Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Passenger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 9, 2020

Michelangelo Antonioni's "The Passenger" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival audio commentary with Jack Nicholson; and archival audio commentary with journalist Aurora Irvine and screenwriter Mark Peploe. In English, with optional English SDH, Spanish, and French 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, The Passenger arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same remaster that the folks at Indicator/Powerhouse Films worked with when they prepared this release in 2018. It is an older remaster that I believe was used for various existing DVD release of The Passenger in multiple territories. Predictably, the exact same limitations that I highlighted in our review of the European release are retained here. For example, even though there are no traces of problematic digital adjustments, grain exposure isn't optimal. Yes, in some areas the original cinematography does produce unique fluctuations, but it is very easy to tell that ideally the grain structure should be 'tighter' and healthier. This also means that density levels can be improved, especially in darker areas, where on the current remaster the grain becomes noticeably 'looser' than it should be. Light crushing can be spotted as well, though I don't think that it is problematic. The color scheme is convincing, but the primaries and their supporting nuances can be improved. Image stability is good. However, I am certain that if/when the film is redone in 4K, some specific optimizations will be performed to enhance stability. (The opening credits are one of a few areas that can benefit from such optimizations). There are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, or torn frames, but this time while revisiting the film I spotted a few tiny white flecks popping up here and there. Ultimately, even though the current remaster is dated and has some obvious limitations, I think that it has a pleasing overall organic appearance. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray 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 are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I like the lossless track a lot and this is the reason why I speculated in our review of the European release that a future remaster that introduces a new lossless track will not offer any meaningful improvements. I think that when the current remaster was prepared the folks at Sony optimized the audio as best as possible, so the various outdoor and indoor minor fluctuations that appear on it are entirely as they should be. I could be proven wrong, but if you turn up the volume and pay close attention to manner in which these fluctuations emerge it is actually very easy to tell that they are part of the film's original sound design. There are no transfer-specific anomalies to report.

The Passenger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

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 Blu-ray release of Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger is sourced from an older but healthy remaster that some years ago Sony Pictures prepared in the United States and used for the local DVD release of the film. If you like the film, consider picking it up. However, I would also encourage you to take a look at Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release because it has some recent and exclusive bonus features that can be played in North America. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.