entire modification step-by-step without graphics might strain my abilities. Nevertheless, I'll try.
Normally, a solid pin comprised part of the lower half of a hinge. The pin extended vertically from the lower half as a "male" part to match a "female" (i.e., hollow) barrel of the hinge's upper half. Roland horizontally sawed each pin about half a cm above the lower hinge, leaving only a short stub of a pin. He then reinserted the cut-off part of the pin back into the upper barrel. At the same time, shims were also inserted in the barrel to prevent the loose part of the pin from falling out.
At first, I was a little confused myself because I didn't understand what purpose was served by keeping the cut-off part of the pin in the barrel. After all, the door could still swing on the modified hinges. Then (duh!) I realized that the guards would surely notice the missing parts after the convicts entered the sewer and shut the door behind them.
I can't recall another film captivating me as much as this one did with what the French call "bricolage." To the extent that Becker followed real events, I've got to admire the innovation of the convicts, no matter what crimes they committed.
//...no matter what crimes they committed.//
I suppose that Manu Borelli (who was short-tempered, with a sweet tooth) committed a murder in a jealous rage; Geo, with a mental age of 10-12 y/o, and exceptional fighting ability, unwittingly crippled (or maybe even killed) a man in a brawl; Roland, prominently skilled and clever, was a burglar; Monseigneur was a top pickpocket.
Yet Monseigneur told in the beginning of the movie that "our cell is somewhat special", and "the luckiest of us will get no less than ten years", that makes me wonder what really did Roland and Monseigneur do...
Anyway, these characters are by no means a common "bad guys"; each of them is flesh and blood, complicated and extremely interesting, Gaspard including (the only one who is definitely unsympathetic).
Listen to your enemy, for God is talking