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The Passage

Name: The Passage
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Released: 1979
Duration: 99 min

Representation Score

3.4/10

Limited

1979

Director

J. Lee Thompson

Runtime

99 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film succeeds in moving away from standard heroic soldier clichés by focusing on the survival of systemic victims. By highlighting the Jewish diaspora and Basque regional identity, it offers a more nuanced view of historical displacement compared to many contemporary war films. However, the production remains tied to the social hierarchies of the 1930s and 40s. This results in a lack of gender diversity and a complete absence of LGBTQ+ representation, reinforcing traditional archetypes rather than challenging them. Ultimately, the film is a study of systemic injustice. It prioritizes the human cost of fascism over state-centric glorification, making it a meaningful, if not fully inclusive, historical drama.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Passage have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters and does not explore non-straight relationships or identities. The narrative focuses exclusively on ethnic and religious persecutions of the era.

How does The Passage portray gender?

Fair

Male protagonists, such as the Basque shepherd and Jewish businessman, dominate the narrative ability to act. Female characters mostly play traditional domestic or supportive roles within the period's social hierarchy.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Passage?

Good

The story centers the Jewish experience and the displacement caused by National Socialism. Including a Basque shepherd provides regional ethnic specificity and avoids a purely Anglo-centric WWII perspective.

How does The Passage represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques totalitarianism by showing how a predatory state destroys individual ability to act. It highlights the fragility of social structures when faced with radical nationalism.

Does The Passage include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no significant evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in this work.

Present on Screen

Centers the Jewish experience and the realities of displacement during the rise of National Socialism.
Provides regional ethnic specificity through the inclusion of a Basque shepherd.
Offers a critique of totalitarianism and the predatory nature of centralized state power.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight perspectives.
Reinforces traditional gender hierarchies with limited ability to act for female characters.
Does not address physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

During WW 2, a Basque shepherd is approached by the underground, who wants him to lead a scientist and his family across the Pyrenees. While being pursued by a sadistic German.

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