Death and the Compass (film)

{{short description|1996 film}}

{{use American English|date=September 2020}}

{{use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Death and the Compass

| image = Death and the Compass FilmPoster.jpeg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Alex Cox

| producer = {{Unbulleted list |Karl Braun|Lorenzo O'Brien}}

| writer = Alex Cox

| based_on = {{based on|Death and the Compass|Jorge Luis Borges}}

| starring = {{Unbulleted list |Peter Boyle|Miguel Sandoval|Christopher Eccleston}}

| music = Pray for Rain

| cinematography = Miguel Garzón

| editing = Carlos Puente

| studio =

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|1996|08|05}}

| runtime = 96 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $3,500,000 (estimated){{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

| gross =

}}

Death and the Compass is a 1996 American thriller film written and directed by Alex Cox, based on Jorge Luis Borges' 1942 short story of the same name. It stars Peter Boyle, Miguel Sandoval, and Christopher Eccleston. Mexican actress Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez also appears.{{Citation |title=Death and the Compass |url=https://mubi.com/films/death-and-the-compass |access-date=2023-03-17 |language=en}}

The film was originally a 55-minute drama made for Spanish TV/BBC in 1992.{{Cite web |last=Quail |first=Great |date=2018-09-28 |title=Borges Film – Death and the Compass |url=http://shipwrecklibrary.com/borges/borges-film-death-and-the-compass/ |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=Shipwreck Library |language=en-US |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109173329/http://shipwrecklibrary.com/borges/borges-film-death-and-the-compass/ |url-status=live }} Producer Karl Braun found further money to expand the film into a feature, but the film was not completed for four years. It was filmed on location in Mexico City.

The soundtrack was composed by Dan Wool and Pray for Rain.