The Passenger

Professione: reporter (1975)

Timing: 2:6 (126 min)

7.3/10
469

7.701/10
9709

7.4/10
29000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 21

Actors and characters

Release date

1975-02-28

Country

Spain, France, Italy, United States

Production

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Les Films Concordia, CIPI Cinematografica S.A., Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, MGM

Genre

Drama, Thriller, Mystery

Budget

$0

Revenue

$620 155

Website

Director

Michelangelo Antonioni

Actors

Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider, Jenny Runacre, Ian Hendry, Steven Berkoff, Ambroise Mbia, José María Caffarel, James Campbell, Manfred Spies, Jean-Baptiste Tiémélé
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Carlo Ponti, Alessandro von Norman

Operator

Luciano Tovoli

Composer

Artist

Audition

Editing

Michelangelo Antonioni, Franco Arcalli
All team (28)

• The plot was based on the short story "Fatal Exit" by Mark Piplow, a native of the East African coast.
• This is the last film in Michelangelo Antonioni’s English-language trilogy, shot under contract with Carlo Ponti under the auspices of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
• In English-speaking countries, the film is known as "The Passenger".
• Initially, the film was planned to be shot in the Amazon jungle (as well as in Sardinia and Rome), but the preparation period lasted for 2 years. Working in the jungle turned out to be an expensive undertaking, and producer Carlo Ponti stated that he would not be able to finance the shooting. It was then decided to film with the same actors, but in the Sahara, which was more accessible from a logistical point of view.
• The film was shot on location – in Chad, Algeria, London, Munich, and Spain. Technically, the most challenging part was filming in the Sahara: in the scorching desert conditions, the film had to be transported in a refrigerator.
• Despite a tight shooting schedule, Antonioni filmed far more material than was needed for the film's editing. In particular, an explicit love scene between Nicholson and Schneider did not make it into the final version. Initially, Antonioni assembled a four-hour cut of the film, and then asked editor Franco Arcalli to reduce it by more than an hour and a half. This version was shown in Europe, but for the American premiere, it was also subjected to further cuts.
• According to Nicholson, actress Maria Schneider spent the days of filming in a drug-induced haze, so he sometimes had to hold her up to prevent her from falling in front of the camera.
• To mark the 30th anniversary of its premiere, the film received a limited release in the US and some other countries.
• At the director's instruction, the film crew painted the fruits of unripe citrus trees in a Spanish garden.
• The story is based on Mark Piplow’s short story “Fatal Exit” – a native of the east coast of Africa.
• In English-speaking countries, the film is known as “The Passenger”.