When Michelangelo Antonioni received his honorary Oscar in 1995, the Academy asked Jack Nicholson to present it to him.
Wanting to protect a piece of art that he loved, Jack Nicholson bought the rights to the film shortly after its release and kept it out of circulation for many years. In 2003, he entered into negotiations with Sony to re-release the film.
According to director Bernardo Bertolucci, "Michelangelo Antonioni, a great director, had to wait six years after 'The Passenger' to find the money to do a movie. Someone like Antonioni shouldn't be unemployed for six years."
Jack Nicholson observed that Michelangelo Antonioni regarded his actors as "moving space" and nothing more.
Jack Nicholson has said publicly that this film is among his most favorite of his own films. Nicholson actually acquired the rights to the film from MGM (in compensation for a film project that fell through), and he was the principal figure behind the film getting a DVD release.