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The Sheltering Sky

Play trailer Poster for The Sheltering Sky R 1990 2h 17m Drama Adventure Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
45% Tomatometer 29 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
An American couple (John Malkovich, Debra Winger) drift toward emptiness in postwar North Africa.
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The Sheltering Sky

The Sheltering Sky

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Critics Consensus

The Sheltering Sky puts its talented stars at odds with a misguided and largely unsatisfying adaptation of potentially unfilmable source material.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker 09/12/2023
Would I like the movie better if Bertolucci had put in the novel’s cheap thrills? You bet I would. Go to Full Review
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 12/07/2007
A disappointingly reductive adaptation of Paul Bowles's first novel. Go to Full Review
Variety Staff Variety 12/07/2007
Those who haven't read the book will be left bewildered. Go to Full Review
Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) 05/09/2023
1.5/4
The picture is cleanly directed but lacks the visual excitement and emotional resonance of even lesser Bertuloci Films. Go to Full Review
Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) 01/21/2023
This film is not ideologically malignant. It is simply bad. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Monica Dorenkamp OutWeek 05/19/2020
Insufferably dull. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Perezbermuda X 03/11/2023 Magical setting which appeals to all the senses. Don't listen to the critics and decide for yourself. See more 12/21/2021 A master work based on a master work. A film that will find its true audience probably years from now... See more 03/07/2021 Over the years I've found many of Bertolucci's features uneven. He's simultaneously capable of creating meaningful films such as The Conformist (1970), along with the dreadfully tedious Last Tango in Paris (1972). Since the release of The Sheltering Sky, Bowles has subsequently disowned the adaptation, saying "it should never have been filmed. The ending is idiotic and the rest is pretty bad". Unfortunately, I have to agree. The weakness consists of the excessive length and incredibly slow pace. As Port says in one scene "God! What a bore". Admittedly, the luscious landscapes make some beautiful visuals. However, due to the drawn-out narrative and uneven performances, The Sheltering Sky unravels as Last Tango in Tangier. See more 08/29/2020 Stunning cinematography & music from Ryuichi Sakamoto. See more 03/21/2020 This long film starts off slow and then gets much slower. About halfway through, it gives up on story-telling almost altogether, and turns into mostly just a beautiful travelogue. Memorable mainly for its cinematography and its score. See more 01/26/2020 Spending time with Debra Winger is a complete delight. One of the greatest actors of our time. See more Read all reviews
The Sheltering Sky

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis An American couple (John Malkovich, Debra Winger) drift toward emptiness in postwar North Africa.
Director
Bernardo Bertolucci
Producer
Jeremy Thomas
Rating
R
Genre
Drama, Adventure, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.4M
Runtime
2h 17m
Sound Mix
Surround
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