Saw the film this past weekend in New York. The final shot is extraordinary, but so integrated into the film's action that, watching it, one is amazed by the story its telling and not the technical feat it represents. As described in the other message, Jack lays down on the bed in much the same position as the dead man at the beginning of the film; Jacks legs protrude from the bottom left of the frame as the camera slowly creeps toward the window with bars. Outside, a series of actions take place: characters that have run throughout the film cross the frame. The slow move toward the window announces a culmination of the film's action. Since certain elements of the story have been fragmented and are, therefore, inexplicable, we expect an ordered conclusion; soon all will be explained. But Antonioni defies expectation. Yes, the film's action is coming to an end, and, yes, the pieces of this puzzle are all falling into place, but what other film makers would focus to clarify, Antonioni stages to happen off camera. We hear what's going on but don't see it. The camera, in one fluid shot, creeps forward, through the bars, out and away from the window, and away from those actions that normally satisfy the demands of a melodramatic story. The camera's move takes us outside of the film's very focused point-of-view which has followed the Nicholson character from the beginning. All of a sudden we're literally on the outside of his story looking in at it. This shift, simply, gracefully executed, is maddening and amazing, all at once. The wife's final line at first seems strange, out of place. But tempted as we are to dismiss the whole goddamn thing, the way Antonioni stages this finale makes us think back on what's just transpired off camera and, indeed, what's transpired throughout the entire film. As the movie fades out, we keep asking: how did we arrive at this place, what is the truth? Early in the film Antonioni connects different, separate actions by panning from one across space to another. Literally, the act of panning the camera draws these actions together and makes a story out of their connections. Of course, early on we have only a vague idea of just what the story is and where its leading. Certain things are made clear: gun running is a major issue, and Nicholson's character falling into another man's plan and purpose is the set-up. All this comes out in a rather straight forward fashion. It tempts us to believe and expect all will be made clear. Amazingly enough, it is and it isn't. The film's main theme, I think, has to do with perception and point of view. Therefore, what we see, we know; what happens outside of understanding remains a mystery. As viewers, we sit passively taking in only those parts of the story we can see; we are, indeed, the film's passengers.
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