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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.
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