Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
The Sheltering Sky
Bernardo Bertolucci’s stunning and sensual adaptation of Paul Bowles’ heartbreaking classic novel, starring John Malkovich and Debra Winger.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Overview
In the hopes of rekindling their marriage, sophisticated American couple Port and Kit Moresby set off for North Africa intending to travel through Algeria – uncertain of their ultimate destination but determined to leave the modern world behind. They are instead tested to their limits as the unfathomable emptiness and impassive cruelty of the desert lead them into increasing despair.
A distinguished and emotive follow up to Bernardo Bertolucci’s Best Picture-winning epic The Last Emperor, this is a sensual highlight in an extraordinary filmmaking career, rich and strange in its psychological depths and eroticism. It won a BAFTA for Vittorio Storaro's outstanding cinematography and a Golden Globe for Ryuichi Sakamoto's haunting original score.
Related
Mona Lisa Mona Lisa
Gangster 1986 100 mins Director: Neil Jordan
An ungainly cockney chauffeur navigates the seedy streets of London, gradually falling for the elegant and mysterious prostitute who is his passenger.
The Outrun The Outrun
Drama 2024 118 mins Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Saoirse Ronan gives a bracing performance as a young recovering alcoholic returning home to Orkney in this moving adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir.
Birdy Birdy
Drama 1984 120 mins Director: Alan Parker
Alan Parker’s elliptical, ethereal adaptation of the acclaimed, ‘unfilmable’ novel by William Wharton, about a boy who dreams of flying.
The Florida Project The Florida Project
Drama 2017 112 mins Director: Sean Baker
Anora director Sean Baker's visionary portrait of life in America’s underbelly, featuring an Oscar-nominated turn from Willem Dafoe.
The Streetwalker The Streetwalker
Drama 1976 86 mins Director: Walerian Borowczyk
A salesman becomes obsessed by an icy prostitute against the backdrop of a hellish Paris, in this arthouse erotica from Walerian Borowczyk (The Beast)
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao
Drama 2019 140 mins Director: Karim Aïnouz
A moving, sumptuous tale of two sisters cruelly separated by family and fate in 1950s Rio.
The Dreamers The Dreamers
Drama 2004 115 mins Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Paris in 1968 forms the backdrop for this romantic drama about an American student who bonds with a brother and sister over their love of cinema.
Mona Lisa Mona Lisa
Gangster 1986 100 mins Director: Neil Jordan
An ungainly cockney chauffeur navigates the seedy streets of London, gradually falling for the elegant and mysterious prostitute who is his passenger.
Showgirls Showgirls
Melodrama 1995 126 mins Director: Paul Verhoeven
Reviled upon its release, now reclaimed as a cult classic - one can only submit to the trash-tastic delights of Paul Verhoeven's erotic disasterpiece.
The Outrun The Outrun
Drama 2024 118 mins Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Saoirse Ronan gives a bracing performance as a young recovering alcoholic returning home to Orkney in this moving adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir.
Birdy Birdy
Drama 1984 120 mins Director: Alan Parker
Alan Parker’s elliptical, ethereal adaptation of the acclaimed, ‘unfilmable’ novel by William Wharton, about a boy who dreams of flying.
The Florida Project The Florida Project
Drama 2017 112 mins Director: Sean Baker
Anora director Sean Baker's visionary portrait of life in America’s underbelly, featuring an Oscar-nominated turn from Willem Dafoe.
The Streetwalker The Streetwalker
Drama 1976 86 mins Director: Walerian Borowczyk
A salesman becomes obsessed by an icy prostitute against the backdrop of a hellish Paris, in this arthouse erotica from Walerian Borowczyk (The Beast)