The Sheltering Sky

Plot synopsis:
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.
The next morning Tunner arrives at Kit's room to take her shopping. Not wanting Tunner to know that Port stayed out all night, she removes the covers from his bed to make it appear that he slept there. As Kit and Tunner are preparing to leave, a disheveled Port arrives. Seeing his bed, he assumes that Tunner spent the night with Kit.
Port and Kit once again encounter the Lyles and are offered a ride in their car to Boussif, their next destination, but are informed that there is no room for Tunner. Port accepts the ride with the Lyles while Kit takes the train with Tunner. Tunner and Kit drink champagne throughout the journey and awake the next morning, naked, in Kit's hotel room after a drunken tryst.
Suspicious of Kit's relationship with Tunner, Port arranges for Eric Lyle to provide Tunner with transportation to Messad on the pretext that Port and Kit will meet him later. Eric agrees but also steals Port's passport.
In Bounoura, Port discovers his passport missing. Even after being informed by local officials that the passport can be recovered in Messad, Port decides to proceed by bus to El Ga'a with Kit in order to avoid a meeting with Tunner. On the journey Port contracts typhoid. The hotel won't accommodate them from fear of infection. Kit transports the delirious Port to a French foreign legion post, but it has no doctor and she nurses him herself, becoming increasingly desperate at his condition. He eventually dies alongside her in their room. Kit leaves the body and sets off alone into the Sahara.
Kit wanders in the desert until she begs a ride from a camel caravan led by Belqassim (Eric Vu-An). After the caravan arrives at Belqassim's home far to the south in Niger, he disguises Kit as a boy and locks her in a guest house. Although held captive, Kit welcomes Belqassim's advances and the two begin an affair. Kit is soon discovered by Belqassim's wives, who order her to leave. Kit finds herself disoriented in the local marketplace and is set upon by a mob. She is eventually found, mute and almost insane, in a Catholic mission hospital by staff of the American embassy, who have been prompted to search for her by Tunner, who has found Port's grave. She is transported back to Tangier, where she began her journey, and is told that Tunner is waiting for her there. After arriving at the hotel, Kit flees into the city before Tunner can meet her.
The film ends with a quote from the novel spoken by Paul Bowles, the narrator, still sitting in the hotel bar,
“Death is always on the way, but the fact that you don't know when it will arrive seems to take away from the finiteness of life. It's that terrible precision that we hate so much. But because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.”

Tags: romantic, autobiographical, philosophical

Review:
So both works of art (since the book is most definitely a work of great art) tend to blend together in my mind.I started by watching the movie though, without any previous knowledge on the novel, nor on Paul Bowles.
The confusing weird relationships, often only partially depicted in the film heighten the sense of being adrift in life.Together with some of the best ever desert cinematography rivaling even Lawrence of Arabia, North African music, noises, characters and colors this film is a rich feast for the senses indeed.
Unlike so many films "created" today with lacklustre characters and inept and one dimensional acting - the sheltering sky is moving and funny and ingenious because it offers true artistic and moving portrayals of the ending of a long term relationship amidst the kind of locations the most adventurous backpacker might not know about.
Great films occur from time to time....but the Sheltering sky is neither of these two things....it is the most honest and beautiful and emotionally mature work of cinema that I have ever seen.
Their journey hides the gradual breakdown of their relationship - a fact that is only highlighted when Port visits an Arab prostitute and Kit sleeps with Tunner after a drunken train journey together.Before you sit down to see this film, you really need to have asked yourself what sort of mood you are in.
This is the main problem with the film - not so much the slow pace but the fact that it could be running but it wouldn't matter because it would still feel like it isn't actually going anywhere.
I enjoyed watching it as it forced me to think instead of just vegging out (like so many other films do) but at the end of the day I was left wondering if this was artistic posturing on a big scale or if it really did have an emotional core that I just couldn't reach..
Bernardo Bertolucci co-wrote and directed the film of the classic post WW2 novel by author, Paul Bowles, who also narrates.
Debra Winger is her most attractive as his young wife,'Kit.' They are accompanied by a randy travel companion, 'Tunner.'The "casbah" atmosphere of the Moslem city's narrow stone streets, flooded with Arab denizens, camels, livestock invites the viewer in.As soon as the odious "Mrs. Lyle" and her sweaty, overweight son came into the fly-ridden hotel lobby in the hot sultry desert nowhere, I knew I'd love to hate them.
We literally make the story ours; so when we watch the film version, we tend to judge the director's interpretation seriously.Bertolucci's vision was entertaining and realized well, especially the lead character: the vast Sahara Desert, and exotic ambiance; the cinematography was beautiful.
American couple Port (John Malkovich) and Kit Moresby (Debra Winger) see themselves as travelers looking for new experiences.
Not having read the book, it's too difficult to me to comment on its truthfulness, however we know that Paul Bowles was cooperating with the screenwriters, it is he who is narrating the film and even appears in a cameo role.
John Malkovich and Debra Winger are not the usual Hollywood-like physically attractive love couple 'a la Barbie and Ken' nevertheless it was beautifully exciting to watch them perpetually connect and disconnect mentally and physically.
I was wondering if he wrote this scenario as a sort of a metaphor reflecting on his own life and dismantling relationship.From the famous and truly extraordinary Italian cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro's view, this is a declaration of love to Morocco and its impressive and breathtaking landscapes, culture and nomadic life; a magnificent visual feast and one may even smell all the spices, swatting flies, feel the grit of sand between the teeth, start sweating and get one's blood boiling, not only due to the local heat but also to the carnal sultriness, whilst watching the screen!
The title alone should tell you you're in for rich cinematography and in my opinion this is absolutely necessary to the telling of the story, but the scenery does tend to overwhelm the story at times.Malkovich and Winger both give credible performances, but they seemed like strangers to me compared to the characters in the novel.
The Sheltering sky was considered a heavy book, heavy as importance, for the so called beat generation...so in my opinion, taking the story of Paul Bowles and adapting it to a movie was a real challenge...despite the simple storyline that everyone notices, the book/movie has deeper meanings...i watched the movie a lot of times and having read the book made me see better the B.Bertolucci hand...trying to create the place for actually an internal bleeding, a deep hurtful feeling, both Bowles and Bertolucci have to use the symbolism of the desert's vanity...and the inner searches go very well with the message of the traveler who refuses to be just a tourist, setting a line to separate the meaningful from the meaningless...READ the book and then be impressed by the adds that Bertolucci makes, just to give you a very personal approach...
Debra Winger and John Malkovich are fine as Kit and Port -- spoiled, bored, EMPTY Americans 'travelling' (NOT tourists) in Morocco just after WWII.
Bowles was consulted every step of the way -- a sign of the respect held for the author and his work by the director -- and he even appears in the film and supplies narration.A lot of people may find this type of film to be a bore, but you have to be consistent by watching it.
If you want to fully understand the movie, you have to read the book, for the film itself, omits a great deal of material that would have the made the film longer than that of "Gone with the Wind".I am amazed that a film of this scope, made by a director of Bertolucci's stature, with two of the most critically acclaimed actors of our time, has not appeared on DVD.
Debra Winger is superb as 'Kit' and John Malkovich portrays 'Port' with sensitivity, even though he is a man given to self-indulgence and is not above cheating on his wife.
For me, this movie made me think a lot about what am I doing with my life sometimes, even though the director probably didn't plan this kind of effect on the viewers:) Too many words saying nothing just take the movie and watch it in low dim light, on a BIG screen, and with loud sound, so you can recreate a beautiful world!.
The two artists: Port (John Malkovich) and Kit Moresby (Debra Winger), feel free and at ease in this world, under the sky that protects them from the unknown space beyond.
"The Sheltering Sky" tells of a married couple (Malkovich/Winger) whose post-WWII travels in Northern Africa become an odyssey of self discovery.
A good watch for those into North African cultures, many will find this film's story weak, ambiguous, and unsatisfying with its message buried somewhere in the sands of the Sahara.
No. One of the most visually beautiful movies I have ever seen, the Sheltering Sky really captures the awe and the occasional fear of travelling light in a completely alien land.Add to that a closing voice over that really said something new about life and you have a minor classic.
Bernardo Bertolucci's cinematographic career is little bit similar to that of Wim Wenders.Both these European directors have made some of the most outstanding world cinema films in their own countries using their native languages:Italian and German.However there are some bad spots on their illustrious careers.They both failed miserably whenever they have decided to make films in English.If given an opportunity to disown a film is provided,without any hesitation most of Bernardo Bertolucci's admirers would surely like to abandon "The Sheltering Sky".This film suffers from too many western prejudices against powerless people of various African ethnic groups.As far as this film's plot is concerned,it is just too superfluous.Apart from Malkovich and Winger none of the players have given any proof of their acting talent.The only reason plausible reason for which any sensible film admirer must watch this film is the film's photography.The next best possible reason for watching this film might be the promotion of tourism in Africa.The sheltering sky can be used as a tourist video for those unfortunate souls who have never been to some of the best spots in Africa..
This film is artistically beautiful, but, not for those who love a good story.
Watching the film, yes, it was easy to sit there and convincingly say, this is barely B-grade, self-indulgent with shifts in plot and story which move from the despairing to the bizarre, and an ending with the author narrating himself his philosophical underpinning to the whole journey, nay, the fly blown, turgid fan whirring meaning of life.
As photographed by the great Vittorio Storaro, Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Sheltering Sky" is one of the most visually beautiful films ever made, almost every frame a painting in light.
Of course, for a great deal of the time it is impossible to tell if they really love each other or if they simply need each other or if they need each other at all and again, thanks to Storaro, it has all the beauty of a travelogue even if the vast alien landscapes and the appalling conditions in which they find themselves are more likely to put you off visiting North Africa.
Director Bernardo Bertolucci includes several sequences of Port Moresby (John Malkovich), his wife Kit (Debra Winger), and their acquaintance George Tunner (Campbell Scott) packing and unpacking their massive trunks as they move from place to place; their cumbersome lifestyles contrasting starkly with those of the local inhabitants.
The film begins with Port insisting that he and his wife, unlike Tunner, are "travelers," not "tourists": whereas Tunner might be likely to return home after a period of time, Port and Kit are sufficiently au fait with African life to stay much longer - maybe even live there permanently.
Perhaps there is no solution - as a long-time resident of Tangier, as well as other places in Africa, Bowles was well-placed to understand precisely how westerners could (or could not) adapt to unfamiliar surroundings.THE SHELTERING SKY is not without its orientalist elements: the nomad men are portrayed as savage, enjoying the unexpected pleasure of a white woman in a plot-line that would not seem out of place in early twentieth century "White Sheik" romances that proved so popular with western audiences.
It tells the story about Port and Kit Moresby, an American couple whom without having made any plans and with the intention of working out their marriage, travels to North Africa with their single friend Tunner.
This atmospheric, psychological, at times humorous and internal journey where two travellers are heading in the same direction as their marriage, is set against the hot, dry and exhausting Sahara desert during the 1940s and is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity and editing by Italian film editor Gabriella Christiani and the fine acting performances by American actor, director and producer John Malkovich, American actress Debra Winger and supporting acting performances by American actor Campbell Scott in his second feature film role, English actor Timothy Spall and English actress Jill Bennett (1931-1990) in her last feature film role.
You'll end up lost in Africa, raped by Dervishes, and other bad things will happen too.The cinematography is beautiful and the colors and people come alive in this film.
I'm truly disappointed with this film, not in the sense of throwing something to the screen or cursing everybody involved, but in the sense of almost crying simply because when you heard the names Bertolucci-Winger-Malkovich altogether you want to buy the DVD, buy popcorn and more just to see how wonderful this is and the final result is a big empty in their lives and almost a waste of our time.
Again, here's a story of people from the high class world (played by John Malkovich, Debra Winger, Campbell Scott and others) that seems to find a beautiful and intriguing place to live in Morocco, Africa, to finally realize that life's not that easy in places like this.
If the main premise of the film was to show the difference between travelers and tourists then what I saw was that travelers are dumber than tourists who simply enjoy all the things of a foreign country and then they'll turn back home (as Winger explains in the beginning tourists go into a journey thinking of returning home right after they got in the new place).
The tourists will have bad luck, all kinds of disease, infidelity affairs and other bad things.It is a good film to look at it, its visual, locations, culture, you feel in a different place, but in terms of story it's very empty, with no profundity at all.
One senses Bertolucci should have pulled the plug earlier than he did, some time before we're left with hanging shots of the intense African desert and those that inhabit it; the likes of whom the lone central character still left in the film falls in with, someone who then somewhat oddly comes to find a degree of liberation once this has happened.
The film falls as a result; the performances take over, the thing becomes an acting piece more-so a directorial piece: the marriage has been studied, played out and depicted - what we're left with is not as interesting.The scenario of matrimony in question is shared between Americans Port and Kit Moresby, played respectively by John Malkovich and Debra Winger.
Set in North Africa shortly after WW2, not too distant in time frame from his masterpiece, it is not so much an epic without a plot or a love story as some have suggested, it's more a parable, but it needed deeper motivational elements for its' central characters to compel.The majestic dunes of the Sahara, stark beauty of a barren landscape, is beautifully captured, as is the slim sensuality of Debra Winger; she doesn't seem to mind too much about the sand and flies getting everywhere - in one scene, a fly surreptitiously wanders along her thigh and up her dress during love-making with her husband in the desert - an unpaid extra, who nevertheless, contributes to the realism.
The story is boiled down, probably more-so than was in the Bowles novel, about a husband and wife (Malkovich and Winger), and their friend (Scott), who go to "travel" in North Africa.
This all being said, The Sheltering Sky may possibly be Bertolucci's most astoundingly shot feature, with it coming right behind Goodfellas as the best cinematography of 1990 (via the great Vittorio Storaro).
"The Sheltering Sky" is a road movie and a love story Its real subject is very simple: Is it possible for two people to share the same dream and to exist as a couple?
It's a simple story of two complicated people who love each other deeply, but can't be happy in love So in the first part of the movie we see how the joy of life vanishes, and in the second part how the joy of death begins Debra Winger identifies with lead "Kit" passionate and seductive character She, at least, feels the need to communicate At times she feels undesirable, even unwanted and unloved But this isn't easy to do with Port Malkovich has a completely different approach to Port He simply falls into the character In his dark eyes we can see clearly the suffering of the memory and the pain of remembrance Port's illness is an unspeakable solitude He doesn't need anybody or anything to face the challenge of life He feels he's sufficient to the task but we clearly feel his strong attraction to nothingness Kit and Port know that they dearly love each other, but they just feel condemned, condemned to be together forever Bernardo Bertolucci planned the film in two sections: The solar part belongs to Port and the lunar connected to Kit. The Setting Were Gorgeous, The Film Was Unsettling.
Even though Bertolucci and his cinematographer Vittorio Storaro have physically made this film visual eye-candy, there are other traits that have an equally proportionate share of hits and misses.As it hurts me to say this, the biggest flaws lie in the balance of the two leads (John Malkovich and Debra Winger) who play the roles of Port and Kit Moresby, a duo of self-absorbed wealthy New Yorkers who travel to Tangiers, Morocco to spruce up some adventure to fix up their progressively crumbling marriage.
Malkovich is great at portraying macabre characters and brings that level with him in a lot of his performances, but Port is not at all like that.
Sure at first she looks authentic to the characters in the book, but once she and Port wander aimlessly in the desert, her physical and mental demeanor are more Winger than Kit as opposed to the other way around.The supporting characters like Campbell Scott, Timothy Spall and Jill Bennett are quite convincing in their respected roles and seems to upstage the leads at times.
If you want excellent acting, a wonderful script, real character development, and some of the most powerful use of natural landscapes as part of the dramatic structure on film, then this movie is for you.
A married American couple (John Malkovich and Debra Winger) travel through North Africa in search of themselves and the desert, and find their relationship threatened by the vastness of the strange landscapes - and by a lecherous companion.Director Bernardo Bertolucci captures the forbidding beauty of the Sahara quite stunningly, but while the film is utterly ravishing to look at, its characters are stiff, self-regarding and unlikable, their predicament is far from compelling, and the psychological drama of Paul Bowles's novel never quite surfaces..
We suffer with the Malkovich character for what seems like a long time.
I hated to see (Debra Winger), one of her generation's best actresses and beauties, in wasted time like this.