Also: "The film was listed in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time and has been described as 'the worst film ever made by a director of genius' but it "is still absolutely watchable because of the magic of Antonioni's eye.'"
The whole movie is up on YouTube in several places you can easily find. Watch from 2:00 to 8:25 to see that revolutionary student meeting. It resonates with today very nicely.
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63 comments:
I remember when that movie came out, but I never saw it. I guess this is my big chance. Given how bad so many of the movies are that are offered up by Netflix and Prime...I should give this bad one a chance.
Give Bad Movies a chance.
F
#5671 Zabriskie Point (1970)
Bunch of damn Marxists sit in a room discussing, I don’t know, shooting the peasants. Or the bourgeois. They definitely want to shoot somebody. And the black revolutionaries want to shoot whitey. And the white hippies are like, “I dunno.” And our hero stands up and walks out. Cause he’s finished talking. It’s time for action! And he shoots some cops off-camera. And now our movie’s on the run. And we see a bunch of billboards. Because capitalism is everywhere.
So now I’m fast-forwarding, looking for sex. There’s got to be sex, right? Finally, I find sex. There’s a hippie sex orgy in the desert. And all the hippies are covered with sand. Sand, sand, sand. I felt so sorry for those damn hippies.
“Can I get a towel?”
“No. We are not finished with my cinema.”
“Some water, maybe?”
“No!”
“I wanna wash. I got sand in places where sand’s not supposed to go.”
“Back to the orgy!”
Now, sand does look cool on naked people. Cool to watch. Glad it wasn’t me in there. This movie and Lawrence of Arabia are two movies where I had to get a drink of water. I just had to. At least this sand movie has women in it. I might have rated it higher if I had known to mute the damn thing. Mute it, take an hour out, put music in, we have a winner.
If the movie is watchable, it's not one of the "worst movies of all time," it's just that the people judging the list don't understand movies.
To quote the great art linklater:
To realize that so far in the past—60, what is it? 67 years; a long time ago now—and yet it’s such a portrait of a moment in time. Everyone really crapped on the effort at the time. Who’s this old Italian guy coming here, telling us what’s going on? But he left us a little treasure, a little gift. This artist came and just took the temperature and felt his way through a movie in the southern California area. He really explored something of a time and a place and a malaise and a youth, and goddamn it’s beautiful. It’s beautiful and haunting and sad and wonderful and sexy and hallucinatory and, dammit, I was so appreciative.
Its not only beautiful - its quite dusty.
Looks awful. I watched Blow Up years ago and it was a gaudy bore. Antonioni is an overrated filmmaker and a phenomenon of the era, the tasteless, sex exploitative youth pandering of 1960's leftists.
Blow Up is great!
I’m reading Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned. His impressions of Ivy’s in 1913 is almost the same as the EA folks today. Nothing is new under the sun.
I liked Blow-up. It had that "Swinging London" vibe.
Do not discount the value of appealing visuals, even as late as 1970, when most people still had snowy black and white ate home. A while sub genre could be populated…
L'Avventura is probably my favorite of his.
Oh boy, 1970. I sat through that meeting. I wasn't aware of how very important the discussion was. I was bored. Even then, I knew: The Rev is not coming. But we were so earnest, and some of us had a propensity for violence. Yeah, we shut down my university. I left town and went to Colorado for the summer. Back then, the Token Black Revolutionary had moral authority, because - as we all knew - black people are getting killed every day. But what ya gonna do about it? Go kill some cops? Kill some white people? Even things up? There was a subculture that said yes, that's the way to go. But those kids in that room, those kids that I sat and listened to, they were never anything but useful idiots. Lots of those are still around today. They are an important part of every anti-American, anti-Western, anti-civilization movement. Luckily, they haven't been lined up against the wall, but if their fever dreams come true, they certainly will be.
The movie doesn't look too bad. Cute hippies, big afros, guns and a sand orgy.
One great thing about DVDs, and now streaming, is it allows you to watch all the old great European and Japanese classics from the 40s, 50s and even 60s. What great film-makers. People with soul and smarts. So unlike the commercial Hollywood trash made only for Money or for politics. Ozu and Renoir were a revelation.
That scent holds up and some of the inadvertent documentary of what So. Cal. looked like in 1970 was interesting, but the (non-Ketamine fueled) orgy scene with the actors in body suits was (if I'm remembering correctly) pretty ridiculous.
The actress changed her name to Sandy Britches after that.
Portions of the movie were filmed in my home town - Hawthorne, CA. The liquor store scene was filmed two blocks from my grandmother’s home, where my dad grew up. The store is across the street from Hawthorne airport and, at that time, Northrop Aviation and now Space X.
That narrator must have been a busy man in the 70's. Seems like every trailer or PSA had his voice and the underlying context -- two packs a day, we don't laugh around here, and boy do we take ourselves seriously. I think AA was convinced to watch by the inane last line of the trailer made hilariously worse by the redundant and informal "How you get there depends where you're at." Oooh. Deep. That's the hook for intelligent viewers, or the LOL moment, either works.
What an oddly painted Cessna 210.
The movie doesn't look too bad. Cute hippies, big afros, guns and a sand orgy.
Yeah, that trailer looks fun! Satan cut the 92 minutes of boredom out.
From the great Every 70s Movie blog:
"It’s entirely possible that Zabriskie Point is about something, although the interpretations that immediately come to mind seem naïve and silly. (Capitalism equals death, nothing beautiful lasts, sex is the only real honesty, and so on.)"
The reviewer still thinks it's "must see" to understand the films of the era.
Generally any movie or song with “psychedelic” in the title or subtitle is horrible as a work of art. The music and visuals would induce a bad trip if I experienced them on acid.
Never saw it but I could not even get through the trailer. "As isolated as the face of the moon" Really? You don't see folks walking around on the face of the moon so how isolated could it be?
Then rolling aound on hot slickrock, naked? What about sunburn? Abrasion from the rock? Burns from the hot rock. I felt pain just watching it. I don't care how good the sex might be.
And the music went through my head like a dentist drill.
No thank you. Not watching it.
John Henry
Picture sitting through the first 6 hours of Tommy. Maybe it wasn’t really that long. But it FEELS like hours on end.
the premise is (i think) that Zabriskie Point is "the most remote place"
(or something)
That made me think that someone back then SHOULD have made a movie called "Thorofare", about the Thorofare.
The Thorofare, which at 22 miles from an airstrip or road is as remote as a person can be in the U.S. outside of Alaska.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/10/07/explore-wyoming-the-thorofare-is-most-remote-spot-in-the-lower-48/
here's the tag for the movie (which i JUST stole from That link)
******* As the least-populated state, Wyoming is full of out-of-the-way places, and with fewer than 6 people per square mile its easy for someone to get away from it all. Then theres the Thorofare.*****
and, Of COURSE; the twist is: WHAT (and WHO) is AT the most remote place in the Continental US?
a Police Station, with Law Enforcement Officers.
{well a Ranger Station. with Wyoming Fish and Game LEOs}
there's a metaphore in there somewhere. Probably hiding from bears
and currently, the BIG PROBLEM at the Thorofare is "overcrowding"
so MANY people Want to travel to the most remote spot in the US, that they have to issue permits.
How you get there depends on where you’re at, man.
Perfect.
and, of course, the fact that this remote spot is (literally) called:
The Thorofare
Gloriously bad movie I'm watching because it's on The Criterion Channel.
-------------------
After watching the trailer all I can say is, "you're a better man than I am Gunga Din."
What the heck is Rod Taylor doing in this movie? The late 60’s and early 70’s produced some mighty weird films and castings. It is almost as if all of Hollywood was in a drug induced trance.
The music was too much for me. I couldn't make it through the trailer.
I remember seeing this at the time and thinking it was an awful movie, but now I'd like to see it again. It might resonate this time around. LOL
The worst movie ever was likely Cave Dwellers (aka The Blade Master) from 1984. It has the distinction of being the worst movie MST3K ever reviewed according to fans.
P.S. Yes, Blow Up was great!
Looks kind of groovy. Has music by both Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead.
Free love in the sand. Running away from the fascist police trying to harsh your buzz. Sounds both really authentic and authentically real. That sort of thing happened all the time in 1970.
"And we see a bunch of billboards. Because capitalism is everywhere."
The various shots with billboards combined with cityscape and landscape are the best thing about the movie. Second best are the officescapes with Rod Taylor. ("What the heck is Rod Taylor doing in this movie?" Being the embodiment of capitalism so we can hate it.)
The 2 main characters are no good at acting at all.
Their vehicles photographed against the desert are pretty cool. She's in a matte gray 1952 Buick and he's in a pink Lilly 7 Cessna T210G.
"How you get there depends on where you're at" brought to you by GPS.
Not sure how to interpret the title--was AA going to watch it anyway or was its presence on the Criterion Channel a deciding factor.
For me, the Criterion Channel has not been offering very many Newly Added movies over the last few months that I'm interested in watching.
And there may be only a few currently in the Popular Movies collection that I would consider, but Zabriskie Point is definitely not one of them.
Fortunately, there is plenty of other content there that I find worthwhile.
Pretty sure I watched this movie but anything about it, except its title, eludes me.
Over at one of the YouTube versions, the top comment is: "the gambling ads every 5 minutes really added to the experience."
Take it from me, having sex in the sand is NOT pleasant, especially for the woman. The last time I had "sex on the beach" (the act, not the drink), I brought along old comforter to lay on the sand.
Of course I saw it; I was seventeen.
In that protest meeting almost every person would have been smoking. Did Althouse ever?
When Zabriskie Point came out, my friends and I watched it together and agreed it was one of the worst movies we’d seen. At the time, I assumed Antonioni knew America mainly from the most sensational headlines and had turned them into a cartoon of student radicals, cops, consumerism and sex.
What surprises me now is not that while the reviews are still mixed to poor but the film’s reputation has risen as much as it has. Even more surprising is finding out that Antonioni really tried to get to know the country: he traveled all over the U.S., stayed here for about a year, talked with activists, and tried to immerse himself in what was happening.
It’s an interesting twist that perhaps adds to the movie’s charm for film historians. Even after taking a close look at America, he still ended up making Zabriskie Point.
According to IMDB Harrison Ford is in it as an "arrested student." (uncredited) It also has Rod Taylor in it, who was in the classic movie, The Time Machine. It's IMDB rating is 6.9 out of 10, which is a pretty good rating. The lead actress, Daria Halprin only did two films and married Dennis Hopper. The lead actor, Mark Freschette, only did four films. He became a bank robber and died in prison five years after Zabriske Point was made.
Signage may not have been as big a thing in Italy then -- or maybe Antonioni didn't notice it back home.
Antonioni made "Red Desert" which wasn't about a desert at all, so maybe he was contractually obligated to make a desert flick. Apparently it's not on many people's desert island movie list.
Yes, Daria Halprin was married to Dennis Hopper for a while. See the story about running into them in Carmel that I didn't tell last week for no details.
I saw the movie. Not the worst ever. Good photography. Nice to see the 70s.
I’ve seen Zabriskie Point. The place, not the movie. It’s not all that remote; a couple hours drive from Vegas. There’s a famous four-star hotel a few minutes away from the Point, and plenty of tourists, especially in winter. Death Valley has some really amazing scenery; it’s about as close as you can get to being on another planet.
It took some work but I found Harrison Ford.
Other than that - whatever.
Interesting tidbit about The Thorofare, and its airstrip. It made me think of a remote airstrip at the far north end of Death Valley called the Chicken Strip. It had been under the purview of the BLM up to its upgrade to National Park status in 1993. The BLM basically turned a blind eye to its use, mainly because it was a serious challenge for pilots, and really only used by those interested in camping at the Warm Springs oasis. But once the National Park Service took over they, clamped down on access, much the same way they did with the springs.
https://www.theraf.org/chicken-strip-reopens
https://www.desertusa.com/dusablog/saline-valleys-chicken-strip-airfield-authorized/
Local lore (and take that with a giant grain of salt) was that the strip had been utilized by Charles Manson and his gang, although Saline Valley is nowhere near the Barker Ranch area where they all supposedly ended up.
Death Valley is an amazing place, with all kinds of different terrain. I was last there in March at the end of the superbloom and the park was crowded with tourists. It was a balmy spring this year but none of us expected 100+ degrees then!
The Park has a maintained airstrip at Furnace Creek. You can fly in, play 18 holes of golf at the course and fly home. But you better have enough fuel as the NPS removed the refueling station, citing a lack of infrastructure. Now it’s a huge hassle to get fuel.
Light blue t-shirt, screen left during the booking scene.
The haircut is the giveaway.
"stayed here for about a year, talked with activists"
I see the problem. He stayed in the USA and spent a year with libtards. No wonder why he ended up making such a myopic, moronic, bitter piece of trash.
I can name 6000 movies that are better than Zabriskie Point. But I can also name 300 movies that are worse.
any random episode of Teletubbies
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Pauley Shore Is Dead
Believe me when I say, there are some movies that will never appear on the Criterion channel. And these bad movies are not fun bad. They are bad bad. Unwatchable bad bad.
Great Pink Floyd Explosions!!!
I remember walking out of it in the 70s.
Jerry Garcia and Pink Floyd are on the soundtrack. That's all I know of it...
I love how the cops at the station snark at the protestors when booking then.
"Occupation?"
"Association professor of History".
"Thats too long. I'll put down clerk"
And:
"We have some people back there who need medical care"
"I thought you were a clerk - not a doctor".
I always remember Rod Taylor from "Bearcats". They had a cool car. Poor Rod, one day he making pictures with Hitchcock and the next its being a capitalist villian.
I didn't really understand how the kid got to be such a good pilot. But I'm sure it was explained.
Was “Zabriskie Point“ worse than Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut”? Then it must have truly reeked. Of course “Eyes Wide Shut” is partly redeemed by the gorgeous Nicole Kidman doing soft core porn.
I couldn't make it through the student meeting, but got far enough to notice that Sam Shepard was listed as one of the screenwriters (one of four--maybe they were supposed to turn Antonioni's script into demotic English). This was long before his appearances in "The Right Stuff," "Black Hawk Down," etc., and even before his playwriting career took off.
Rod Taylor was a big thing with Yvette Mimieux in "The Time Machine." Then he disappeared. I thought he died young, but he hung on until 2015. Other H.G. Wells (and Jules Verne) adaptations (The First Men in the Moon, Journey to the Center of the Earth) were enjoyable in the 60s.
"The Battle Beyond the Stars," a gloriously horrible "Star Wars" rip-off from 1980 was on TV last night (not the Criterion Channel to be sure). Richard Thomas played the Luke Skywalkerish ingenu and George Peppard and Robert Vaughn shared the grizzled space war veteran roles. Terrible screenplay by lefty later indy darling John Sayles. Primitive special effects by young James Cameron.
Back before the internet, you had to go to movies like this to see tits. Everything came at a price it seems.
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