Zabriskie Point (1970)

Director:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (story)
Michelangelo Antonioni (writer) ...

Release Date:

9 February 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

An epic portrait of late Sixties America, as seen through the portrayal of two of its children: anthropology...

Plot Keywords:

Student | Desert | Policeman | America | Airplane

Cast

Mark Frechette	...	Mark
Daria Halprin	...	Daria
Paul Fix	...	Cafe Owner
G.D. Spradlin	...	Lee's Associate
Bill Garaway	...	Morty
Kathleen Cleaver	...	Kathleen
Rod Taylor	...	Lee Allen

Runtime:

110 min | Spain:95 min (alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:R21 | Finland:K-16 | Italy:VM18 | Sweden:11 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (w) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and how they got that way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell.

Quotes:

[booking a young radical]
Cop: Occupation?
Rebel: Associate professor of history.
Cop: That's too long. I'll just put down clerk.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dr. Christina of Sweden (1970)

Soundtrack:

Sugar Babe

Unique, underrated, unforgettable!

This is the film in Antonioni's middle period that most critics dismiss quickly, as a 'flawed' look at 60s American youth culture/politics. For what it's worth, I found it more touching and memorable than his more acclaimed films like L'AVVENTURA, perhaps because he shows more emotion & empathy here than anywhere else. The story is simple, but it is used as a frame for Antonioni's brilliant observations of, and critique on American consumerist culture, student life, the counter-culture, and the whole anti-establishment, anti-war backlash that was so prominent then.

Even from a purely technical point of view, it is a remarkably crafted film; from the opening credits sequence to the bizarre desert 'love-in', to the use of billboards, and right down to that jaw-dropping, cathartic finale that used 17 camera set-ups (in it's own way, as powerful as the climax of The Wild Bunch). Also, Antonioni chose one hell of a leading lady with Daria Halperin, one of the most beautiful ever to grace the screen. There isn't much 'acting' involved, as this feels more like a docu-drama, and so the use of non- professionals as the lead couple works quite effectively within that context. And the soundtrack is not only filled with marvelous music, its use is impressive as well (I can't forget the start of the film, mostly due to the selection of music - by Pink Floyd - that grooms the visuals so well).

Contrary to popular opinion, this is quite an achievement in cinema, and one I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone with a taste or tolerance for the off- beat. Well worth seeking out, and one of those key films of the 60s that demands a DVD restoration/release.