If you like scenes of majestic natural settings, then this is the film for you. The Sierra Nevadas in Granada, Spain makes for a gorgeous cineramic view that must have been stunning on a big screen and even on a big TV in widescreen is certainly resplendent. Unless you've read the book, you are never aware that the two escaped prisoners played by Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell were British soldiers in an unknown country, but here, you just see them as handcuffed men managing somehow managing to get out of their cuffs, gain some weapons and end up in a less mountainous region where they are chased by a black helicopter and eventually a group of soldiers resulting in some fierce gun battles.
During The quiet moments between the two, they reveal little about themselves in their infrequent conversations and some of these sequences are completely silent, only on occasion interrupted by a musical background. it's interesting to see the helicopter being filmed from above by obviously another helicopter, and at one point, that helicopter seems to be shooting at the other one. a lot of ground catches on fire during the film so it is obvious that much of the lush greenery you see was destroyed or greatly damaged.
Shaw and McDowall pretty much need to just react to everything going on around them, so they are basically figures in a war game rather than characters you can empathize with. Exhaulted director Joseph Losey's presence indicates that this was more of an art experiment than one destined for big box office so perhaps you can catch the metaphors. As for this writer, I enjoyed what mountainous scenery they show as well as the action, but somehow the point of it all escaped me.
During The quiet moments between the two, they reveal little about themselves in their infrequent conversations and some of these sequences are completely silent, only on occasion interrupted by a musical background. it's interesting to see the helicopter being filmed from above by obviously another helicopter, and at one point, that helicopter seems to be shooting at the other one. a lot of ground catches on fire during the film so it is obvious that much of the lush greenery you see was destroyed or greatly damaged.
Shaw and McDowall pretty much need to just react to everything going on around them, so they are basically figures in a war game rather than characters you can empathize with. Exhaulted director Joseph Losey's presence indicates that this was more of an art experiment than one destined for big box office so perhaps you can catch the metaphors. As for this writer, I enjoyed what mountainous scenery they show as well as the action, but somehow the point of it all escaped me.