Unable to find the war he's been asked to cover, a frustrated war correspondent takes the risky path of co-opting the identity of a dead arms-deal acquaintance.Unable to find the war he's been asked to cover, a frustrated war correspondent takes the risky path of co-opting the identity of a dead arms-deal acquaintance.Unable to find the war he's been asked to cover, a frustrated war correspondent takes the risky path of co-opting the identity of a dead arms-deal acquaintance.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 2 nominations
- Robertson
- (as Chuck Mulvehill)
- Hotel Clerk
- (uncredited)
- Murderer's accomplice
- (uncredited)
- Cameraman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Michelangelo Antonioni received his honorary Oscar in 1995, the Academy asked Jack Nicholson to present it to him.
- GoofsThere are a couple of inaccuracies in the displayed details of Locke's Air Afrique air ticket that was evidently issued in Douala, Cameroon in August 1974. The name of Fort-Lamy (Chad's neighboring capital city) became N'djamena in early 1973, and Paris is written in Italian ("Parigi") which would not have occurred in French-speaking Douala.
- Quotes
The Girl: Isn't it funny how things happen? All the shapes we make. Wouldn't it be terrible to be blind?
David Locke: I know a man who was blind. When he was nearly 40 years old, he had an operation and regained his sight.
The Girl: How was it like?
David Locke: At first he was elated... really high. Faces... colors... landscapes. But then everything began to change. The world was much poorer than he imagined. No one had ever told him how much dirt there was. How much ugliness. He noticed ugliness everywhere. When he was blind... he used to cross the street alone with a stick. After he regained his sight... he became afraid. He began to live in darkness. He never left his room. After three years he killed himself.
- Crazy creditsLeo, the MGM lion, which normally precedes the opening credits of MGM movies, has been supplanted by "BEGINNING OUR NEXT 50 YEARS". Leo then returns in the center with "GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY" on either side of it.
- Alternate versionsSeven minutes were added to the 2005-2006 re-release version, including a brief shot of a nude Maria Schneider in bed with Jack Nicholson in the Spanish hotel.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
Some may find the opening twenty minutes of the film, where there is virtually no dialogue, hard-going but this perfectly illustrates the sparse and confusing environment of the North African desert where the film begins. We are also treated to a marvellous scene between Locke and the man whose identity he later assumes where a tape recording and flashback are ingeniously merged into one and then separated again. Antonioni creates a mood that is almost indefinable throughout, a kind of hollow detachment which is exactly the perspective that Locke has on the world which has gradually worn him down yet the director still manages to conjure up power and simple romance between Locke and the girl he meets who is played by Maria Schneider. The film was not a hit at the box-office which is not surprising considering it's uncommercial style but artistically and cinematically it is a triumph of innovation.
- David-117
- May 9, 1999
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Beruf: Reporter
- Filming locations
- Fort Polignac, Algeria(desert scenes, setting: Chad)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $620,155
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $24,157
- Oct 30, 2005
- Gross worldwide
- $769,503
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