The Passenger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Passenger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 28, 2018

Michelangelo Antonioni's "The Passenger" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival audio commentary with Jack Nicholson; new audio commentary by critic critic Adrian Martin; new video interviews with actors Jenny Runacre and Steven Berkoff; archival interview with Michelangelo Antonioni; and more. The release also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet featuring new essay by Amy Simmons, Michelangelo Antonioni's production notes, excerpts from an archival interview with the director, and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The new man

Life is one long and exciting journey -- or at least to those of us who have the ability to choose our own destination and are lucky enough to reach it on our own terms. But what do you do if you are stuck in a journey that makes you feel miserable? Should you accept your fate and just wait for its inevitable end to arrive, or should you make a bold move and try to redirect it so that you can enjoy the rest of the time that has been given to you?

In Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Passenger Jack Nicholson plays a British-born, U.S.-educated reporter named David Locke who chooses the second option while trying to gather material for a big TV project in an unnamed African country in the early stages of a vicious civil war. Locke realizes that he has the perfect opportunity to junk his miserable life after he returns to his hotel and accidentally discovers that another foreign visitor that he had recently befriended has passed away in his room. He quickly replaces the photograph on his passport and then, while pretending to be him, informs the two lonely clerks in the lobby that something terrible has happened in the room adjacent to his. At this very moment Mr. Locke becomes Mr. Robertson and effectively begins a brand new journey.

After he studies the dead man’s diary and realizes that he was an avid traveler, Locke ends up in Munich where he is approached by some shady characters who give him an advance payment for a big load of arms that will soon be used by a leftist revolutionary group. Then he reaches Barcelona, where he begins a relationship with a young and beautiful rental car clerk (Maria Schneider) who finds his new journey so exciting that she decides to become his partner and convinces him to just go with the flow and see where it takes them. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away Locke’s perplexed wife (Jenny Runacre) and a TV producer (Ian Hendry) go to work to reconstruct the final days before his tragic death and understand the deep psychological crisis that might be responsible for it.

The three main themes that define the narrative -- estrangement, alienation, and the inexorable desire to cut ties with a world that is rapidly evolving into a very cold, chaotic and dangerous place -- have made multiple appearances in Antonioni’s earlier films. What makes their presence here unique is the specific manner in which they emerge. Indeed, unlike previous films where the action is localized, here the themes emerge while Antonioni visits multiple countries and in the process expands quite dramatically the ‘cage’ in which his main protagonist has felt miserable. Also, the sense of intimacy that is such a crucial element of Antonioni’s early films remains oddly elusive here, as if not to interfere with the much more attractive sense of freedom that inspires Locke to begin a romantic relationship with the beautiful girl.

There is also a pretty significant gap between the visual styles of this film and that of its predecessors (the films from the Trilogy of Alienation, in particular, almost seem like they might have been conceived by an entirely different director). The careful camera movement and especially the precise framing of stunning panoramic locations are replaced by a very fluid camera movement and casually lensed footage that gives the film a very relaxed organic quality. At times, it actually looks like entire segments might have been extracted from a small documentary feature about a fascinating but impulsive journey that was filmed without preparation.

The Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an old remaster, and everything that I see tells me that it is almost certainly the same remaster that Sony Pictures used for the existing DVD releases of the film in multiple territories. However, despite some pretty obvious source limitations the overall quality of the remaster is actually quite good. Density and fluidity are the two main areas where these limitations are most noticeable, which means that the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to spot segments where ideally the visuals should be more convincing (screencaptures #11 and 17 are such examples). Grain exposure should be better as well, but there are no traces of compromising digital tinkering. Also, there are quite a few segments with light but noticeable black crush, which a new remaster will almost certainly eliminate (see screencapture #18). Colors are stable and natural, but this is another area where a new remaster will undoubtedly introduce meaningful improvements in terms of saturation and then further expand nuances. Image stability is good. Lastly, there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, torn or warped frames to report in our review. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I would be very surprised if in the future there is a new remaster of the film that introduces a new lossless track that actually produces some meaningful improvements. To be perfectly clear, there are some obvious dynamic fluctuations on the existing lossless track, but there are parts of the film that were shot under different conditions and it is pretty clear that there are plenty of organic sounds and noises that were intentionally left untouched. So some of the sporadic unevenness that some viewers may perceive as a fixable limitation is actually part of the original sound design. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

The Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for The Passenger. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Steven Berkoff - in this brand new video interview, actor Steven Berkoff (Stephen) recalls his interaction with Michelangelo Antonioni during the shooting of The Passenger. The interview was conducted exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Jenny Runacre - in this brand new video interview, actress Jenny Runacre (Rachel) recalls how she was contacted and offered a role in The Passenger and discusses the costume fittings that she had in London prior to the shooting of the film as well as Michelangelo Antonioni's working methods. The interview was conducted exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• The Final Sequence - in this archival documentary, Michelangelo Antonioni deconstructs the final sequence of The Passenger. The documentary was produced by French documentarian Andre Labarthe. In Italian, with printed French and optional English subtitles. (13 min, 1080p).

• Antonioni on Cinema - in this archival video interview, Michelangelo Antonioni discusses his approach to managing actors while in front of the camera, the actor as a 'force of nature', and the notorious long sequence in The Passenger. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080p).

• Profession Reporter - In this archival video interview, Michelangelo Antonioni discusses the visual style and tone of The Passenger. The interview was conducted at the Cannes Film Festival in 1975. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary with Jack Nicholson - this archival audio commentary was included on the U.S. DVD release of The Passenger that Sony Pictures produced in 2006. Jack Nicholson discusses the filming of different sequence, the rhythm of the film, the reality of his character and his transformation, the price that he pays for his newly-found freedom, etc.

• Audio Commentary with Journalist Aurora Irvine and Screenwriter Mark Peploe - this archival audio commentary was also included on the U.S. DVD release of The Passenger. The bulk of the information in it addresses the production history of the film, as well as its composition and visual style.

• Audio Commentary with Adrian Martin - in this brand new audio commentary, critic Adrian Martin deconstructs the journey of Jack Nicholson's character, his gradual transformation and the nature of the dilemmas that he faces as it occurs, the manner in which the visuals create different sensations for the viewer, the rhythm of life as captured by the camera in key sequences, the two scenes that were removed from the initial U.S. presentation of the film, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusivity for Indicator/Powerhouse Films in 2018.

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for The Passenger.

• Professione: reporter - alternate presentation of the film as Professione: reporter.

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet with a new essay by Amy Simmons, Michelangelo Antonioni's production notes, excerpts from an archival interview with the director, and more.

The Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The difficult part isn't the one where people eventually admit to themselves that they are stuck living lives that make them feel miserable, but the one where they must gather the courage to do something to redirect them. The unknown scares them, and the older they get, the more reasons they find to simply surrender and die while quietly struggling to suppress their frustration and pain. Jack Nicholson's character gets an opportunity to erase his past and start a new journey, and he gambles, only to eventually discover that everything in this world, and especially happiness, comes at a price. This recent Blu-ray release of Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger is sourced from an older remaster that some years ago Sony Pictures prepared in the United States and used for the local DVD release of the film, but it is healthy, and currently the release offers the best technical presentation of the film. The release is Region-Free and all of the bonus features on it are playable on North American players. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.