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The Passenger (1975) DVD Review
The Passenger (1975) DVD Credits:
The Passenger (1975) Directed by:
Michelangelo Antonioni
The Passenger (1975) Written by:
Michelangelo Antonioni
The Passenger (1975) Cast:
Jack Nicholson, Steven Berkoff, Maria Schneider, Jenny Runacre
The Passenger (1975) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
The Passenger (1975) DVD Release Date:
24th April 2006
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The Passenger (1975) Synopsis:

Originally released in 1975, Sony Pictures Classics re-releases Antonioni's suspenseful and haunting portrait of a drained journalist whose deliverance is an identity exchange with a dead man. He embarks on a treacherous journey through Africa, Spain, Germany, England, Spain.

The Passenger (1975) DVD Review:

To this generation of film watchers, the name Michelangelo Antonioni may mean very little, but in the sixties and seventies he was making some of the most critically acclaimed films. Films like The Red Desert and Blow-Up were considered a huge success, and in 1975 Antonioni teamed up with producer Carlo Ponti (Dr. Zhivago) and Jack Nicholson, who was a rising star at the time. Together they made the Passenger, a film which was nominated for the 1975 Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival and won a number of other awards throughout the world. There are a number of great films that are lost, but the re-release on DVD can only help to remember the great films of the past.

Three time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson stars as David Locke, a burned out journalist that seizes an opportunity to start a new life. Locke makes the acquaintance of a fellow traveler in Africa, when he suddenly dies. Noticing the similarities in their looks, Locke switches identities with the dead man. While everyone back home is mourning Locke’s death, he is using the dead man’s datebook to live his life, and he discovers that he has taken the identity of an illegal arms dealer. Along the way he also meets and falls in love with a young woman that helps him escape. Soon the plan begins to spiral out of control and he becomes a wanted man on the run instead of the freedom he imagined he would have.

The concept is simple but the characters are so incredibly complex that it is a thought provoking film with some beautiful ideas and images. This is the first time this classic has been on DVD, and the image quality is fabulous. It looks better than it has looked since the day it was in theaters, and the wonderful cinematography of Europe and Africa can be seen the way the filmmakers imagined.

The Passenger was re-released in theaters in 2005, and now it is finally available on DVD, along with two commentary tracks in the special features. There is one commentary with screenwriter Mark Peploe and journalist Aurora Irvine, but the better commentary comes from the cool Jack Nicholson.

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The Passenger (1975) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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