The Passage

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.

Trailer—The Passage

The Passage

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.

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...

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.

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.

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!

Not a particularly good WWII yarn, but worthwhile for Anthony Quinn's commanding performance as a bitter sheepherder who is asked by the French Resistance to smuggle scientist James Mason and family across the Pyrenees. Nazi Maclolm McDowell is on their trail. It's violent but hardly exciting with one scene of brutality after another (Mason's daughter is raped by McDowell, an uncooperative Gypsy is set afire). As good as Quinn is, Mason is given little to do. Patricia Neal has almost no dialog as his infirm wife and Kay Lenz is oddly cast as his resourceful daughter. McDowell is outrageous, acting as if he just stepped out of CABARET's Kit Kat club (as one of the dancers!) He's perks up the film, but only to propel it to campy heights. Michael Lonsdale and Christopher Lee appear in small roles. Directed, very blandly, by J. Lee Thompson, who seems to have lost any ability to mount suspense. This from the director of THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and the original CAPE FEAR?

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.