After I saw this one almost one year ago and being really disappointed (especially compared to his italian films and "Blow up") I spontaneously revisited "The Passenger" per Beamer (Sony really did a surprising job which isn't usual for them...) together with some friends (too bad that you doesn't liked it as much as the last time you've seen it, A!) I'm really stunned. What a masterpiece I was missing one year ago! The most interesting thing were the countless fascinating details on the edge of the images (The painting above Locke's bed, the old man beneath the cross - an almost ironic omen) and the omnipresent atmosphere of abstraction in which Locke, Maria (Schneider) but also Locke's wife are caught in. And, of course, the string between the usual mystic melancholy and a brighter, almost optimistic note after "Zabriskie Point" was also a much "happier" film than his italian works. There is a lot more freedom than in most other Antonioni-films but at the same time still a strong fear that the people will always stay what they are and never discovering themselves and the many options of communication. Amazingly, the breathtaking shot through the window at the end was interpreted by A as an act of deliverance and a bright view into the future. I absolutely disagree because the attitude of this scene, Maria Schneiders unresting walk outside the window and the following moment in which Locke's wife deny to know him, is - in my opinion - extremely distrustful, though not hopeless.

10 out of 10 are really well-deserved!