The Passage (1979) User Reviews (40)

"That movie contains some of the best work I've ever done...

[Galina_movie_fan · 7/10 · 8 January 2010]

...I managed to pack into a dozen scenes with the whole period of Nazi tyranny in a convincingly evil way." - Malcolm McDowell about his work in The Passage.

When I saw The Passage back in 1981, in Moscow, I had no idea that it had been a big flop in the USA where it only lasted a week upon theatrical release, that it was considered a bad movie a failure. It would be much later that I recognized very famous and talented actors who were in the film, James Matson, Anthony Quinn, Christopher Lee, and Patricia Neal. The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson, the Oscar nominated director of highly successful The Guns of Navarone (1961). By the time I was watching The Passage at the theater, I had not seen Stanley Kubrick's A Clock Work Orange or notorious Caligula, and I did not know what Malcolm McDowell was capable of as a screen villain. I did know McDowell from the Lindsay Anderson's O Lucky Man that also had been released theatrically in Moscow several years prior The Passage. O lucky Man had left a deep impression on me and huge part of it was McDowell's performance as Mick Travis, the young naive man with the most charming smile who wanted to succeed in this world. Watching McDowell in The Passage playing the psychotic obsessed Nazi chasing the family of the anti-fascist scientist across the Pyrenees I was horrified and genuinely scared. Every time he would enter the screen, I felt physically sick anticipating some horror act to follow and McDowell never disappointed. I won't argue that the movie may not be a great or even a good one but I do remember McDowell's performance all too well, and I could not forget him in the movie for 28 years. Now, after I've seen so many movies and memorable performances, I realize that McDowell was over the top and judging by his own words, he knew it very well and did it on purpose:

"I played this real nasty Nazi who was chasing these people across the Pyrenees. We all knew real early on that the movie was not going to be any great work of art and so I was determined to have some fun with it. My attitude was that if I was going to play a Nazi, I was going to take it totally over the top and do it right. I ended up playing the character like a pantomime queen. What I was doing was so far out that James Mason turned to me one day and said, 'That's wonderful dear boy, but are you in our film? You seem to be doing something different from the rest of us'..."

If after so many years, one performance in a supposedly bad movie stands out and you can't get it out of your mind, and you remember the exact day when you saw that movie, who you saw it with and how you felt, for me it means that the movie was not bad at all.

Haven't seen it in 20 years, but I remember it like it was yesterday

[peterb-5 · 7/10 · 8 June 2000]

This is one of those films that haunts you years after seeing it. I remember when I first saw it I was horrified. I watched it again and the violence, although horrific, was easier to get past. McDowell is creepy (as always). Quinn is great (as always). Lenz, well what can I say, acting not great, but nice to look at. The violence is extreme in a few scenes, so be warned. All in all, a pretty good movie. I give it a 7.

Average wartime motion picture with large cast and spectacular landscapes

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 4 October 2004]

The film talks upon a Basque shepherd (Anthony Quinn) whose assignment results to be the leading a family (James Mason , Patricia Neal , Kay Lenz and Clemens) through the Pyrenees mountains (France) until Spain . But they are relentlessly pursued by an evil Nazi officer (Malcolm McDowell) .

The movie is set in Second War World when Hitler invaded France and ruled the collaborating government from Vichy under command of general Petain .

In the flick there are shocks , action , thriller , shootouts , drama and deal of violence and tortures in charge of Malcolm McDowell .

Acceptable acting with all-star-cast . Anthony Quinn and James Mason are good and give nice performances ; also Christopher Lee acting as an agreeable gypsy , changing his usual villain role .

Malcolm McDowell's interpretation is overblown , he plays as an evil , sadist , wry and murderer Gestapo officer .

The final confrontation between the starring family , the Basque and the Nazis across the snowy landscapes is breathtaking .

The flick was regularly directed by J. Lee Thompson .

The yarn will appeal to suspense , emotions enthusiasts and WWII buffs .

Rating : 5.5/10 , mediocre .

Unforgettable - in both a good way and a bad way

[Josef_Schweik · 7/10 · 11 April 2008]

This movie ran in Europe for quite a while in the 1980s. I saw it several times there and, quite unexpectedly, on HBO or Cinemax late at night a few years ago.

The movie was about war and wars are nasty things. I do not think the violence was overblown in the movie - not after visiting a few Holocaust museums in Europe. McDowell's portrayal of a fanatical psychopath (not that know any) seemed very fitting.

In terms of the amount of blood and gore on screen, it seems tame compared to movies made later. Schindler's List is much more terrifying. Starship Troopers has much more severed limb type stuff than The Passage. But what makes this so chilling and repulsive is its realism; that things like these truly happened and happened not that long ago...

Violent All-Star cast WW2 film with incredible McDowell performance!!

[Serpent-5 · 23 September 1999]

United Artist must have lost a bundle back then, when this film only lasted a week in all screens in Seattle when they released this film. The film is "R" rated, violent and brutal! McDowell plays a psychotic WW2 Nazi Captain who is in pursuit of a doctor (Mason) and his family (Neal, Lenz, Clement) who is on the run from the Nazi's, and is helped by a Basque guide (Quinn) and two agents (Lonsadale/Bouzuffi) to take them across the mountain to safetly. McDowell turns into a Nazi Caligula as he do sick things and plays it almost in a camp like fashion like wear a chef hat and chops off Lonsndale fingers while cooking and saying "chop chop, chop chop!", Burn a gypsy (Christopher Lee) alive saying "I'm send him exactly where he told me to go....HELL", and rapes Kay Lenz as he wears a Nazi symbol on his underwear! McDowall also places a black comb under his nose to look like Hitler in one scene! This film is beyond what McDowall did in CLOCKWORK ORANGE! This is a performance that Mike Myers should look into remaking! The ending is incredible, but I can't give it away, but the bad guy's death doesn't involve a gun. Not recommended if you hate this sort of entertainment, despite the fact this is one of those all star cast international co productions, but the TV print cut out of most of the nasty stuff, so check out the TV print instead if you are a fan of the 70's interantional all star cast epics! Others beware! Great score by Michael J Lewis though!

Strange movie, but not THAT bad.

[tarrantl · 6/10 · 14 February 2007]

Okay, So this is an awful movie in the grand scheme of things - but its highly entertaining none the less, and also is quite compelling. McDowell over acts - but is watchable, Lenz is also watchable, and most of the other acting is fine too. The script lends itself to to a poor mans WW2 movie from the 60's, say a B movie - but otherwise there's good stuff along the way! This film is different, therefore worthy of a watch. A notable film score by Michael J lewis boosts it along and makes it feel 'bigger' than what it actually is. Not so bad. Watch it for entertainment value only, and you may not be too disappointed after all.

Sadistic but interesting war movie

[pete36 · 6/10 · 3 November 2019]

During WW II a guide has to try to pass a nuclear scientist and his family over the Pyrenees into Spain but are mercilessly purseud by an SS-officer.

This sounds rather as your mainstream war movie of the week and as it stars Anthony Quinn, James Mason, Christopher Lee and directed by the seasoned Jack Lee Thompson, so what could go wrong ? Well quite a lot as it turns out. First there is the SS-officer, so over the top played by Malcom McDowell you are almost thinking its Alex from "A Clockwork Orange" in a Nazi-uniform. McDowell tortures, kills, rapes, sets people on fire, lets his own wounded men die in the snow; there is no end to his sadism. But it is quite an interesting, if not very frightening character and McDowell obviously very much enjoyed playing him. There is no doubt Quentin Tarantino has seen this film as there is even some Hans Lamda lurking there.

But what I found equally rather strange is that TP has the look and feel of some sixties war adventure movie, even the music reminded me of this (and is totally out of place with the rather horrific mood of the film). It has many an audience put off, as it only played one week in the US and did not do much better in Europe.

There existed a VHS version but no DVD for a very long time. Apparently now there is a Blu-Ray version available.

The end is also very confusing. I do remember (but it's a long time ago) from the VHS one a different ending, rather straightforward and not with the very bizarre twists in the version I caught on YouTube (HD-format). The trivia section mentions that even 3 different endings were filmed so there you go.

A very strange war movie for its time but somehow well worth a watch, if the large amount of brutalities doesn't scare you off.

The Passage

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 5 June 2023]

Malcom McDowall manages to portray the epitome of Nazi SS nastiness in this story with a worryingly natural aplomb! He is leading a party pursuing James Mason ("Prof. Bergson") who, alongside his family, is being smuggled from France into Spain by the wily shepherd Anthony Quinn. Their journey is fraught with danger as they must cross the inhospitable terrain of the Pyrenee mountains with snow up to their thighs - whilst McDowall ("Capt. Von Berkow") uses just about every brutal technique in the book to strike fear into everyone who has seen/helped them as he tries to apprehend the professor. The production standards are a bit on the low side (not that the cold and variable light quality could have been of much help); the dialogue is badly captured with a poor audio mix and although there are certainly some horrific scenes - the end of Christopher Lee's brief contribution comes to mind - it's is all just a bit on the procedural side. Quinn portrays the cantankerous, brave, Basque very much it style of many of his previous roles - he sort of grunts his way though the thing with little by way of engagement with us, the audience, and the ending goes from thrilling to silly in a matter of a few frames!. The photography is splendid, and the story has a taut pace to it - it just isn't very good.

The Right Frame Of Mind

[bushtony · 5/10 · 24 February 2013]

The acclaimed director of THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (J. Lee Thompson) churned out this lurid late seventies pot-boiler at a time when his best days were probably behind him. Ostensibly, a WWII adventure yarn about a Basque shepherd (Anthony Quinn) guiding a scientist (James Mason) his wife (Patricia Neal) and kids (Kay Lenz and Paul Clemens) across the Pyrenees and out of the clutches of the Nazis. Sounds a reasonable set-up on the surface of it, right?

Throw into the mix Malcolm McDowell as Von Berkow, a Gestapo captain in hot pursuit and, yes, still sounds reasonable. I mean, bang in some tunes and the hills could be alive with the sound of them.

However...

At sixty-four Quinn's action man days were pretty much over. Yet out of the cast, he manages to be the most convincing character and at least seems the most physically capable. Mason looks frail and doddery at seventy. Patricia Neal looks like she's already died but someone's forgotten to tell her. There is as much chance of any of these people climbing mountains through deep snow and freezing temperatures as there is of me French-kissing Jessica Biel on top of an iceberg in the middle of the Sahara desert. Neal, especially, has difficulty managing a flight of steps (she was seriously ill in real life). It's ludicrous.

Then to Malcolm McDowell. Not an actor renowned for subtlety, here he seems to have been completely let off the leash. His performance transcends all known boundaries of thespian restraint and spins off into a whole other far distant galaxy of pantomime excess. He is jaw-dropping. This is the most astonishing comedy caricature Gestapo-Nazi madman portrayal ever committed to film. By comparison, it makes his work in CALIGULA seem like John Gielgud whispering the poetry of Betjeman in Winchester Cathedral to an audience of the moral majority. If you have no other reason for watching this film, then I urge you to do so to marvel at McDowell and his interpretation of Nazi villainy. It'll mess with your head. Especially the sight of his underpants with the swastika motif. He later described it as "some of the best work I've ever done." Hopefully he was being satirical.

Throw in some violent action, throat-slittings, finger amputations, burnings, explosions (anything resembling a structure that gets shot at blows up), rape, sodomy, a completely histrionic Captain Oates scene, avalanches and consistently brain-freezing dialogue and there you have it.

It's not a good film, but it is a film that provides a good laugh if you're in the right frame of mind - and providing you can stand the mania and sadism.

And The Lord - also known as Anthony Quinn - will be thy shepherd!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 27 August 2023]

Apparently, "The Passage" was a tremendous box-office flop when it got released in 1979, but I don't care. This movie has been standing on my must-see list for quite a while now, due to the awesome cast and its exciting plot about the dared escape of a Professor from the Nazis via the French-Spanish Pyrenees.

Flop or no flop, "The Passage" does not disappoint! There's action aplenty, truly breathtaking scenery and authentic filming locations, and great roles for respectable veteran actors Anthony Quinn, James Mason, and Christopher Lee. The gorgeous Kay Lenz gives a strong performance and brightens up the screen with toplessness, Euro-cult actors Michael Longsdale and Marcel Bozzuffi are impressive as resistance fighters, and Malcolm McDowell ... well, his contribution to the film is so essential that I'll dedicate an entire paragraph to him later.

Basque sheep herder Quinn is approached by the resistance to help escort an American scientist, who wrote mean things about The Third Reich, to Spain via a route over an icy and rough Pyrenees' Mountain. To make the mission even more impossible, the scientist insists that his entire family takes the trip, including his weak and ailing wife, and the Nazis sent their most psychotic and megalomaniacal hunter after them; - Captain Von Berkow.

Should anyone still hesitate to seek out "The Passage", then do it, even if it was for Malcolm McDowell alone! His Nazi-bloodhound depiction is enormously over-the-top, but simultaneously he also manages to embody all the madness, cruelty, inhumanity, corruption, and depravity of the Nazi ideology in one single character. Von Berkow makes a hobby out of torturing people during interrogations, rapes and kills without showing the slightest sign of remorse, considers himself superior to everyone, and hides behind his swastika-symbol to feast all his perverted fantasies. There are numerous of fantastic (and excessively violent) sequences in "The Passage", including the shocking execution of gypsy-leader Christopher Lee and the bloody battle at the Spanish border post, but every scene with the mad-raving McDowell is a highlight on itself.

More camp than a row of tents, and more ham than a delicatessen counter

[JamesHitchcock · 3/10 · 7 May 2021]

This is a rare example of a World War II film from the late seventies. This was a period when the traditional war film was going into a decline, as was the traditional Western. There were several causes for this decline, but one was that so many war movies, and so many Westerns, had been made during the period 1945- 1975 that it was becoming increasingly difficult to say anything original in either genre.

"The Passage" does at least have a reasonably original storyline. A Basque shepherd is asked by the French resistance to help Professor Bergson, a scientist, and his family escape across the Pyrenees into neutral Spain. Bergson has certain scientific knowledge- exactly what is never specified- which would be helpful to the German war effort. (I had assumed that the Bergsons, who have the same surname as the great French philosopher Henri Bergson, would be French, but in fact they turn out to be American. How they came to be in Nazi-occupied France is never explained). Unfortunately, the Germans learn of the plan, and a party of soldiers, led by a sadistic SS officer, pursue them into the mountains.

The film was directed by the experienced J. Lee Thompson and starred a distinguished cast, including Anthony Quinn, James Mason, Malcolm McDowell, Patricia Neal and (in a cameo) Christopher Lee. It is not, however, nearly as good as that line-up might lead one to think. Even while it was still being shot, Mason predicted that it would be a failure, and he was to be proved sadly right. The film performed badly at the box-office and was savaged by most of the critics.

One of those critics called Thompson "possibly the worst experienced director in the world today". That is probably unfair, but it would be true to say that he was a director whose work varied widely in quality. He was responsible for films as good as "Ice-Cold in Alex", "Tiger Bay" and the 1962 version of "Cape Fear", but also for ones as bad as the seriously weird "Country Dance" and the ludicrous "King Solomon's Mines", and "The Passage" was another occasion on which his touch deserted him, although it must be said that he had a dull, lacklustre script to work from.

The acting contributions are a curious mixture of the overdone and the underdone. Anthony Quinn as the Basque shepherd (we never learn his name) is not too bad, but Mason never puts much into his role. His Bergson never seems too worried about the plight that he and his family find themselves in, greeting the prospects of an arduous mountain trek in winter and of being captured and tortured by the Nazis with the same stoical detachment. If Mason underacts, however, Malcolm McDowell as the SS Captain, von Berkow, overacts with a vengeance. Even by McDowell's eccentric standards- he played the leading role in Tinto Brass's "Caligula"- this is a bizarre performance. More camp than a row of tents, and more ham than a delicatessen counter. The most surreal moment in the film comes when he strips off to rape Bergson's daughter and reveals that he is wearing a pair of swastika underpants.

McDowell allegedly called the movie "utter rubbish" and said that he only took the part "because I needed money to pay my taxes". Well, it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. At least the British taxman derived some benefit from "The Passage". Whether anyone else did is another matter. 3/10

A goof, or at least a plothole. We learn at the end that the Basque shepherd lives on the Spanish, not the French, side of the mountains. Which means that the Resistance men must have crossed the mountains in order to contact him, and then crossed back again into France. So if the Resistance knew themselves how to cross the mountains, why did they need his assistance? Couldn't they have escorted the Bergsons themselves?

finger chopping scene

[mombasa_pete · 10/10 · 8 October 2006]

Yes many dislike it but this film in the performance of McDowell manages to capture everything that was terrifying about the Nazi regime, there is an authentic atmosphere of dread and oppression, more so than any other film about WW2 made, how it was in occupied territories.

The stand out scene is the one where he interrogates the Michel Lonsdale resistance man, and chops off his fingers while cooking dinner, we don't see it the camera pans away, but it still is terrifying! More so than any Texas chainsaw film! Yes they really did things like this the SS! Watch it now!

A Clockwork War

[TheFearmakers · 7/10 · 22 February 2024]

It's already been written and spoken about that the infamous World War II flick THE PASSAGE is two movies in one; and in the critic's collective opinion, neither are very good: The first being the usual traipsing behind enemy lines action/adventure: In this case the snowy mountainous region of Pyrénées France with headliner Anthony Quinn...

Returned with GUNS OF NAVARONE director J. Lee Thompson, this particular tough character's paid to move a family... led by patriarchal scientist James Mason (with the brains to do a lot of damage if he winds up in Germany's hands)... into neighboring Spain, and the trek's a much anticipated, possibly lethal chore, predicted by Quinn's gruff Basque Shepard that Mason's crippled wife (Patricia Neal) doesn't have a prayer...

And there are two kids, supposedly teenagers: The first is the youngest in ultimately intrepid but initially reluctant, mistrusting and whiny son Paul Clemens (sounding as if dubbed at times); and then this film's exploitation-starlet Kay Lenz, who seems cast just to be nakedly manhandled and (possibly) raped by villain's villain Malcolm McDowell, Nazi scoundrel in that second movie, channeling his bratty and demented A CLOCKWORK ORANGE character so heavily he could call the French Resistance member Michael Lonsdale his "Droogie" which, in the Stanley Kubrick classic (from the Anthony Burgess novel), means friend, compatriot...

Which is how McDowell's quirky psychopath Capt. Von Berkow enters into the interrogation... a charming/appreciative Columbo tactic making the captured character AND audience think everything may possibly turn out fine...

For which auteur and actor work nicely together and, like Quentin Tarantino's obviously-inspired INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Nazi-villain Hans Landa's Oscar-winning prelude-monologue, the suspense leading up to each interrogated victim's fate is what really matters...

But it's not only McDowell providing the ultra-violence as some of the deadliest moments are given to tough/experienced old Quinn... leading the family from shadow-filled alleyways to a Hitchockesque train-ride to the titular mountain journey... he kills any questioning German, and is quite good here, not just going through the motions...

Meanwhile, real life war hero Christopher Lee's given a quick yet important Gypsy King cameo along with FRENCH CONNECTION assassin Marcel Bozzuffi, playing nice this time... Then again, compared to crazy Malcolm, they're all pretty affable. But at the same time both sides mean business.

THE PASSAGE (J. Lee Thompson, 1979) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 6 May 2008]

I had watched this on PAL VHS during the late 1980s; it's an ill-advised (and misguided) attempt to update the big-budget, star-studded WWII adventure spectacle spearheaded by THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961) - by the same director and featuring one of its leads (Anthony Quinn), no less - for the more permissive 1970s (with new-fangled dollops of violence, sex and foul language). Being aware of its bad reputation (mostly due to Malcolm McDowell's outrageous contribution as the villain), I decided to give it another look when it turned up recently on Cable TV.

The film involves a shepherd-cum-experienced mountain-climber (a rather glum Quinn) who's asked by the French resistance (in the figures of Marcel Bozzuffi and Michel Lonsdale) to take a prominent nuclear scientist (James Mason) and his family (including wife Patricia Neal and daughter Kay Lenz) across the Pyrenees to safety in neutral Spain; along the way, they're helped by a group of traveling gypsies (led by Christopher Lee), while McDowell is the maniacal SS officer in pursuit.

The journey is fraught with problems - mainly caused by Neal's poor health (a really thankless role for the Oscar-winning actress), with which Quinn has little patience. Eventually, she decides to rid them of the burden and goes away to die in the snow (Quinn and Bozzuffi feel her emerging from the cabin where they're all sheltered, but do nothing to stop her!)after which Mason tries to attack Quinn for pushing her to this, but falls flat on his face in the snow after only a couple of paces (this bit somehow reminded me of a scene from one of the NAKED GUN films in which George Kennedy lashes at a couple of bullies for mistreating his partner and ends up getting beaten to a pulp himself!). Lee, then, expires in a fiery death at the hands of the sadistic McDowell - except that whatever tension there was here is destroyed by its being continually cross-cut with the flight of the central group!

However, the film's main source of entertainment is McDowell - especially via his campy attire as a chef while torturing the captured Lonsdale, his Swastika-imprinted underpants (during the scene in which he rapes Lenz), and even while mimicking the Fuehrer in front of a mirror (parting his hair a' la Hitler, putting the black comb above his lips as a makeshift moustache, and giving himself the Nazi salute). Surely it was no great stretch for him to go from this to Tinto Brass' CALIGULA (1979)! Worst of all, though, is the climax as a deranged and wounded McDowell turns up at the cabin (after having miraculously survived an avalanche he caused himself!) and bloodily exterminates the remaining members of the groupwhich transpires to be merely a delirious fantasy - one final folly enacted in his own head, and given away really by being intercut with snippets from scenes that have gone on before! - and that he's the one to perish. In the face of all this, Michael J. Lewis' sweeping score seems out of place - especially when considering that the action sequences are too few and far between, and certainly nothing to write home about when compared to the typical war movies of its ilk.

A"nazi"ng acting...

[GianfrancoSpada · 6/10 · 1 February 2024]

In "The Passage," conflicting sentiments arise as one contemplates the film's inherent flaws while recognizing peculiar elements contributing to its memorability. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the narrative unfolds with a Basque shepherd tasked with guiding a family escaping the Nazis, all while being pursued by a sadistic SS officer. The film boasts an impressive cast, including Anthony Quinn and James Mason, who deliver acceptable performances. Christopher Lee appears as an agreeable gypsy, showcasing a departure from his usual villainous roles. However, it's Malcolm McDowell who steals the spotlight with an overblown portrayal of an evil, sadistic, and wry Gestapo officer. His performance is, at times, more campy than menacing, bordering on a pantomime of a Nazi officer.

J. Lee Thompson's direction is, unfortunately, unable to elevate the film beyond its flaws. The narrative is marred by an uneven script and lackluster pacing. The attempt to create tension and suspense falls short, and certain scenes feel disconnected, making it challenging to engage with the characters and their plight.

The cinematography, while visually capturing the gloomy reality of the wartime setting, is unable to salvage the film's shortcomings. The snowy landscapes become the backdrop for the final confrontation between the pursued family, the Basque shepherd, and the Nazis, delivering a moment of breathtaking intensity.

Reflecting on Malcolm McDowell's own comments about the film, where he acknowledged the lack of artistic greatness, it becomes apparent that he intentionally took his character to an exaggerated extreme, almost like a pantomime queen. While this choice may have added a layer of entertainment, it also highlighted a discord within the ensemble cast.

"The Passage" is not without its supporters, as evidenced by reviews mentioning the film's ability to linger in one's memory. Some viewers appreciate McDowell's captivating performance, acknowledging its uniqueness even within the context of a supposedly mediocre film.

In conclusion, "The Passage" stands as a film with evident flaws, marked by inconsistent acting, pacing issues, and a narrative that struggles to maintain engagement. While it may not achieve the status of a cinematic masterpiece, it manages to leave a lasting impression, largely due to the bizarre and unforgettable performance of Malcolm McDowell. I would rate it a 5.5/10, acknowledging its mediocrity while recognizing certain aspects that make it intriguing for those interested in peculiar cinematic experiences.

A thorough disappointment.

[barnabyrudge · 1/10 · 14 October 2003]

Ask anyone familiar with Malcolm McDowell's movies to name his most outrageous performance and most would tell you to watch Caligula. A few might suggest that his work in A Clockwork Orange fits the bill. Not many would come up with The Passage, primarily because it's a largely forgotten film which didn't succeed critically nor commercially even when it was originally released. However, McDowell's performance in this movie is outrageously hammy and must deserve some kind of place in cinema history as one of the most bonkers pieces of acting ever seen.

The story sounds like a winner. A Basque shepherd (Anthony Quinn) is approached by resistance fighters during WWII and asked to escort a scientist (James Mason) and his family over the Pyrennes Mountains into Spain. A deranged SS captain (McDowell) is the officer sent to chase them and capture them.

Alas, this film is an absolute failure. For some reason, a story which had lots of potential for tension and excitement becomes utterly uninvolving. Part of the fault is J. Lee Thompson's leaden direction. Part of the fault is Bruce Nicolaysen's bubble-gum script (based, amazingly, on his own novel) which lacks any depth of character and motivation to arouse audience empathy. Part of the fault is the actors' apparent lack of interest in the material. One of the finest British actors that ever lived - James Mason - is left to contend with the very worst role of his career. He barely has a sentence to utter during the entire film, and by the end the audience knows precious little more about him than they did at the start. But the biggest cause of failure in this film is the decision by its makers to emphasise the gruesome, gory detail. The film is repellent and over-the-top beyond all reason. It actually seems to enjoy wallowing in scenes of rape, torture and killing but has none of the gravity or seriousness to justify such themes (at least the horrific Saving Private Ryan was horrific for a perfectly good reason). Who wants to watch Michel Lonsdale having his fingers hacked off? Who wants to see gypsy leader Christopher Lee being cremated alive? Who wants to see teenager Kay Lenz being brutally raped?

I wanted to see The Passage for years and years. With such a great cast, such a well-known director, and such a serviceable plot I felt certain it couldn't possibly be a bad film. How much further from the truth could I have been?

"Whatever happens. We got to get him through."

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 25 December 2012]

Director J. Lee Thompson delivers a systematic, if quite unpleasant and foolish World War II action thriller with an outstanding cast lead by the hardy Anthony Quinn (who was in Thompson's "The Greek Tycoon" the year before), James Mason, Kay Lenz, Patricia Neal, Michael Lonsdale, Malcolm McDowell and Christopher Lee. Great cast indeed, although everyone looks rather uninterested with the obvious exception of McDowell itchy, overblown performance as a sadistic SS Captain. You can see he is having a ball in the role, from his delivery of the dialogues and his torturous actions. It's "Clockwork Orange" set during WW2, but even the dreary context can't hide his humorous shtick.

Anthony Quinn stars as a Basque mountaineer that's hired by the resistance to guide American professor Bergson (James Mason) and his family from France over the dangerous Pyrenees ice-swept mountains into Spain. While at the same time being tracked by the dogged, cold-blooded SS officer Von Berkow.

In all well-budgeted "The Passage" can be seen as an interesting failure. It wasn't the rough-and-tumble, old-school war adventure I was expecting. There's so much wrong with it, but for some reason it holds you there. Everything but the kitchen sink has been thrown into it, without any sort of care. The structure is odd, being adapted by Bruce Nicolaysen from his own novel "The Perilous Passage". Continuity seems off at times, as scenes just don't come together on this mission/on-the-run format. It should be epic, but set-pieces come across as individual moments in what are routine situations and the wonderful scenery never really comes into play. Thompson's efforts are workman-like, but indistinguishable. The pace is slow, action is half-hearted (even with its blood spurting, barbaric violence and grand explosions) and the suspense is ragged with McDowell's random craziness making it worth the buzz. From showing his excellent chopping skills when preparing a meal "Chop, Chop, Chop!" revealing his Swastiska jockstrap to Kay Lenz's character before raping her and imitating Hitler by putting a comb above his lip. The tone just feels misguided, but tame and cartoonish nowadays it was crude and uneasy at the time. You can see this being a cult- favourite and this especially could be favourable due to its very strange, tripped-out climatic ending. I was very surprised where it went because of how powerful and ghastly the execution was (face painting anyone?), but to find it actually was only a tease lessen the impact with its multiple versions. The editing was all-over-the-place, and the finale was the tip of that. Better things can be said about the camera-work, where it did flow around the action well enough demonstrating the dark, shadowy realism of the predicament. Visually it was glum.

"The Passage" might leave you with a bad taste in your mouth, but it's rather transfixing due to McDowell's creepy histrionics that you can't believe what you are seeing.

Excellently violent - one to remember - chip chip chop chop

[geolab-1 · 10/10 · 16 March 2004]

I saw this film years ago and am very disappointed to find that it is not available on VHS or DVD. Strange that any film my Malcolm should be unavailable as so much other dross is.

This film is very violent with some humour attached. Not the most cerebral piece of work but neither is 'The Hills Have Eyes' or 'Nightmere on Elm Street' but they are cult movies.

If this was released again, I am sure it would get an appreciable following for those with 'Bad Taste' and 'Brain Damage' - even Peter Jackson started with over the top violence & humour!

Try and get a copy and see for yourself - don't be put off by these other 'critics'.

Mark

Back Passage would be a more suitable title.

[SteveResin · 3/10 · 17 April 2010]

Anthony Quinn helps family fleeing the Nazi's cross the Pyrenees. James Mason is the father and Malcolm McDowell the SS maniac hunting them down. There's also a cameo from Christopher Lee.... with a cast like that you can't go wrong, right? Well sadly you can go very wrong. McDowell is just shockingly bad in this film, his Nazi character is the most clichéd and laughable depiction of a SS chief I've ever seen, Quinn & Mason were blatantly just picking up the pay cheque and the direction and production is so shoddy you don't even get to enjoy the spectacular scenery. Little wonder it's a forgotten relic. McDowell even dons a pair of underpants with a swastika emblazoned on the front. Yes it's THAT bad.

Gratuitous trash that's worth a look for die hard Malcolm McDowell fans

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 4/10 · 3 February 2016]

I'll put a disclaimer right at the top here that states that I do think 1979's The Passage is not a good film. It's a nasty watch, full of drawn out, sadistic situations and a bleak plot that elicits the hollow response of "why" to anyone who spends their time on it. And yet, it's interesting, if only to see the completely bonkers, untethered performance by Malcolm McDowell as a maniacally evil SS nazi officer. It's like they gave him a bunch of coke and liquor before the cameras were rolling, dressed him up in gestapo digs and set him loose on the other cast members. The story is about a German scientist (James Mason) being led across a treacherous mountain range by a rugged guide (Anthony Quinn). Hot on their heels is McDowell's Captain Von Berkow, who will stop at nothing, as well as kill, maim and intimidate everyone along the way to capture them. That's about all the plot goes for, and aside from some gorgeous Swedish locations, it's a very unpleasant affair to put yourself through, unless, like me, you're a die hard McDowell fan. His performance is something to bear witness to though, like a particularly bad car crash, so messed up and terrible that you can't take your eyes off it. Whether he's terrorizing and murdering a poor gypsy village led by Christopher Lee, shedding his uniform down to his outlandish SS issue jockstrap and raping Mason's daughter, or jovially playing chef as he chops off Michael Lonsdale's fingers with kitchen knives, he's a devilishly disgusting monster and one wonders how a performance so brash and obviously over the top slipped through the producer's net. An off putting, ugly, gratuitous flick that's worth a watch for pure morbid curiosity, and to see McDowell truly push boundaries into zones of extreme discomfort.

Ugh! An incredible embarrassment

[mjkarlin · 1/10 · 26 June 2003]

This dreadful movie is clearly a candidate for one of the 10 worst movies ever made. It's so bad that it's screamingly funny. McDowell, playing the evil Nazi chasing Mason's multi-accented family, catches up with Kay Lenz in a hotel room and, preparing to anal rape, drops his pants to reveal . . . a jock strap with a swastika on his crotch. This was not intended as a joke! The avalanche scene used offcuts from the avalanche in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Anthony Quinn as the shepherd who conducts the Mason clan over the Pyrenees is just a pathetic Zorba the Basque. The dialogue is at once stilted and ridiculous and the great cast sleepwalks through their roles. A definite must-not-see. Why did I see it? I did some of the legal work on this uber-turkey back in 1979 and went to the premiere. The impression it left was, regrettably, indelible.

Anthony Quinn as a Basque shepherd helping old James Mason and his family across the wildest Pyrenees in winter.

[clanciai · 8/10 · 10 December 2018]

The film was shot entirely in the Pyrenees except for the inside studio scenes, and it is mainly worth seeing for the spectacular landscapes caught on screen and doing them justice for their stunning wildness and beauty. Anthony Quinn is reliable as usual, here as a die-hard veteran Basque who evidently has been through the worst long since and knows what he is doing. James Mason in one of his last films looks worried and has reason to be. Anthony Quinn is paid to get the refugee VIP professor Mason across the mountains to Spain, but he is not informed that the professor has a family including a frail old wife and two children, youths by all means, but nonetheless totally inexperienced both to war and to mountain passages. Christopher Lee makes a brief intermission as the leader of a Gipsy group helping them on and getting paid for it by the wrong gang. There are a lot of scenes of violence, you learn to hate Malcom McDowell from the beginning, a hatred wich constantly will increase throughout the film, as he relishes in developing it. He boasted that this was his best film, well, I never saw him in a decent character on film, which would have been wished for a change.

John Lee Thompson was a specialist on spectacular adventure films, and this is no exception - he never disappointed his audience. There is nothing to object against in this film, except, perhaps that the whole story in its extreme dramatization lacks all credibility.

Hideous waste of a potentially good cast and plot.

[I_should_be_reading_a_book · 2/10 · 3 January 2019]

I don't know who to blame the most; director, producers, script writers, photography director, even actors.

The plot is beyond corny but might have been saved by an able director. Instead, he wasted the acting potential of the cast by means of unbearable amateurish photography, ridiculous scenes, stupid dialogs and vagary of focus.

Add a fantastic feat, which is also unjustified (the Pyrenees crossing doesn't require Himalayan grade climbing and there are hundreds of passages) that constitutes the base of the feeble plot and you have a recipe for disaster.

The corny cardboard characters, beginning with McDowell and Quinn will make you want to switch channels immediately, even to a TV sales space; unfortunately there was not anything else on tap.

Just cannot undestand anybody giving it a rating over 2/10. I should have given it a 1/10 but at least I didn't find it offending. The film is pure dung; not even fit for 3d rate TV.

Certainly not worth the time...

The Passage is not worth the time

[Mr_Vai · 1/10 · 11 May 2005]

Quite Frankly, this film was terrible! The acting, the story, the sound, the lighting, the everything. Coming up with ten lines here is going to be hard. I mean, I can only say it sucked so many times. OK, let's look more closely at why it sucked? Malcolm McDowell, the legendary actor from "A Clockwork Orange," is in this film, kind of. His performance is so over the top, that we can only imagine what was going on in his personal life at the time. Did you know that SS officers wear jock straps that have swastikas on them? Well they do! At least McDowell's character (that can't seem to be killed) did. You know what, the film was awful and I have spoken too much about it.

One of the Very Worst Films Ever Made by a Major Production Company

[dianerpessler-46164 · 1/10 · 26 July 2015]

An insult to the intelligence of audiences worldwide and a smear upon their very souls, this film is among the true insults to the art of cinema. Disgusting in almost every way imaginable and indiscriminate in its violence and sadism, the director seems to strive desperately to terrorize his audience by filming the most unholy scenes possible. Quinn is awful but not nearly as ridiculously insane as McDowell is in what could only jokingly be called a "performance." His goofy murderer Nazi may have been intended as over the top but it is actually sewer level stupid. This is not only the very worst motion picture ever made about the Second World War. It is simply one of the worst films ever made and has nothing at all to recommend it in the very slightest. I saw this in London when it was first released and have never forgotten how really bad a film it was. Despicable, sickening, and beneath contempt. Not to mention a complete waste of time. Trash, garbage, celluloid rot, and much more.