Road to Salina
| Road to Salina | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | George Lautner |
| Produced by |
Robert Dorfmann Yvon Guezel |
| Screenplay by |
George Lautner Pascal Jardin Jack Miller |
| Based on | the novel Sur la route de Salina by Maurice Cury Denoel Editions |
| Starring |
Mimsy Farmer Robert Walker |
| Music by |
Clinic Bernard Gerard Christophe Ian Anderson |
| Cinematography | Maurice Fellous |
| Edited by | Michelle David |
|
Production
company |
A Robert Dorfmann–
Yvon Guezel Production |
| Distributed by |
Joseph E. Levine Avco Embassy |
|
Release date
|
November 17, 1970 |
|
Running time
|
96 min |
| Country | France Italy United States |
| Language | English |
Road to Salina (French: La Route de Salina) (Italian: Quando il sole scotta) is a 1970 French-Italian psychological thriller film directed by George Lautner. It stars Robert Walker, Mimsy Farmer and Rita Hayworth. The film is based upon Maurice Cury’s novel Sur la Route de Salina. A French-Italian coproduction, it was shot in English in the Canary Islands.
Jonas, a young drifter, is wandering in a deserted area on the road to Salina. He stops to drink some water at a desolate roadside service station when Mara, the owner, identifies him as her son Rocky, who disappeared four years ago. Jonas is overwhelmed by the awkward situation, but tired and hungry, accepts Mara’s offer of room and board. Feeling sorry for Mara, he pretends to be her beloved son and soon comfortably assume Rocky’s identity. Initially, he believes that Mara is simply delusional, but when Mara’s old friend and neighbor Warren arrives for a visit, surprisingly, he also acts as if Jonas were Rocky.
When Billie, his alleged sister, comes home, Jonas thinks that the game is over and that he'll finally be unmasked as an impostor. But even the attractive and carefree Billie appears to recognize him as her brother and soon takes him under her wing. They spend the days together, and after skinny dipping in the ocean, an erotic relationship develops between them. Everything seems to be fine and Jonas begins to relax in his new role as Rocky. Mara, Billie and Warren enjoy a dinner party together celebrating Rocky’s return.
Realizing that Billie is having a passionate affair with her alleged brother, Mara and Warren fear that the harmony that had so recently returned would soon be broken. Uneasy, Jonas becomes increasingly interested in finding out the reasons for the disappearance of the true Rocky. He gets the first clues in his search from Warren who, never outwardly expressing any doubt that he is Rocky, mentions during the conversation the name of Rocky’s girlfriend, Linda, who runs a local restaurant. In search of answers, Jonas goes to Salina and finds Linda at the restaurant. He drops a glass at the bar to draw attention to himself, and finds that Linda is the first person who fails to recognize him as Rocky. Back at the house, Jonas steals some old photographs from Billie’s bedroom that confirm his suspicions that he does not even resemble the real Rocky. When he confronts Billie with the truth, she tells him that she lied to protect Mara and that she loves Rocky and wanted him back.
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Wikipedia