IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.6K
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Two escapees are on the run in the wilderness of an unspecified country. Wherever they go, they are followed by a menacing black helicopter.Two escapees are on the run in the wilderness of an unspecified country. Wherever they go, they are followed by a menacing black helicopter.Two escapees are on the run in the wilderness of an unspecified country. Wherever they go, they are followed by a menacing black helicopter.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 nomination total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Did you know
- TriviaThis project was in the works for a long time before the film finally emerged. There were various changes of cast and director, and many writers, including James Mitchell and Stanley Mann, produced drafts of the script before Robert Shaw, who was also a novelist, agreed to do a final rewrite immediately before shooting was due to begin. Although he assured Joseph Losey that he would finish it before the first day of shooting, he did not, in fact, complete it until the end of filming, with changes being seemingly made almost every day. The film was a box-office failure and was mostly shown in Britain in a heavily-cut version, although television showings have been complete.
- Alternate versionsThe cut released in Italy (under the title "Caccia sadica," or "Sadistic Hunt") lost 14 minutes according to Joseph Losey, who looked into having his name removed from the credits.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Aqueles Dois (1985)
- SoundtracksCartagena
(uncredited)
Music by Julián Palanca
Featured review
existential chase film, largely forgotten, but worth a look.
FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE is interesting for a lot of reasons: it was directed by Joseph Losey,it stars a very young Malcolm McDowell and it boasts a script by co-star Robert Shaw.
The set-up is very existential: 2 men are pursued by a mysterious black helicopter over a rough, desert terrain. We never learn the reasons for any of this or even where it is taking place.The atmosphere of dread is kept at a high level thru-out.
Everything about the film is as stripped to the basics as the title suggests. The men are never given much more than the briefest of backgrounds. But it is precisely this quality of mystery that gives the film its main points of interest. I would certainly like to be able to see it on a larger screen. The helicopter photography is very impressive and the shots of the two figures traversing the inhospitable terrain are striking.
Robert Shaw gives a ferocious performance. Malcolm McDowell's part requires him to be more subdued but he is capable and provides the film's main sympathetic character.
The set-up is very existential: 2 men are pursued by a mysterious black helicopter over a rough, desert terrain. We never learn the reasons for any of this or even where it is taking place.The atmosphere of dread is kept at a high level thru-out.
Everything about the film is as stripped to the basics as the title suggests. The men are never given much more than the briefest of backgrounds. But it is precisely this quality of mystery that gives the film its main points of interest. I would certainly like to be able to see it on a larger screen. The helicopter photography is very impressive and the shots of the two figures traversing the inhospitable terrain are striking.
Robert Shaw gives a ferocious performance. Malcolm McDowell's part requires him to be more subdued but he is capable and provides the film's main sympathetic character.
helpful•375
- raegan_butcher
- Aug 3, 2006
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By what name was Figures in a Landscape (1970) officially released in India in English?
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