Road to Salina
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Road to Salina (La route de Salina) is a 1970 French film, a psychological thriller directed by Georges Lautner. It stars Robert Walker Jr, Mimsy Farmer and Rita Hayworth. The film is based upon Maurice Cury’s novel Sur la Route de Salina. A French- Italian co production, it was shot in English in the Canary Islands.
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Plot
Jonas, a young drifter, is wandering in a deserted area on the road to Salina. He stops to drink some water at a desolate roadside service station, but Mara, the owner, identifies him as her son Rocky, who disappeared four years ago. Jonas is overwhelmed by the awkward situation, but tired and hungry, he accepts Mara’s offer of room and board. Feeling sorry for Mara, he pretends to be her beloved son Rocky. Jonas is soon comfortably assuming Rocky’s identity. Initially he believes that Mara is just delusional, but when Warren, Mara’s old friend and neighbor, arrives for a visit, surprisingly Warren also acts as if Jonas were Rocky.
As Billie, his alleged sister, comes home, Jonas thinks that the game is over and that he will be finally unmasked as an impostor, but even Billie recognizes him as her brother. The attractive and carefree Billie soon take him under her wing, they spend all the time together, go skinny dipping in the ocean and an erotic relationship start between Jonas and his allegedly sister. Everything seem to be fine and Jonas begins to relax in his role as Rocky. Mara, Billie and Warren enjoy a dinner party together celebrating Rocky’s come back.
Realizing that Billie is having a passionate affair with her allegedly brother, Mara and Warren are afraid that the harmony so recently reach would soon be broken. Uneasy, Jonas becomes increasingly interested in finding the reasons for the disappearance of the true Rocky. He has the first clues in his search from Warren, who never expressing any doubt that he is Rocky mention the past and brings to a conversation the name of Rocky’s girlfriend, Linda. In search for answers, Rocky goes to Salina and finds Linda who runs a local restaurant as Warren told him. He drops a glass at the bar to draw attention to himself and Linda is the first person who fails to recognize him as Rocky. Back at the house, Jonas steals from Billie’s bedroom some old photographs and confirms his suspicions that he does not even resemble the real Rocky. When he confront Billie with the truth she tells him that she has lied to protect Mara and that she loves Rocky and wanting him back.
In an attempt to resolve his mounting confusion, Jonas visits Linda again. She tells him that she was going to elope with Rocky the day he disappeared. The surprising visit of Charlie, and old friend of Jonas, once again threatens to completely destroyed the façade that he is really Rocky, but not only Mara and Billie seem totally undisturbed when Charlie calls Jonas by his real name, but Charlie and his companions have a good time with Mara, Billie and the bewildered Jonas. Instead of accepting his friend offer of leaving with him, Jonas stays with Billie and Mara.
Jonas finally learns the shocking truth about the nature of his "sister's" behavior. When Rocky wanted to leave the incestuous relationship with his sister, Billie unintentionally killed him with a rock while trying to stop him. The revelations marks a turning point in Jonas relationship with Billie, from then on she avoids him. Rebuked by her, Jonas explodes during an argument with Billie. Shaking her against a wall, he accidentally kills her. He runs away in the middle of a rainstorm in spite of Mara’s protestations. Mara begs him to stay and offers him to help him hide Billie’s body under the station as she did with Rocky but instead Jonas goes to Salina and tells the sheriff what have happened. The story is told in flashback.
Cast
The film is notable for its cast. Robert Walker jr , is the son of famous actors Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones. It was the last film of Ed Begley who died in April, 1970 and the second to last film for legendary screen siren Rita Hayworth. All Movie/www.allmovie.com/work/sur-la-route-de-salina-41584
- Robert Walker Jr – Jonas
- Mimsy Farmer - Billie
- Rita Hayworth - Mara
- Ed Begley - Warren
- Marc Porel - Rocky
- Sophie Hardí - Linda
- Bruce Pecheur -Charlie
- David Sachs - Sheriff
Sound track
The soundtrack was composed by Georges Lautner. The main theme of the film, named "Sunny road to Salina" was used by Quentin Tarantino in Kill Bill V 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2PM9JPo4Qs It also features songs and music from popular French singer Christophe and French/American/British band 'Clinic' (consisting of Philip Brigham, Phil Trainer and Alan Reeves).
Reception
In the U.S.A Road to Salina had a modest and brief released. Its play-date was usually on the lower half of a double feature. Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times called it " An admirable ambitious film of strictly sophisticated appeal. He described the film as " A fable showing how tragedy can occur when reality intrudes upon the lonely lives of those who live in a world of fantasy". The review in Newsday called Road to Salina " A very strange film... More perversely compelling than it has a right to be". In the Village Voice, Robert Colaciello said: " If your taste runs to 70s actors having 60s sex in a 50s film so that a 40s star can suffer, then Road to Salina is for you "
