originally posted by Sara on 5/14/06 6:48 pm

I've waited several years to see the Passenger. Finally it is on DVD. It was worth waiting for. (Seeing a young, skinny, beautiful Jack Nicholson was wonderful...)

The film was beautiful. The colors of the desert, the spaces Antonioni allows, the sparse architecture that sometimes 
looks like totem poles or gargoyles, the emptiness, and the contrast in the concept of time (ie, the man going by in the desert on a slow camel, seeming content and unhurried - contrasted with the car chase), and the unbeliveable last 7 minutes of the film...

A few weeks ago I watched the Eclipse. I got mad half way through it because nothing seemed to happen. Slow. Slow. Slow. But I stuck with it, and I am so glad I did. The last part of the film gives a real feeling of emptiness. Of nobody showing up. Of usual scenes but with no one in them. It finally dawned on me that this was a wonderful, meaningful film.

I have seen La Avventura and Blow Up, too. Both were really good.

But I have come away from watching The Passenger with a complete love and admiration for Antonioni - his unhurried pace and his beautiful camera work.

The DVD here in the USA has a wonderful commentary track given by (an older) Jack Nicholson. It is not like some of those silly, babbling commentaries. Jack's gives a deeper understanding of the film and he increased my appreciation of it.

The Passenger has made me a true lover of Antonioni's works, and yes, of that young Jack Nicholson!

Sara