Zabriskie Point (film)

Zabriskie Point is a 1970 American drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Mark Frechette, Daria Halprin and Rod Taylor, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as its distributor. It was the only film the Italian director made in the United States, and it was noted at the time for setting its story in the American counterculture, following a student radical who steals a small aircraft and flies into the desert, where he meets a young woman. Parts were shot in Los Angeles, at Carefree in Arizona and on location in Death Valley, including the real Zabriskie Point. The two leads were non-professional actors, and the soundtrack drew on Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, John Fahey and other rock and folk acts. It premiered at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on February 5, 1970, received an R rating, lost money badly against production costs of at least 7 million dollars and was panned by most critics. Its reputation has since risen, and it is now regarded as a cult film noted for its cinematography, music and direction.