This colossal MGM production is the 2001 of 60s pop culture movies; a massive, expensive visual epic exposing the Sodom and Gomorrah of what was (and maybe still is) America in the late 60s: hippie revolt, subterfuge, love–ins, desert orgies, mansions exploding, the vomit of TV commercials, idiotic consumerism, rampant greed, social clutter, young rebellious love. In fact, the whole chromed lot. MGM's blank production cheque to Antonioni resulted in an accounting bloodbath when he presented his masterwork to studio execs who stumbled from the screening enraged at the visual excess and complete demolition of every bit of American excess.

Today, 35 years later, we have the wisdom of hindsight to see how exactly right Antonioni was in his identifying the USA as indulging in consumer apocalypse. Zabriskie Point presents us with a Romeo and Juliet style couple, on the run, in love and persued by an American social mindset intent on running them over. If you loved the spectacular house in North By Northwest wait until you see each and every bit of it explode in slow motion ... including the furniture, appliances, the fridge; each in an orgy of obliteration to seal the mental state of both the director and the actors.

This is counter–culture production at its finest and a view of the USA now a reality. Audiences of the time were puzzled but as we now live the reality of what this film hinted at, it's a satisfying message and view for us to relish. Sad to reveal that handsome young lead actor, Mark Frechette, was arrested on a driving violation in the early 70s and was killed in jail by a cop who recognised him from this film and took revenge. (PB)