"That's a nice-a donut."

Thursday, May 18, 2006

The Passenger (1975)

Legendary Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni never made films to appease wide masses of people. His works are uncompromising, aesthetically and artistically pleasing, complex, abstract character studies. None of the pieces ever seem to fit entirely together, and none of the resolutions are simple or obvious. Surely many essays could be written trying to analyze each of his films. And this much is obvious: if he were to come of age in America today, with his same artistic vision, he likely wouldn't be able to set foot anywhere near La La Land. Back in the 1960s and 70s he was a very hot name in the art film world, and his mystique even attracted Jack Nicholson in the prime of his career in The Passenger.

Jack is David Locke, a reporter on assignment somewhere in North Africa working on a documentary about a group of revolutionaries and the government they are fighting. Upon returning to his hotel one day he finds one of his fellow guests dead. In a spur of the moment decision, he switches clothes with the dead man (named Robertson), as well as any identifying information including passports and the man's appointment book. From there he is dealt a variety of surprises as he attempts to become this other person. He meets an alluring young girl (Maria Schneider), who joins him in his journey. And he also learns that Robertson was an illegal arms dealer.

Their journey is fun for a while and leads to many questions and pondering about what the new Robertson will do next. There is very little in the way of dialogue, as Antonioni relies heavily on moderately long takes and imagery to tell the story. The scenes with Rachel, Locke's old wife, manage to slow an already leisurely pace down even more.

The story could have gone in many exciting or thought provoking directions, but instead ends with a whimper. There is a technically impressive shot at the end - it is one long take where the camera slowly moves and wanders before finally revealing Locke/Robertson's fate. It is a very vague scene that is surely open to much interpretation. And in that sense, it is fine. But after all this, the payoff is almost worthless. If the ending had been better, or simply been more exhilarating, the final product would have been markedly better. What remains is something similar to most of Antonioni's films: despite a solid premise and smartly shot scenes with fine acting, it is just too trying. It asks for so much patience, yet gives so little back other than stark metaphors and ruminations. It will leave you thinking and wondering what just happened, and for some people that will be just fine, but it just isn't enough.

Some synopses of the film have actually stooped to calling it a thriller - don't believe that for a second, for if you do you'll be sorely disappointed. It's not even particularly very much of a drama, but rather fits comfortably in that off-kilter category of "existentialism" of obscure movies that could mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. If anything, give it a look to see one of the master's, Nicholson, at work during his creative peak of the early-to-mid 70s.

The Verdict: C+.

Michael Bentley 2:09 PM

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