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Professione: reporter (1975)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
9 April 1975 (USA)
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Tagline:
I used to be somebody else...but I traded myself in.
Plot:
A frustrated war correspondent, unable to find the war he's been asked to cover, takes the risky path of co-opting the I.D. of a dead arms dealer acquaintance. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Desert
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Identity
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Sahara Desert
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Reporter
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Journalist
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Awards:
4 wins
&
1 nomination
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NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Ingmar and Mike
(From FilmExperience. 30 July 2009, 11:31 AM, PDT)
Producer Bellville Dies
(From WENN. 24 February 2009, 8:10 AM, PST)
(From FilmExperience. 30 July 2009, 11:31 AM, PDT)
Producer Bellville Dies
(From WENN. 24 February 2009, 8:10 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Antonioni's best film.
more (81 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Jack Nicholson | ... | David Locke | |
| Maria Schneider | ... | Girl | |
| Jenny Runacre | ... | Rachel Locke | |
| Ian Hendry | ... | Martin Knight | |
| Steven Berkoff | ... | Stephen | |
| Ambroise Bia | ... | Achebe | |
| José María Caffarel | ... | Hotel Keeper | |
| James Campbell | ... | Witch Doctor | |
| Manfred Spies | ... | German Stranger | |
| Jean-Baptiste Tiemele | ... | Murderer | |
| Ángel del Pozo | ... | Police inspector | |
| Charles Mulvehill | ... | David Robertson (as Chuck Mulvehill) | |
| Narciso Pula | ... | Murderer's accomplice |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Passenger (International: English title) (UK)
El reportero (Spain)
Profession: reporter (France)
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El reportero (Spain)
Profession: reporter (France)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some violence, nudity and language. (edited version)
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
126 min | 119 min
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:PG-13 |
Argentina:13 |
Iceland:L |
Singapore:PG |
Australia:M |
Italy:T |
Brazil:14 |
Finland:K-16 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Sweden:15 |
USA:PG |
UK:PG (video rating) (1986) |
UK:A (original rating) |
West Germany:12 |
Netherlands:16
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
In the DVD commentary, Nicholson states that Antonioni constructed the entire hotel entirely so that the final shot could be accomplished, though he suggests that the entire hotel was built on hinges instead of simply the bars outside the window. This assertion is incorrect as production photos and several books testify. The shot was made by opening the bars which were on hinges and allowing the camera to pass through and be picked up outside. What also attracted the director to this building is it used to be a church and was across the street from a bullfight ring.
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Quotes:
David Locke:
[from Locke's recorder] We translate every situation, every experience into the same old codes. We just condition ourselves.
Robertson, the Dead Man: [from Locke's recorder] We are creatures of habits.
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Robertson, the Dead Man: [from Locke's recorder] We are creatures of habits.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Apocalypse Now (1979)
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (81 total)
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Michaelangelo Antonioni has been given a hard time by some critics, and even more so by audiences. His Blow Up is an art house classic, and Zabriskie Point is the film that the critics love to hate. The Passenger is his best film, but a total failure in commercial terms (probably because it asks a lot of the audience and only rewards viewers who give it multiple viewings).
The story behind the film is almost unimportant, in the way that the story behind Apocalypse Now is unimportant. It's a journey, a parade if you like through the last days of a disillusioned reporter working in some forgotten quarter of North Africa. He knows his life is pointless and he knows he's not lived it the way he truly wished he had. Then he finds a corpse in his hotel and decides to assume the identity of the dead man. Too late, he discovers that the dead man was involved with dangerous people and he has inadvertently become a revolutionary gunrunner.
Jack Nicholson has never given a more restrained and quiet performance, but it works all the same. The backdrop is amazingly beautiful and makes the film visually extraordinary, like a painting of a film.
I like this film a lot, but I can see reasons why it was a commercial disaster. I had to watch it three times before I began to piece together its elliptical plot. On each viewing, I found something new and interesting. But in all honesty, how many movie-goers are prepared to give a film that much time and effort? The ending is downbeat and a little intriguing, not to mention loose. Again, how many movie-goers are prepared to sit for two hours and not be rewarded with a grand, logical pay off? To enjoy this film, you need to be a patient watcher. You need to like visuals more than substance. You need to be happy to be challenged and happy to look beyond the surface. If that is you, then you will surely like this film.