Passion in the Desert

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Passion in the Desert

PG-13

1997

1h 33m

Fantasy

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

During Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, he sends the aging artist Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis (Michel Piccoli) there to capture the sights of the country. Soon after arriving, Jean-Michel and his accompanying solider, Augustin Robert (Ben Daniels), become separated from the rest of the French troops. Augustin leaves Jean-Michel to find water, and the artist decides to commit suicide. Alone and lost in the desert, Augustin forms a strange bond with a leopard.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

Part an adventurous love story between a man and a leopard, part a metaphysical meditation about the mysteries of Nature, Lavinia Currier's feature directorial debut is dramatically inert but visually striking.

Rated: C+

Apr 4, 2007

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 12, 2002

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 2/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Betty Jo Tucker

ReelTalk Movie Reviews

An impressive feature film debut for filmmaker Lavinia Currier. With the exception of one scene that crosses the line, her work here shows intelligence, sensitivity, artistry, and courage.

Dec 15, 2012

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

A shameless art movie about a man falling in love with a wild leopard; that takes guts.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 24, 2007

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Film Threat

Rated: 3/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Audience Member

Dumb movie! Dumb title. All the action is in the trailer.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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Audience Member

Part an adventurous love story between a man and a leopard, part a metaphysical meditation about the mysteries of Nature, Lavinia Currier's feature directorial debut is dramatically inert but visually striking.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Frances H

Really liked this film about the strange bond between a man and a leopard in the Egyptian desert. Balzac is one of my favorite authors and this story is really brought to life in Currier's film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/13/14

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Audience Member

stupidest movie I've ever seen. granted this was a long time ago but it doesn't make it any less bad

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

This is a masterpiece!Ben daniels played soo goo that i can say i haven't seen many actort better than him.Also i loved the part when that painter drinks his scuarrls.You must watch it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Near flawless execution; extremely unique and memorable; full of simple yet deep allegory. An almost perfect film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Lavinia Currier

Director

Ben Daniels

Augustin Robert

Michel Piccoli

Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis

Paul Meston

Grognard

Kenneth Collard

Officer

Nadia Odeh

Bedouin Bride

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Synopsis

During Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, he sends the aging artist Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis (Michel Piccoli) there to capture the sights of the country. Soon after arriving, Jean-Michel and his accompanying solider, Augustin Robert (Ben Daniels), become separated from the rest of the French troops. Augustin leaves Jean-Michel to find water, and the artist decides to commit suicide. Alone and lost in the desert, Augustin forms a strange bond with a leopard.

Director: Lavinia Currier
Producer: Lavinia Currier
Screenwriter: Lavinia Currier
Production Co: Roland-Film
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $249.7K
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround

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