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Kinjitsu wrote:Who the hell is Irvine and why is she associated with this film?

Maybe she's a friend of Peploe who interviews him for the commentary, kind of like Soderbergh and Nichols on CATCH-22.

Hey, just be happy it's finally coming out!

Man, I'm extremely happy its coming out. Its just that, at time of its initial announcement, this thing was on my short list for DVD of the decade!

What's happening with this release. Some say no commentary by Nicholson and Wenders, then DVDACTIVE says:

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced a new release of The Passenger which stars Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider. Originally released in 1975, the film is a suspenseful and haunting portrait of a drained journalist whose deliverance is an identity exchange with a dead man. The disc will be available to own from the 25th April, priced at around $24.96. Extras on this one will include an audio commentary with Jack Nicholson, a second commentary with Wim Wenders (director of Paris, Texas & Wings of Desire), An Evening at the Academy Featurette, and an interview with writer Mark Peploe and actress Maria Schneide.

I believe that was the original press release from a couple months ago. I'm still hoping though...

I'd be shocked if Jack didn't do a commentary. Everytime he talks about it (including a gushing bit in Entertainment Weekly) he obviously considers it the best damn thing he's ever done, or at least his favourite film to work on. (Number 2 almost seems to be Batman.) I'd love to hear him talk about it for the length of the film and something tells me he's love to as well.

Really? I was never aware of this. In fact, for some reason I always imagined that his feelings for the film were just the opposite. Why, in the past, has he worked so hard to hinder this film from being shown, and ultimately released?

rwaits wrote:Really? I was never aware of this. In fact, for some reason I always imagined that his feelings for the film were just the opposite. Why, in the past, has he worked so hard to hinder this film from being shown, and ultimately released?

The last bit's a mystery to me too, but Nicholson's contributions to Criterion's L'Avventura disc support cdnchris's claim.

I have only rented that disc. What exactly were his contributions?

rwaits wrote:I have only rented that disc. What exactly were his contributions?

Writings by Antonioni, read by Jack Nicholson--plus Nicholson's personal recollections of the director

rwaits wrote: Why, in the past, has he worked so hard to hinder this film from being shown, and ultimately released?

zedz wrote:The last bit's a mystery to me too...

Isn't the most widely accepted reason behind Jack's behavior regarding the film due to the fact that the film was very personal to him, so he bought the US rights. Perhaps he felt the film might be exploited or butchered if it was acquired by another party that didn't appreciate Antonioni's work.

rwaits wrote:Really? I was never aware of this. In fact, for some reason I always imagined that his feelings for the film were just the opposite. Why, in the past, has he worked so hard to hinder this film from being shown, and ultimately released?

I've read a couple interviews with him where he just gushes about the film and the director, the most recent being one in Entertainment Weekly during the theatrical re-release of the film. He speaks nothing but high praises of Antonioni and The Passenger (and how shitty movies are today--yet never mentions Anger Management), but he doesn't mention why he withheld it (or at least I don't remember him mentioning why.) And I think it was that one where he went on about the final shot of the film. He also speaks fondly of working with him during one supplement on the L'Avventura DVD.

I'm figuring if he did talk about The Passenger during a commentary it would be an awesome commentary, and incredibly informative. He was pumped during the supplements of the Batman DVD, I'd think he'd be only more enthusiastic about The Passenger and probably wouldn't shut up about it (at least I'd hope so). If he doesn't do one I'll be incredibly disappointed.

cdnchris wrote:I'm figuring if he did talk about The Passenger during a commentary it would be an awesome commentary, and incredibly informative. He was pumped during the supplements of the Batman DVD, I'd think he'd be only more enthusiastic about The Passenger and probably wouldn't shut up about it (at least I'd hope so). If he doesn't do one I'll be incredibly disappointed.

For what it's worth, he contributed some excellent scene-specific commentary bits on the Blood and Wine DVD, which seems like a film he was also personally passionate about.

Fletch F. Fletch wrote:

cdnchris wrote:I'm figuring if he did talk about The Passenger during a commentary it would be an awesome commentary, and incredibly informative. He was pumped during the supplements of the Batman DVD, I'd think he'd be only more enthusiastic about The Passenger and probably wouldn't shut up about it (at least I'd hope so). If he doesn't do one I'll be incredibly disappointed.

For what it's worth, he contributed some excellent scene-specific commentary bits on the Blood and Wine DVD, which seems like a film he was also personally passionate about.

That would make sense. He and Raphaelson are very close.

It STILL isn't up for a 4/25 release on the Sony website.

What a botch to not get the Nicholson commentary and the Schneider interview. EW did a short interview with Maria and (of course) she indicated that this was her fave performance/film. And it's sad that Nicholson doesn't care enough about film history to sit down for a couple hours and jabber while he's watching the film.

DVDTOWN confirms the Nicholson and Wenders commentary. I really don't know what to believe anymore.

gigimonagas wrote:DVDTOWN confirms the Nicholson and Wenders commentary. I really don't know what to believe anymore.

I think you gotta trust the press release at this point. No PR person in his/her right mind would neglect to mention a Jack Nicholson commentary if one were present. Its inclusion could certainly raise the curiosity among many of the Jack fanboys who've never even heard of Antonioni.

Aurora Irvine=Jack Nicholson

Barmy wrote:Aurora Irvine=Jack Nicholson

I guess that's a joke, but it would sure explain why Googling "Aurora Irvine" (professione: giornalista???) comes up empty.

AICN's Moriarty has a review of the new DVD in his blog, and it confirms both the Peploe/Irvine commentary and the Nicholson commentary.

Ah, well spotted, solaris! Great news. I still can't believe that this one is being released on DVD!

Time to throw away that Imagica disc with all that wow and flutter on reel 1...

That IS great news! What happened to Wenders, though???

It's really strange, but if someone were to ask me to describe my favorite moment in all of modern cinema, the scene that moved me the most was the one in which Nicholson tells the girl to turn her back on the front seat. It's been years since I've had a chance to see it. I selfishly thought no-one else noticed it when they watched The Passenger, and that it was a private connection between myself and Antonioni (if there could ever be such a thing). Obviously, since the reviewer mentions the scene, I was mistaken, but I don't feel sad about it. That is the scene that lit the fuse of my movie-love, and now that The Passenger is getting a proper home video release, perhaps the same will be true for others.

That's certainly my fave scene in The Passenger. It is not overemphasized, which is one reason why I like it so much.