"This is travel writing at its best. As a boy, Chatwin was fascinated by a dried-up piece of skin and hair, said to be from a brontosaurus brought back from Patagonia by a distant cousin and and kept in a glass-fronted cabinet in his grandmother’s dining room. Chatwin’s musings about the brontosaurus eventually led to a trek through Patagonia described in ninety-seven brief chapters filled with sharp observations and crystal-clear prose, gem-like entries in a brilliant diary. The narrative meanders, just as Chatwin did on his journey. Passages describing the stark landscape are juxtaposed with profiles of people encountered, nuggets of historical lore, and the details of rugged overland travel. Readers who insist on a traditional narrative thread might be disappointed, even put off. But for me, Chatwin evokes a serene curiosity that I find ingratiating."

"I love Goldfrapp, I absolutely love Goldfrapp, I’m a huge fan. I think I first heard ‘Strict Machine’ when I was in Germany actually, when I was doing Hair. When I came back I got really into all of their albums. It just reminds me of another time in my life, another chapter. “I was really obsessed with Goldfrapp and I would listen to Black Cherry every time I would go out, and at parties. My first boyfriend and I, I think that was our favourite album. It just reminds me of being young and coming into my own and feeling fabulous. “I'm just going to say it: sex. ‘Strict Machine’ is a very sexual song. I think that was my first boyfriend when I was listening to that. It has a lot of sex memories."

"A vanguard film (again). 1957. A great love story. But mostly a work of overimpressive technical virtuosity. Breathtaking crane shots, hair-raising forest sequences (with a memorable rotating low-angle shot of trees dissolving into one another), an amazing and very swift traveling shot (captured from a tram in movement) in which the lead actress dives into a crowd, looking for the man she loves. We follow her, and once she is stopped by a fence, we tilt up fluidly, and end the scene with a great ensemble shot. Superb art direction, superb lighting, with curtains flying in the wind, hiding the face of the actress, partially lit with lightning flashes. A true work of art. Tatyana Samojlova, who won an award at Cannes for this role, is brilliant and touching, and delivers a rather minimalist performance for its time."