Red Desert

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and written by Antonioni and Tonino Guerra, Il deserto roso (Red Desert) is the story of a woman coping with her existence at an industrial world as she becomes uneasy with the world of modernism. The film is another of Antonioni’s exploration with alienation as it revolves around the world of industrialization and social changes in a world that is very modern. Starring Monica Vitti, Carlo Chionetti, Xenia Valderi, Valerio Bartoleschi, Rita Renoir, and Richard Harris. Il deserto roso is an eerie and mesmerizing film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

Following a car accident that left her mentally ill, the film revolves around a woman who deals with her surroundings and emotional state as well as the industrial landscape that she lives in. It’s a film that explores the modern world and its sense of despair as it reflects on a woman’s state of mind as she feels alone not just by her surroundings but also in her social and family life. Along the way, Giuliana (Monica Vitti) meets a friend of her husband named Corrado (Richard Harris) who is trying to find workers for a project he’s doing in South America. Corrado is attracted to Giuliana as he also understands her feelings of isolation but tells her to accept this new reality she’s in which she’s having a hard time coping with.

The film’s screenplay by Michelangelo Antonioni and Tonino Guerra explores a world where factories, industrial buildings, and shipping docks are what is happening as things such as beautiful beaches and such are pretty much non-existent. For Giuliana, it’s a world she really has no understanding with as she also copes with her emotions as she remains haunted by the accident that nearly killed her but only put her in the hospital for a months as she tells Corrado a story about a girl she knew at the hospital. It’s a story that Giuliana would tell Corrado that would haunt her as her attempts to be part of the party or something social has her feeling lost and lonely. Even as she would encounter things in her own family life that is troubling as she becomes confused over what is happening to her and how can she adapt to an environment that is very cold and desolate.

Antonioni’s direction is definitely entrancing in not just its visuals but also in the locations he sets the film in. Shot largely on location in Ravenna, Italy, the film has this look of a world that feels sort of futuristic but also one that feels very modern but in a discomforting setting. Much of the locations has Antonioni take great stock into not just his approach to framing but also in how the environment matches the sense of turmoil in the mind of Giuliana. It’s a world where there aren’t a lot of colors as Antonioni often gazes into images of dirty puddles, polluted lakes, muddy grounds, and lots of fog as it plays into a world that is just becoming messy and horrifying to be at. Even as there’s a key sequence where Giuliana, Corrado, Giuliana’s husband Ugo (Carlo Chionetti) are partying with some friends in this small shack close to a shipping dock where the few instances of color are later overwhelmed by what is going on outside.

The direction also has Antonioni use close-ups in ways that are just eerie as it plays to the unraveling of Giuliana where she has no clue into what is happening around her. Most notably an incident involving her son Valerio (Valerio Bartoleschi) which only adds to the sense of despair that looms over her. Antonioni’s approach to framing the actors is also very evident in the way it plays to Giuliana’s own sense of detachment from the people around her as the aftermath of the scene at the shack showcases how lost she is. There’s also elements where sound is important as it plays into Giuliana’s own sense of unraveling and how she interacts with her surroundings as there’s another scene with her son where she tells him a story about a world that is much simpler but also has a character who would endure the same confusion that Giuliana would deal with. Overall, Antonioni creates an intoxicating yet unsettling film about a woman coping with loneliness in a very dark and desolate environment.

Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography with its emphasis on dark and desolate colors for many of the film‘s locations in its industrialized environment to the lush colors in the story that Giuliana tells to her son as well as very few bright moments of color that is overwhelmed by the dreary locations. Editor Eraldo Da Roma does excellent work with the editing as it maintains not just this slow yet methodical pace that Antonioni wanted but also in allowing the scenes to play itself out as it adds to the tumultuous despair in Giuliana‘s emotional state of mind. Art director Piero Poletto and set decorator Sergio Donna do fantastic work with the look of the home Giuliana and Ugo live in that is the epitome of modernism as well as the studio where Giuliana owns but has no idea what to do with it along with the shack where Ugo, Corrado, and Giuliana would have their little party at.

Costume designer Gitt Magrini does terrific work with the costumes from the green coat that Giuliana wears as well as some of the very dark clothes that plays into her sense of isolation that she is going through. The sound work of Claudio Maielli is amazing for how it plays into Giuliana‘s state of mind where there‘s moments where it sounds very real as it showcases the modern world at its most disruptive and disconcerting as it‘s one of the film‘s highlights. The film’s music by Giovanni Fusco is superb for its low-key yet haunting score that is largely filled with sound textures and eerie piano pieces as well as electronic music textures by Vittorio Gelmetti that add to the film’s hypnotic and ominous tone as it’s one of the film’s highlights.

The film’s incredible cast includes some notable small roles from Emanuela Paola Carboni as the girl in the story that Giuliana tells to Valerio, Giuliano Missirini as a radio telephone operator Giuliana chats with, Lili Rheims as the operator’s wife who visits the shack, Valero Bartoleschi as Giuliana and Ugo’s son, Aldo Grotti as a German client named Max, Rita Renoir and Xenia Valderi as a couple of guests at the shack, and Carlo Chionetti as Giuliana’s husband Ugo who is often absent due to work as he tries to cope with his wife and her strange moods. Richard Harris is excellent as Corrado as a friend of Ugo who visits Italy for business reasons as he becomes attracted to Giuliana while sharing his own feelings of alienation with the industrial world though he has managed to cope with it as additional credit should go to Giuseppe Rinaldi for being the actor who dubs Harris’ voice in the film. Finally, there’s Monica Vitti in a remarkable performance as Giuliana as a woman who unravels by her surroundings and the trauma she suffered from an accident that left her emotionally troubled as it’s an eerie yet ravishing performance from Vitti that plays into a woman coping with a very complicated and dreary world.

Il deserto roso is a magnificent film from Michelangelo Antonioni that features a haunting yet enchanting performance from Monica Vitti. The film is an intriguing exploration into the world of isolation and how one reacts to a world that is increasingly modern and complicated that would add to a woman’s own despair with herself. Most notably as it has elements that Antonioni is known for but also has elements that are very accessible as it relates to the idea of alienation and existentialism. In the end, Il deserto roso is a spectacular film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

Michelangelo Antonioni Films: (Story of a Love Affair) - (I Vinti) - (The Lady Without Camelias) - Le Amiche - (Il Grido) - L'Avventura - La Notte - L'Eclisse - Blow-Up - Zabriskie Point - (Chung Kuo, Cina) - The Passenger - (The Mystery of Oberwald) - Identification of a Woman - (Beyond the Clouds) - Eros-The Dangerous Thread of Things

© thevoid99 2015

2014 Cannes Marathon: Blow-Up

(Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on the short story Las babas del Diablo (The Devil’s Drool) by Julio Cortazar, Blow-Up is the story of a photographer who believes that he has witnessed a murder from one of his photographs as he is unsure over what he saw. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and screenplay by Antonioni and Tonino Guerra with English dialogue by Edward Bond, the film is a look into the world of 1960s Swingin’ London as a fashion photographer deals with what he might’ve seen as well as the forces who are trying to stop him. Starring David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, and Sarah Miles. Blow-Up is an intriguing yet sensational film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

The film explores the life of a fashion photographer who learns that one of his photographs features a dead body as he tries to figure what happened as well as meet a woman who might’ve been involved. It’s a film that has a man who is this revered fashion photographer who is part of this world of Swingin’ London of the mid-1960s as he is at the center of this burgeoning culture as he has uncovered something that has him see something that he might’ve seen as he becomes targeted for his photograph. On the one hand, it’s an unconventional mystery that plays into the mind of a man who tries to uncover a mystery that isn’t supposed to be solved. On the other hand, it’s a film that has a man who is at the epicenter of British fashion as he comes to term with the role he plays and what else he could as a photographer.

The film’s screenplay follows a day in the life of this photographer named Thomas (David Hemmings) who is driven by his art yet sleeping with models and all of that hasn’t really made him happy as he yearns for something more as his neighbor Patricia (Sarah Miles) is content with not dealing with certain expectations. Upon a stroll at Maryon Park where he watches a couple embracing, he takes photographs where the woman Jane (Vanessa Redgrave) wants the photographs. After a day of errands, Thomas looks into the photos he shot and realizes that Jane towards the body of her dead lover as he tries to figure out if there was a murder. While Thomas isn’t a likeable person, that is one of the aspects of the script that makes him interesting as he would often be cruel to his models or be very dismissive about antiques or art. At the same time, he yearns to be very important or do something important as his encounter with Jane would eventually have him facing some dark realities about what he had shot.

Michelangelo Antonioni’s direction is very stylized not just in his approach to the compositions he creates plays to the desire of artistry that Thomas wants. Particularly in the way he creates fashion shots as Antonioni aims for something that feels real but also lively into the world that is Swingin’ London. Yet, there is that sense of style in the way Antonioni creates the compositions as he knows where to put the actors into a frame while maintaining something that is very entrancing visually while maintaining a sense of ambiguity. Much of that ambiguity involves the mystery over what Thomas saw and some of the film’s second half where Thomas would continuously blow up the photos he took to see if he did see something. While the first half had something that was lively, its tone would change in the second half where it would be this suspenseful film but alone that is very existential.

Particularly in how Thomas views himself as he questions what he saw and what does it mean to him. The third act would be about this journey that Thomas takes where it’s not just him seeking some answers but also one that is very existential. Notably as he would question his own desires as an artist and as a photographer where despite all of his talents, it hasn’t really made him very happy. Overall, Antonioni creates a very dazzling and sensational film about a photographer who deals with the mystery that he might’ve encountered.

Cinematographer Carlo di Palma does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography that is filled with vibrant colors captured in great detail for its interior and exterior scenes as well as the use of lights for Thomas‘ studio. Editor Frank Clarke does brilliant work with its stylish approach to editing such as jump-cuts for some of the livelier moments to more methodical ones for its moment of suspense. Art director Assheton Gorton does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of Thomas‘ studio as well as the club where the Yardbirds are playing.

Costume designer Jocelyn Rickards does fabulous work with the costumes in the many of the stylish fashion clothes that many of the models wear including the clothes that Jane wears. Sound editor Mike Le Mare does superb work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the parties as well as the intimacy in Thomas‘ studio. The film’s music soundtrack is diegetic as it’s played on location which largely consists of very lively and fun jazz pieces by Herbie Hancock who adds a lot of wit and cool to the music while the Yardbirds would make a notable appearance in the film as they play Train Kept-a-Rollin' as their performance would feature early appearances of guitar legends Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page as the music is a major highlight of the film.

The casting by Irene Howard is incredible as it features some notable appearances from the model Veruschka as the model posing for photographs early in the film, the Yardbirds as the band playing at the club, Gillian Hills and Jane Birkin as two wannabe models whom Thomas would later sleep with, Julian and Claude Charin as a couple of mimes, Tsai Chin as Thomas’ secretary, Reg Wilkins as Thomas’ assistant, John Castle as Patricia’s painter husband Bill, and Peter Bowles as Thomas’ agent Ron. Sarah Miles is wonderful as Thomas’ neighbor/former lover Patricia who tries to understand Thomas while being the only person he really trusts. Vanessa Redgrave is excellent as Jane as this mysterious woman Thomas photographed as she wants the photos while being very cagey about her relationship with the man who would be killed. Finally, there’s David Hemmings in a phenomenal performance as Thomas as this photographer who has a lot of talent and is in demand yet feels emotionally-empty until he comes across some mysterious photos he took as it would lead him into a journey into the unknown.

Blow-Up is a magnificent film from Michelangelo Antonioni. Armed with a great cast and a fantastic soundtrack, it’s a film that is engaging in its suspense but also explores the world of art and inner-self. For those new to Antonioni, this is most accessible film where it has a lot of his visual trademarks and themes of loneliness but also infuse it with some style that is just fun to watch. In the end, Blow-Up is a spectacular film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

Michelangelo Antonioni Films: (Story of a Love Affair) - (I Vinti) - (The Lady Without Camelias) - Le Amiche - (Il Grido) - L'Avventura - La Notte - L'Eclisse - Red Desert - Zabriskie Point - (Chung Kuo, Cina) - The Passenger - (The Mystery of Oberwald) - Identification of a Woman - (Beyond the Clouds) - Eros-The Dangerous Thread of Things

© thevoid99 2014

L'Eclisse

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/1/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni with a script he co-wrote with Tonino Guerra, Elio Bartolini, and Ottiero Ottieri. L'Eclisse tells the story of a literary translator who meets a young, energetic stockbroker where for the summer, they engage in a passionate romance. Afterwards, the two try to go for a steady relationship that comes into conflict with their individual lifestyles. Starring Antonioni regular Monica Vitti along with Alain Delon, Francisco Rabal, and Louis Seigner. L'Eclisse is an eerie yet engaging film from the late Michelangelo Antonioni.

After breaking up with Riccardo (Francisco Rabal) after a tumultuous relationship, Vittoria (Monica Vitti) decides to leave him pondering what she does next. After trying to tell her mother (Lilla Brignone) about the break-up, she meets a young stockbroker named Piero (Alain Delon) who is trying to get some stock for Vittoria's mother. Despondent over the break-up, she gets the attention of neighbor Anita (Rosanna Rory) where they decide to hang out with Marta (Mirella Riccardi), who shows her things and objects from Africa. After a wild night where Vittoria dressed up and darkened her skin to look African, dogs go loose where Vittoria ponders her newfound loneliness. She decides to go with Anita on a trip.

Back in Rome, the stock market takes a dive as Piero tries to help Vittoria's mother with her losses as he's overwhelmed with all that he has to deal with. Vittoria watches in how the people are losing their stock as she has a brief chat with Piero that leads to an attraction. After a night of dealing with stock losses, Piero decides to go to Vittoria's apartment to chat with her as he waits outside where a drunk (Cyrus Elias) steals his car as it's later plunged into a nearby lake. The next day, Piero and Vittoria check out the scene as they walk and chat as an attraction ensues. Yet, Vittoria is resistant of Piero's advances but when she tried to call him, she's unsure. The next day, they meet again as they go to Piero's apartment as she sees his rooms filled with rich things and a quiet town as their affair begins. Yet, the affair is doomed due to Piero's devotion to his work and Vittoria's mood swings as changing times also affects them and the people around them.

The theme of alienation, that is prominent with several of Michelangelo Antonioni's films, is key to what the film is about. Yet, it's also about loss. For Vittoria, a relationship comes to an end for her prompting her to engage in various mood swings where at times, she's happy but most of the time is feeling depressed. For Piero, a young man driven by gambles and making money for himself and everyone else loses control when the stock market takes a dive as his world of materialism becomes unhinged. The two protagonists engage in an affair yet their own different environments and personalities is what keeps them in having a relationship. What the film is really about is two people, lost in their own worlds, getting together only to realize how different they are. Antonioni and co-screenwriter create a film that's essentially a study on isolation. Not just emotionally but also physically.

The physicality of the theme of isolation is largely due to the eerie, mesmerizing direction of Antonioni. With very little dialogue, lots of sound work, and atmospheric compositions, Antonioni also sets the stage of what might happen as the world changes. There's scenes where the physical locations and objects like a water barrel or Rome itself sets up the sense of loneliness as the two protagonists are desperate for some kind of connection. The film's final sequence that involves a series of images of the physical locations to emphasize the film's theme while adding to the fate of Vittoria and Piero's relationship.

Antonioni's direction is something not everyone will enjoy as the film starts off slow (like a lot of his films) yet often come out very rewarding in its second and third act. There's a scene in the film where Vittoria is doing an African pantomime but with darkened skin that might conjure up the idea of black face. Now, it's a scene that will make audiences uncomfortable. It again reveals the troubled mood swings of Vittoria as she tries to make herself happy until one of her friends at the party tells her to stop. Antonioni isn't trying to imply anything racist but is more interested in what this woman is trying to do in order to keep her mood upbeat. Yet, it's followed by a scene of dogs running around a road where her mood goes down once again. What those scenes and many other confirms is the genius of Antonioni and how he's willing to study the themes of loss and isolation.

Cinematographer Gianni Di Venanzo does spectacular work with the film's black-and-white look with wonderful interior, nighttime shading and the exterior look of the film where at night. The night lights in those scenes are very exquisite and adds a moodiness to emphasize the film's title. Even the final sequence with shots of grey colors are wonderful for its mood as Di Venanzo's work is wonderful to watch. Editor Eraldo Da Roma does excellent with the film's slow yet methodical pacing to allow the audience to interpret in what's going on as it's rhythm works to convey the moodiness Antonioni wanted.

Art director Piero Poletto does excellent work with the set design in the look of Marta's home filled with African artifacts while the home of Piero is more posh and materialistic to convey his unique personality. Costume designers Bice Brichetto and Gitt Magrini do great work with the costumes from the slim yet gorgeous skirts that Monica Vitti to the suits that Alain Delon wears. The sound work of Renato Cadueri and Claudio Maielli is amazing for its haunting approach to the capturing of the winds, the frenzy of the stock market, and the ghost-like feel to the locations the protagonists are in. The music of Giovanni Fusco is mostly filled with dark yet subtle arrangements as it plays to the film's eerie mood of the film.

The small yet amazing cast is wonderfully assembled with small performances from Cyrus Elias as a drunk who steals Piero's car and Louis Seigner as an old yet wise advisor of Piero. Rosanna Rory and Mirella Riccardi are good as two of Vittoria's friends who try to help raise Vittoria's mood with Rory as Anita is a character dealing with her marriage with Riccardi as the more adventurous Marta. Lilla Brignone is excellent as Vittoria's mother, a woman driven by gambles and the stock market until the crash as her money and livelihood becomes threatened. Francisco Rabal is very good as Vittoria's bland yet good-natured boyfriend who is desperate to want to remain together despite their problems.

The film's leading performances from Monica Vitti and Alain Delon are a major highlight of the film. Vitti displays an intoxicating beauty mixed in with troubled emotions as her character is intriguing to watch as a woman dealing with mood swings and trying to fit into a world that she doesn't really know much about. French actor Alain Delon is great as the energetic Piero, a man driven by gambles and success until the crash as he ponders if there's more to a world of gambling and materialism. The chemistry between Vitti and Delon is wonderful to watch with their banter and attraction to each other as it's filled with sex appeal and restrained emotions.

L'Eclisse is an incredible film from the late Michelangelo Antonioni thanks to the superb performances of Monica Vitti and Alain Delon. While fans of Antonioni and Italian cinema might see this as essential, it's a film that is also essential to the world of art-house, international cinema. Though mainstream audiences might be turned off by its slow pacing and lack of a traditional plot. It's a film that is more in tune with emotions and atmosphere as it conveys Antonioni's themes of loss and isolation. In the end, L'Eclisse is an engrossing yet harrowing film from the late, great Michelangelo Antonioni.

Michelangelo Antonioni Films: (Story of a Love Affair) - (I Vinti) - (The Lady Without Camelias) - Le Amiche - (Il Grido) - L'Avventura - La Notte - Red Desert - Blow-Up - Zabriskie Point - (Chung Kuo, Cina) - The Passenger - (The Mystery of Oberwald) - Identification of a Woman - (Beyond the Clouds) - Eros-The Dangerous Thread of Things

© thevoid99 2013

La Notte

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and written by Antonioni, Tonino Guerra, and Ennio Flaiano, La Notte (The Night) is the story about the day in the life of a married couple whose marriage is disintegrating as they spend the night confronting the state of their marriage. The second part of Antonioni’s alienation trilogy that was preceded by L’Avventura and later followed by L’Eclisse. The film is an exploration into marriage and how people fall out of love in the course of one night. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau, Monica Vitti, and Bernhard Wicki. La Notte is an entrancing yet eerie film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

Told in the span of 24 hours, the film explores the life of a married couple where their marriage is in a state of disintegration where they later attend a party one night as it becomes clear how far apart they’ve become. It is a film that plays into the idea of a couple falling out of love but it is set in modern Italy in the city of Milan where things are changing radically. Not just in the way where the places that Giovanni (Marcello Mastroianni) and Lidia Pontano (Jeanne Moreau) once used to frequent are disappearing but also other things in their life emotionally and socially. Giovanni is a renowned author who feels like he has reached the peak of his career as people ask him endless questions about how to be a great writer. Lidia is a woman who is just frustrated by the state of her marriage as she is unsure of where she is at in her life. All of which plays into this party where Giovanni and Lidia each frequent into their own adventures while dealing with their sense of alienation in themselves and in each other.

The film’s screenplay has this very unique structure where its first half is set in the day and the evening yet the second act is spent largely at night at this party. Notably as its first half showcase the growing division between Giovanni and Lidia where they spend the day together visiting their ailing friend Tomasso (Bernhard Wicki) at the hospital where Giovanni later has a strange encounter with nymphomaniac patient as they later attend a party for Giovanni’s new book where Lidia wanders around Milan. Lidia’s journey and Giovanni’s encounters with strange things including the adulation he receives both would have some serious repercussions for the two as they decide to have a night together going to a nightclub and later attend the party. It’s this party that drives the film’s second half where it’s clear that even though they attend the party as a couple. They’re both in very different worlds based on the way they behave at the party and the people they encounter.

Though Lidia is wracked with grief and sentimentality, she does meet a man named Roberto (Giorgio Negro) whom she dances with but it’s only she spends time with after Giovanni would meet the party host’s daughter Valentina (Monica Vitti). Lidia’s observation at the party only showcases how lost she is where despite the fact that she’s well-dressed and being treated graciously by the hosts. She doesn’t feel like she’s fitting in where she later becomes more depressed until she meets Roberto where she considers having a brief fling. Giovanni’s encounter with Valentina would be playful but also would have Giovanni face some revelations about himself as Valentina is this intriguing young woman who has ambitions but is also uncertain about herself. Yet, it just adds to Giovanni’s own sense of confusion as he’s often asked by many about his work and such where he doesn’t have the answers while Valentina’s father (Vincenzo Corbella) would offer him a job which surprises Giovanni who admits that he doesn’t need the money. The course of the night would lead to Giovanni and Lidia coming together where they are forced to face the realities about themselves and their marriage.

Michelangelo Antonioni’s direction is very exotic in the way he presents the film as this very intimate yet haunting portrait of alienation. Notably as he opens the film with images of Milan from an elevator as it’s going up and down to showcase a world that is definitely changing. It’s a world where Giovanni and Lidia don’t seem to recognize as it could be stated as a visual metaphor for their own disintegrating marriage. Notably as the long sequence of Lidia wandering around Milan from the city to its outskirts where she witness a fight and later witnesses young men shooting rockets off to the ground near the old home that she and Giovanni lived in when they first got married. Giovanni would be alone at the apartment he and Lidia lived in where the images that Antonioni creates showcase a man at a crossroads in his life as he’s looking out at the city and other buildings around him.

Antonioni’s direction is filled with these striking compositions and images that has some of the actors be placed into the edge of the frame or use something like the mirrors at the villa to express a sense of detachment that is happening around them. Notably the film’s second half where Giovanni and Lidia both go into their own adventures as Antonioni uses the wide and medium shots to showcase their growing alienation amidst this era of decadence where people are having a good time. Though Giovanni would have fun at first and later Lidia, both definitely feel lost as the film progresses where Giovanni’s time with Valentina would be playful but also filled with some dramatic moments as Valentina would have this monologue to state about the idea of being the other woman.

Even as she would also have a moment with Lidia where two women just talk as it would play to Giovanni’s own sense of isolation. It would all come to this final scene as it is told with such simplicity but also a moment that is quite intense dramatically about how far Giovanni and Lidia have come in the course of an entire day. Much of it has Antonioni gazing at the camera with these shots that are quite long where many of what he does won’t be for everyone yet it expresses the sense of loss that is prevalent throughout the film. Overall, Antonioni creates a very chilling yet ravishing portrait of a couple falling out of love.

Cinematographer Gianni De Venanzo does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography with its use of shadows to convey that sense of loneliness as well as many of the interior and exterior lighting schemes to help set a mood that includes the scenes set at night. Editor Eraldo Da Roma does excellent work with the film‘s editing where it is quite straightforward in terms of its cutting while it spends most of its time not wanting to cut for some of the film‘s most entrancing moments. Production designer Pierro Zuffi does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the villa where the party is held to the apartment home where Giovanni and Lidia live in.

The sound work of Claudio Maielli is brilliant for its mixing and array of sounds to play into the sense of loneliness and growing modernism that is prevalent throughout the film. The film’s music by Giorgio Gaslini is superb for its jazz-based score that is played on location at the party scenes along with a very moody, ominous piece at the film’s opening credits scene.

The film’s incredible cast includes some notable small performances from Giorgio Nergo as the man Lidia meets in Roberto, Vincenzo Corbello and Gitt Magrini as Valentina’s parents, Roberta Speroni as an old friend of Lidia’s at the party, and Rosy Mazzacurati as a fan of Giovanni’s work who keeps asking him questions about writing. Bernhard Wicki is excellent as Giovanni and Lidia’s ailing friend Tomasso who is happy with their presence though he would cast a haunting presence on Lidia who is really close to him. Monica Vitti is amazing as Valentina as this very charming young woman who woos Giovanni yet is uncertain about becoming a married man’s mistress.

The performances of Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau are remarkable in their respective roles as Giovanni and Lidia Pontano as a couple falling out of love. Mastroianni has this presence that is full of charm and wit but also a sense of humility and uncertainty as a writer who thinks his brains can’t really offer enough importance to the world as he is also troubled by his lust for other women. Moreau is far more entrancing in the way she conveys this woman as a frustrated wife who feels lost in her world as everything from her past is going away as she is also trying to see if there’s any future. Mastroianni and Moreau create this chemistry that is quite interesting to display this sense of detachment that is lurking around them as they just add that sense of emotional weight to bring this couple falling out of love.

The 2013 Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio under a new digital restoration from a 4k film transfer and Dolby Digital Mono sound with English subtitles. The DVD includes a few special features that relate to the film and its filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni. The 27-minute interview with film critic Adriano Apra and film historian Carlo di Carlo about the film and Antonioni. Apra dominates most of the interview as he talks about the film and its themes with di Carlo talking about Antonioni and his approach to the film. Both of them dwell into many of the visual traits of the film as well as its theme on alienation as it is truly an engaging little featurette about the film.

The 31-minute interview with Harvard professor Giuliana Bruno about the architecture of the film. Bruno plays into a lot of the visual style that Antonioni wanted with the buildings of Milan that was to present something that seemed abstract and metaphoric. Notably to convey the sense of something that is happening and Antonioni’s fascination with that world. Bruno also reveals the importance of the use of the mirrors and glasses in the film that helps adds to the visual style as it’s a very compelling piece that explores Antonioni’s visual style. The DVD also includes a 3-minute trailer that presents the film in an offbeat way.

The DVD/Blu Ray set also includes a booklet that features two pieces of text relating to the film. The first is an essay entitled Modern Love by film critic Richard Brody of the New Yorker. Brody’s essay talks about the film and its approach to abstract art as well as play into its theme of alienation in tune with the disintegrating marriage between Giovanni and Lidia. The second piece of text is from the late Michelangelo Antonioni which is an article he wrote for a French newspaper to coincide with the film’s release. Antonioni talks about the inspiration for the film and small tidbits about the development for the film as both text pieces are wonderful accompaniments to the film and its DVD extras.

La Notte is an enchanting yet exotic film from Michelangelo Antonioni. Thanks to its ravishing yet abstract visual style and the performances of Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau, and Monica Vitti. It’s a film that explores alienation at its most haunting as well as the idea of love fading away. While it’s not an easy film to watch due its lack of strong plot and slow, methodical pacing. It is still a film that captures the idea of the end of a marriage. In the end, La Notte is a phenomenal film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

Michelangelo Antonioni Films: (Story of a Love Affair) - (I Vinti) - (The Lady Without Camelias) - Le Amiche - (Il Grido) - L'Avventura - L’Eclisse - Red Desert - Blow-Up - Zabriskie Point - (Chung Kuo, Cina) - The Passenger - (The Mystery of Oberwald) - Identification of a Woman - (Beyond the Clouds) - Eros-The Dangerous Thread of Things

© thevoid99 2013

Voyage in Time

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and Tonino Guerra, Voyage in Time is a documentary about Tarkovsky’s travels to Italy as he prepares production for his film Nostalghia. The documentary has the filmmaker talking about his work and his love for cinema. The result is a compelling piece on the legendary Russian filmmaker.

The film is essentially the story of Andrei Tarkovsky working on the screenplay for his sixth film Nostalghia with screenwriter Tonino Guerra as they scout locations in Italy. Throughout the film, the duo discuss cinema and life as they figure out how to tell a story for this project. Even as there’s a scene where Guerra gets a call from Michelangelo Antonioni as Tarkovsky wants to say “hi” to the Italian filmmaker whom he cites as one of his favorites. Still, it is about the creative process where Tarkovsky and Guerra are trying to create ideas for this project. Through these beautiful places that includes the airy pool that was shown in Nostalghia.

Through the camera work of cinematographer Luciano Tovili and the straightforward editing of Franco Letti, the film captures the scenery of the Italian locations with wonderful wide shots to display its beauty. Even as there’s amazing compositions of where Tarkovsky would place himself in the frame against a certain location.

Voyage in Time is a marvelous documentary film from Andrei Tarkovsky and Tonino Guerra. It’s a film that fans of Tarkovsky must see to hear his views on film and life as well as a look into the creative process of writing a screenplay. In the end, Voyage in Time is a superb film from the duo of Tonino Guerra and Andrei Tarkovsky.

Andrei Tarkovsky Films: Ivan's Childhood - Andrei Rublev - Solaris - The Mirror - Stalker - Nostalghia - The Sacrifice

Related: The Short Films of Andrei Tarkovsky - One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich - The Auteurs #14: Andrei Tarkovsky

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