“Who are you?”
Sony Home Entertainment presents the 1975 film The Passenger at its original length, in widescreen, and with a good smattering of special features. Jack Nicholson stars in a film about identity by the revered director Michelangelo Antonioni.
Reporter David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is in Africa doing research for a television documentary about a group of guerilla freedom fighters. He goes out into the desert to meet some of them for interviews but comes up empty handed. On returning to his hotel, he goes to talk to a fellow guest only to find that Mr. Robertson (Hal Ashby’s producer Charles Mulvehill) has died of a heart attack. Locke and Robertson were of similar build and Locke decides to switch identities with the dead man.
He switches passport photos, clothes, and tells the hotel staff that Mr. Locke has died of a heart attack. He attempts to continue on as Robertson, but soon some of Robertson’s life starts to catch up with Locke. Locke also meets a girl (Maria Schneider, only billed as “The Girl”) along the way. Soon the word of the death of celebrated reporter David Locke travels across the globe. His “widow” (Jenny Runacre) and former employer (Ian Hendry) eventually go in search of Robertson since he was the last to see Locke alive.
Locke and the dead Mr. Robertson
I recall reading somewhere that Antonioni was contracted to deliver a two hour movie to MGM. When he delivered a two hour and six minute movie MGM just cut six minutes out of it and this appears to be the case since www.imdb.com lists the original running time as 119 minutes. This new DVD contains the full 126 minute version. I think this movie had a VHS release, but I am not sure if it was the 126 minute cut. I’ll have to say that if the picture at IMDB was the VHS box that I prefer that pencil drawing cover to the one that’s on the DVD box.
This movie is going to be a mixed bag for some. You’re either going to love it or hate it. Antonioni in this film (I’m not too familiar with his work) is not one to move along quickly and there are lots of shots that take awhile to get anywhere. As Nicholson says on his commentary that the [Jack Nicholson voice] kids raised on videogames might not like the movie [Jack Nicholson voice]. The film is full of interesting shots and film geeks will look forward to those, especially the last shot in the movie. I tend to fall in the middle. I didn’t hate the movie but could see how the slowness of it could be annoying to some.
The Passenger is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary with star Jack Nicholson. Unfortunately he slips into silence a bit too often and occasionally commits the commentary sin of just telling us what we’re seeing on the screen. He does have some interesting production stories of working with Antonioni, but you still may wish there were more.
There’s also another commentary with journalist Aurora Irvine and screenwriter Mark Peploe. They bounce off each other well and seem not to fall into the silence trap as Nicholson does. Irvine on occasion questions Peploe and gets him talking. Too bad they were not all recorded together perhaps Irvine could’ve pulled more out of Nicholson. The theatrical trailer is also included.
The faux Robertson and the Girl
Antonioni and Nicholson fans will definitely want to add this one to their collections but otherwise you may want to give this one a rental.
The Passenger is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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