Death and the Compass (film)
Death and the Compass is a 1992 American thriller film written and directed by Alex Cox, based on Jorge Luis Borges' 1942 short story of the same name. It stars Peter Boyle, Miguel Sandoval, and Christopher Eccleston. Mexican actress Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez also appears.
| Death and the Compass | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alex Cox |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Alex Cox |
| Based on | Death and the Compass by Jorge Luis Borges |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Pray for Rain |
| Cinematography | Miguel Garzón |
| Edited by | Carlos Puente |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,500,000 (estimated) |
The film was originally a 55-minute drama made for Spanish TV/BBC in 1992. Producer Karl Braun found further money to expand the film into a feature, but the film was not completed for four years. It was filmed on location in Mexico City.
The soundtrack was composed by Dan Wool and Pray for Rain.
DVD release
The making of the soundtrack is discussed in a conversation between Cox and Wool on the DVD release.
This also includes a 1976 original film short titled Spiderweb, which is another interpretation of the same Borges short story. National Film School graduate Paul Miller made the 33 minute drama using actor Nigel Hawthorne in one of his first screen roles.
Reception
Death and the Compass currently hold a 17% (of 100) rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and 6 out of 10 stars on IMDb.
External links
- Death and the Compass page on Alex Cox website AlexCox.com
- Death and the Compass at IMDb
- Death and the Compass on "The Garden of Forking Paths" Borges site.