Shot in a dazzling variety of locations including Algeria, Germany, Britain, and Spain, Jack Nicholson is TV reporter David Locke who, while covering a civil war in Africa, embarks on a new life.
Switching identities with a chatty stranger he finds dead in his hotel, Nicholson goes as far as keeping the appointments of the dead man until he discovers the man was involved in some less than reputable dealings on the black market.
Along the way he begins an affair with a mysterious student, played to cryptic perfection by Maria Schneider. The meticulously shot film climaxes in one of the most talked-about shots of the decade, a seven minute single take slow zoom—a deft combination of technical proficiency and emotional unease. --AFI
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider, Jenny Runacre, Ian Hendry, Steven Berkoff, Ambroise Bia, José María Caffarel, James Campbell, Manfred Spies, Jean-Baptiste Tiemele
Cannes (In Competition), AFI FEST (Tribute), New York, Telluride, AFI FEST (Milestones)
Read about this film
Title: The Passenger | Professione: reporter (1975)
Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni
Date of birth: 29 September 1912, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Date of death: 30 July 2007, Rome, Italy
Writing credits:
Mark Peploe, Peter Wollen, Michelangelo Antonioni, Miguel De Echarri
Music by: Ivan Vandor
Country: Italy | France | Spain
Language: French | German | Spanish | English
Color: Color
Runtime: 126 min.