Roger Ebert's review
Roger Ebert gave three and a half stars, saw its greatness but doubted its perfection because of its unbending characters, lack of women, ending, and relentlessness; the panel says history disproved the doubt.
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:29Read transcript
- The lack of women is acknowledged as a real feature, with screenplay material about Daniel’s impotence helping explain his separation from ordinary society.
- Peter Travers’s decade-best praise and bet on PTA are cited as a contemporary judgment that aged better.
- PTA’s slow camera movement, landscape construction, fresh lumber, and non-linear use of locations make viewers physically follow the image.