The Passage (1979 film)

The Passage
The Passage
Directed by	J. Lee Thompson
Written by	Bruce Nicolaysen
Based on	novel Perilous Passage by Bruce Nicolaysen
Produced by	Maurice Binder; Lester Goldsmith; John Quested
Starring	Anthony Quinn; James Mason; Malcolm McDowell; Patricia Neal; Kay Lenz; Michael Lonsdale; Marcel Bozzuffi; Paul Clemens; Robert Rhys; Christopher Lee
Music by	Michael J. Lewis
Production; company	Monday Films
Distributed by	Hemdale Film Distribution; United Artists
Release dates	11 May 1979 (UK); March 9, 1979 (NYC); September 7, 1979 (MND);
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Passage is a 1979 British action-war film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Anthony Quinn, James Mason, Malcolm McDowell and Patricia Neal. The film is based upon the 1976 novel Perilous Passage by Bruce Nicolaysen, who also wrote the screenplay for the film.^[1]

Plot

During World War II, a Basque farmer is asked by the French resistance to help a fleeing scientist and his family escape across the Pyrenees Mountains to safety in neutral Spain. On his trail are a group of Germans, led by a sadistic SS officer.

Cast

Anthony Quinn as The Basque
James Mason as Professor John Bergson
Malcolm McDowell as Capt. Von Berkow
Patricia Neal as Mrs. Ariel Bergson
Kay Lenz as Leah Bergson
Christopher Lee as The Gypsy
Michael Lonsdale as Alain Renoudot
Marcel Bozzuffi as Perea
Paul Clemens as Paul Bergson
Peter Arne as Guide
Neville Jason as Lt. Reinke
Robert Brown as Major
Jim Broadbent as German Soldier (uncredited)

Production

The film was based on the novel Perilous Passage, which was published in 1977. The Los Angeles Times said that it "isn't really that good".^[2] The New York Times said it was "very well done" with a "general air of excitement, suspense and even horror".^[3]

One of the producers was Maurice Binder, who was best known for doing the title sequences for James Bond movies.^[4]

The film was shot on location in the Pyrenees.^[5] Malcolm McDowell had to perform a nude scene with Kay Lenz on his first day of shooting. In order to lighten the atmosphere he wore underpants with a swastika on it; J. Lee Thompson liked the idea so much he made it part of McDowell's character. McDowell says that Kay Lenz "wasn't happy" to do her nude scene.^[6]

McDowell later called the movie "utter rubbish. I took it only because I needed money to pay my taxes. Making it depressed me terribly."^[7]

Reviews

As he made this movie in Europe and England, James Mason predicted to co-star Kay Lenz that people do not like movies in snow and this film would bomb miserably after they were finished making it. He was right: the film opened to bad box office worldwide and, in critics' eyes, was a disaster in contrast to J. Lee Thompson's 1961 masterpiece The Guns of Navarone.

The Los Angeles Times said "we've seen it all so many times before."^[8]

The Globe and Mail said: "The director of The Passage is J. Lee Thompson, possibly the worst experienced director in the world today. The cinematographer is Mike Reed, whose work is appalling: the dominant color is khaki and every scene is either under- or overexposed. The writer is Bruce Nicolaysen, who based the movie on his novel Perilous Passage. They should all be deeply ashamed and should do penance by crossing the Pyrenees on their knees. Too cruel? Fine. They can sit through every movie Anthony Quinn ever made. Twice."^[9]

Filmink magazine compared the depiction of rape in this movie unfavourably with the way it was dealt with in J. Lee Thompson's Cape Fear which they said "is a terrifying examination of that crime" while in The Passage "the rape of a woman (Kay Lenz) at the hands of an SS Officer (Malcolm McDowell) is treated in an exploitative, camp way (McDowell wears underpants with a swastika on them, Lenz is shown topless in a shower)… it seems like a movie directed by an entirely different person."^[10]

References

^ "PASSAGE, The", Monthly Film Bulletin; London, Vol. 46, Iss. 540, (1 January 1979): 50.
^ Erickson, Steve, "THE BOOK REPORT: Life Passage Lacks Vision", Los Angeles Times, 10 June 1977: h16.
^ NEWGATE CALLENDAR, "Criminals At Large", The New York Times, 16 January 1977: 246.
^ "Maurice Binder, 73, 007 Film-Title Artist: [Obituary (Obit)"], The New York Times, Late Edition 15 April 1991: B.10.
^ "Dramatic Pyrenees scenery in war film", Jim; Higgins, Shirley. Chicago Tribune, 3 June 1979: n13.
^ Mann, Roderick. "THE HORSEY SET IN 'CALIGULA'", Los Angeles Times, 3 December 1978: p. 48.
^ Mann, Roderick. "MALCOLM McDOWELL: NERVOUS AS A CAT?", Los Angeles Times, 16 April 1981: i1.
^ Thomas, Kevin. "MOVIE REVIEW: Scientist Flees Nazis in 'Passage'", Los Angeles Times, 23 March 1979: g28.
^ Scott, Jay. "MOVIES Passage takes viewers to perverted Waltonland", The Globe and Mail, 29 March 1979: p. 15.
^ Vagg, Stephen (30 August 2020). "Joan Henry: The Jailbird Muse". Filmink.

External links

The Passage at IMDb
The Passage at Letterbox DVD
Review of film at DVD Talk

[1] "PASSAGE, The", Monthly Film Bulletin; London, Vol. 46, Iss. 540, (1 January 1979): 50.

[2] Erickson, Steve, "THE BOOK REPORT: Life Passage Lacks Vision", Los Angeles Times, 10 June 1977: h16.

[3] NEWGATE CALLENDAR, "Criminals At Large", The New York Times, 16 January 1977: 246.

[4] "Maurice Binder, 73, 007 Film-Title Artist: [Obituary (Obit)"], The New York Times, Late Edition 15 April 1991: B.10.

[5] "Dramatic Pyrenees scenery in war film", Jim; Higgins, Shirley. Chicago Tribune, 3 June 1979: n13.

[6] Mann, Roderick. "THE HORSEY SET IN 'CALIGULA'", Los Angeles Times, 3 December 1978: p. 48.

[7] Mann, Roderick. "MALCOLM McDOWELL: NERVOUS AS A CAT?", Los Angeles Times, 16 April 1981: i1.

[8] Thomas, Kevin. "MOVIE REVIEW: Scientist Flees Nazis in 'Passage'", Los Angeles Times, 23 March 1979: g28.

[9] Scott, Jay. "MOVIES Passage takes viewers to perverted Waltonland", The Globe and Mail, 29 March 1979: p. 15.

[10] Vagg, Stephen (30 August 2020). "Joan Henry: The Jailbird Muse". Filmink.

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