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Scripted by Robert Shaw, from Barry England’s 1968 novel, Joseph Losey’s stripped down, existential thriller Figures In A Landscape premieres in London. Robert Shaw and a pre Clockwork Orange Malcolm McDowell star as the titular figures, two desperate men running for their lives across a forbidding rugged terrain as an omnipresent helicopter tracks their every move. No reason is given for their predicament and no destination is mentioned. Snippets of conversation between the pair offer partial clues that only further compound the narrative’s Twilight Zone-like frustrating inscrutability. A fascinating, little-seen gem. Peter Medak was originally set to direct with Peter O’Toole as star.
