The Sheltering Sky
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DVD details
Actor: Campbell Scott, Debra Winger, Jill Bennett, John Malkovich, Timothy SpallBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Unknown; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Unknown; French (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 138 minutes
Published: 2002-09-01
DVD Release Date: 2002-09-03
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: 12062
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Sheltering Sky
DVD Review: My only plan is, I have no plan
Summary: 3 Stars
The Sheltering Sky is based on the book of the same name by expatriate writer, composer, and traveler, Paul Bowles. Bowles himself has led quite an interesting life, besides appearing in a cameo and as the narrator of The Sheltering Sky, he has settled in Tangiers, Morocco, where he has lived for 52 years with his Jane, where their neighbor was William S. Burroughs. Another writer he met along the way was Christopher Isherwood who utilized his last name for the character of Sally Bowles in the story that provided the basis for the musical, Cabaret.
Port Moresby (John Malkovich) would seem to be modeled on Bowles himself; however, there are some important differences. In an autobiography, the one thing that you can be reasonably sure of is the protagonist will not die, but to think that The Sheltering Sky is an autobiography is a fatal assumption. Though based on autobiographical elements, midway through the narrative the main character slips away, and thereafter the focus shifts to his wife, Kit Moresby (Debra Winger). Since she has been having a clandestine affair with a traveling companion, George Tunner (Campbell Scott) you might think that the story would culminate in the lovers reuniting, but again that would be a false assumption. Kit's journey is a long and strange one, and any meaning that can be inferred by it is somewhat esoteric.
Director Benardo Bertolucci is best known for The Last Tango in Paris, and also for The Last Emperor. Stealing Beauty was another interesting effort. The Sheltering Sky falls somewhere in between the Zenith and Nadir. There are great location shots filmed in the North African Sahara desert, but there are also lots of scenes where it just looks so ugly. At one point, they are almost covered in flies, and often times Port Moresby stares off into the desert seeing a beauty only visible to him. Is he being ironic when he announces that the hotel is magnificent? Indeed, Port Moresby is quite an enigma and who better to portray him than John Malkovich? He is a curious mixture of shrewdness and naiveté. For instance, he steals his wallet back from a prostitute but can't resist flaunting it as he leaves, causing her to sound the alarm. Or when the parasitic tourist Eric Lyle (Timothy Spall) tries to borrow money he dispenses tough love, but then leaves his valuables unattended. Port Moresby is, by the way, the capital city of Papua New Guinea.
My favorite Malkovich moment was when Kit comments on the French colonials.
-----
Kit Moresby: Someday they're gonna kick the French out of this country.
Port Moresby: Well, with trousers like that, who can blame them?
He also exhibits his shrewd/naive dichotomy when he conspires to split Tunner off from their traveling party:
-----
Kit Moresby: Is that the plan?
Port Moresby: More or less, yes.
Kit Moresby: More or less?
Port Moresby: Uh... Less, actually.
Like John Malkovich, Debra Winger has also had quite an interesting life and career. Her voice was used for E.T. and she played Wonder Girl on the Wonder Woman television program. She later spoofed this on Letterman where she appeared wearing a flowing robe. Dave played a clip of Winger as Wonder Girl and she pretended to be annoyed. She stood up to leave, dropped the robe, and revealed her Wonder Girl costume as she ran off through the audience. Her break out role was as Sissy in Urban Cowboy, riding the mechanical bull to fame, but she also scored big with Terms of Endearment and An Officer and a Gentleman. She did an excellent job in The Sheltering Sky, in a very demanding role. The experience must have really moved her, as she remained there in the desert for more than a year after filming was finished. Lately, she is getting raves again for Rachel Getting Married.
Campbell Scott's job in The Sheltering Sky was to be handsome but somewhat shallow.
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Kit Moresby: Oh, Tunner, stop trying to be interesting. On you it looks terrible. And you're too good-looking.
Some other notable roles of Campbell Scott were in Longtime Companion, which was the first film to tackle the AIDs epidemic, and in Cameron Crowe's Singles, which tried but failed to define Generation X. In retrospect that would have to be Reality Bites, sorry Campbell and Cameron.
Timothy Spall had a small but memorable role as reluctant tourist Eric Lyle. An accomplished character actor, there is no one else who can so effectively portray multiple character flaws as Spall. Catch his act as the road manager in Rock Star, or as The Mikado in Topsy-Turvy by Mike Leigh.
Though the cast and location are compelling, it failed to add up to much. Paul Bowles wasn't really impressed with the film. I enjoyed The Sheltering Sky, but have to judge it harshly with a mere three stars. And yet, I would recommend it as a journey worth taking. And the book would definitely be worth reading.
The Sheltering Sky (P.S.)
Last Tango in Paris
The Last Emperor - Criterion Collection
Stealing Beauty
Rock Star
Topsy-Turvy
Being John Malkovich
Searching for Debra Winger
Urban Cowboy
Singles
-----
Tunner: You've been to North Africa before, Port. Kit and I will just follow your plan.
Port Moresby: My only plan is, I have no plan.
Description of The Sheltering Sky
DEBRA WINGER AND JOHN MALKOVICH PLAY TRAVELERS DRAWN BY DESIREAND DESTINY TO THE SAHARA IN AN ATTEMPT TO RECAPTURE THE LOVE THEY ONCE SHARED.Bestsellers in DVD
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