Everything that could go wrong with the project did go wrong, and Antonioni's great dream would prove to be his worst nightmare. Released in March 1970 after nearly two arduous years in production - a period that included long, exhausting shoots on location in the California desert, pitched battles between Antonioni and MGM executives, and a protracted, frustrating search for the perfect musical score - Zabriskie Point was one of the most extraordinary financial disasters in modern cinematic history. The arithmatic alone was astonishing. Read more.
Zabriskie Point
un film de Michelangelo Antonioni
Zabriskie Point is a 1970 film by Michelangelo Antonioni that depicts the U.S. counterculture movement of that time. It sympathetically tells the story of a young couple – an idealistic student, and a militant radical – to put forward an anti-establishment message.
This cult film stars Mark Frechette and Daria Halprin, neither of whom had any previous acting experience. The screenplay was written by Antonioni, fellow Italian filmmaker Franco Rossetti, American playwright Sam Shepard, prolific screenwriter Tonino Guerra and Clare Peploe, wife of Bernardo Bertolucci. The film was the second of three English-language films that Antonioni had been contracted to direct for producer Carlo Ponti and to be distributed by MGM. The other two films were Blowup (1966) and The Passenger (1975).
| Zabriskie Point | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Michelangelo Antonioni |
| Produced by | Carlo Ponti |
| Screenplay by | Michelangelo Antonioni Fred Gardner Sam Shepard Tonino Guerra Clare Peploe |
| Story by | Michelangelo Antonioni |
| Starring | Mark Frechette Daria Halprin |
| Music by | Pink Floyd Jerry Garcia |
| Cinematography | Alfio Contini |
| Edited by | Franco Arcalli |
| Production company | MGM |
| Distributed by | Mark Frechette Daria Halprin |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7,000,000 |
| Box office | $1,000,000 |
Video: Zabriskie Point
An epic portrait of late Sixties America, as seen through the portrayal of two of its children: anthropology student Daria (who's helping a property developer build a village in the Los Angeles desert) and dropout Mark (who's wanted by the authorities for allegedly killing a policeman during a student riot).