Axel Heyst is an American recluse with a dubious past living in the Dutch East Indies port of Surabaya circa 1913. Staying in a German hotel there, Heyst becomes entranced with a member of the hotel's all-female orchestra.
Acting
Dafoe's wounded stillness vs. Neill's serpentine menace.
Cinematography
Sweaty, languid colonial atmosphere you can practically smell.
Director
Mark Peploe
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Mark Peploe's only directorial feature; he's better known as Bertolucci's co-writer on The Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky.
Filmed in actual Indonesian locations including Surabaya, giving rare authentic visual texture to Conrad's oft-adapted but rarely well-filmed novel.
US
