Three is a 1969 British drama film written and directed by James Salter. The film stars Charlotte Rampling, Robie Porter, Sam Waterston, Pascale Roberts, Edina Ronay and Gillian Hills. The film was released on 23 December 1969, by United Artists.[1][2][3][4]

Three
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Salter
Screenplay byJames Salter
Based onThen We Were Three
by Irwin Shaw
Produced byBruce Becker
StarringCharlotte Rampling
Robie Porter
Sam Waterston
Pascale Roberts
Edina Ronay
Gillian Hills
CinematographyÉtienne Becker
Edited byEdward Nielsen
Music byLaurence Rosenthal
Production
company
Obelisk
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • 23 December 1969 (1969-12-23)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

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Two American college friends travel in Europe near the Mediterranean. They meet many women, but an English tourist catches their attention, and they become friends with her.

Cast

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Reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A first film which allows a not too ostentatiously attractive cast (unknowns at the time; Charlotte Rampling and Sam Waterston about to become more conspicuous with Zardoz and The Great Gatsby respectively) to supply what little personality the project has. Tyro writer-director James Salter subsequently provided the screenplay for Downhill Racer, and Three appears to be a very dry run for the later film: ambiguous action, coolly inscrutable characters, dialogue that is little more than half-heard clichés. ... Three becomes entirely neutral in tone, flatly encompassing a stream of uncomplicated incident that provokes the three travellers ... neither to change nor to reveal themselves. Having decided to tell a story about people instead of simply telling a story, Salter fails to establish their credentials as characters and remains at an awkward remove from their situation; distance unhappily lending no perspective on the exchanges of mumbled banalities. ... Visually, Three maintains the atmosphere of a superior travelogue; thanks to either Salter or his cameraman, the subtle differences between the places visited emerge and blend into a casual summer-time drift of experience. The trouble is that there never seems to be any good reason why we should be drifting in the company of these three."[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Three". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Three (1969) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  3. ^ Dan Pavlides. "Three (1969) - James Salter". AllMovie. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  4. ^ "Three Movie Trailer, Reviews and More". TV Guide. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  5. ^ "Three". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 41 (480): 82. 1 January 1974 – via ProQuest.
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