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Since leading man Jack Nicholson acquired the rights to
The Passenger in the mid-1980s, screenings of Antonioni's
1975 identity-swap oddity have become increasingly rare.
Now, reissued in a new print, we have a chance to enjoy
this tale of a world-weary television reporter in Africa
who is profoundly depressed by his failing marriage and
by a drab professional career. While researching a documentary
in the Sahara Desert he meets a gunrunner who dies suddenly.
Noticing that they have a similar appearance, he assumes
the recently deceased's identity and accepts the consequences
that it brings, showcasing one of Jack Nicholson's finest
ever screen performances.
"A classic...that really
does shimmer in the mind like a remembered dream."
- Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
"Antonioni draws on
certain thriller conventions: car chases, assassinations,
female romantic interest... and Tovoli's magnificent cinematography
of the African desert and the arid Spanish countryside."
- BBCi
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