The Sheltering Sky (film)
| The Sheltering Sky | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster by Renato Casaro
|
|
| Directed by | Bernardo Bertolucci |
| Produced by | Jeremy Thomas |
| Screenplay by | Mark Peploe Bernardo Bertolucci |
| Based on |
The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Ryuichi Sakamoto |
| Cinematography | Vittorio Storaro |
| Edited by | Gabriella Cristiani |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by |
Warner Bros. (Time Warner) |
|
Release date
|
14 December 1990 |
|
Running time
|
138 minutes |
| Country | Italy United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| Box office | $2,075,084 |
The Sheltering Sky is a 1990 British-Italian drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich. The film is based on the 1949 novel by Paul Bowles (who narrates the film and appears in a cameo role) about a couple who journey to northern Africa in the hopes of rekindling their marriage but soon fall prey to the dangers that surround them.
Three Americans from New York arrive in Tangier in 1947. Port Moresby (John Malkovich) and his wife Kit (Debra Winger) are accompanied by their friend George Tunner (Campbell Scott) on a trip that will take them deep into the Sahara Desert. Tunner observes "We're probably the first tourists they've had since the war," to which Kit replies "We're not tourists. We're travelers." While Tunner plans to return home in a few weeks, Port and Kit plan on staying for a year or two.
While awaiting transport to a hotel, the group meets a pair of English travelers, the Lyles – Mrs. Lyle (Jill Bennett), a travel writer, and her adult son Eric (Timothy Spall). Eric's mother keeps him constantly short of money so he is always asking for credit and loans. After arriving at the hotel, they sit in the hotel bar and are observed by an older man sitting alone at a table. This character is played by the story's author, Paul Bowles. The man narrates to himself an extract from the novel on which the film is based,
“Because neither Kit nor Port had ever lived a life of any kind of regularity, they had both made the fatal error of coming hazily to regard time as non-existent. One year was like another year. Eventually everything would happen.”
Port invites Kit to accompany him for a walk in the city. After she refuses and rebuffs his romantic advances, Port angrily leaves. During his walk he meets a pimp who introduces him to a prostitute (Amina Annabi) in a berber encampment. The two have sex and the prostitute attempts to steal his wallet. Port quickly leaves and is chased by a mob from the camp.
...
Wikipedia