Movies
One of Antonioni's better films, but I keep struggling with his somewhat unalluring characters, and the overall noisiness of Italian cinema. There are moments when I managed to get into the flow of the film, usually when everybody was quiet and going about their business. Monica Vitti and Alain Delon are both solid, it's just that I never really cared that much whether they got together or how their relationship would fare. Maybe it was the something dull juxtaposition of their characters that left me cold, but it wasn't until the finale that I actually felt some emotion.Read all
Not as bad as I expected. I'm not a big Antonioni fan, and the idea of an Italian couple spending the night at a rowdy party didn't sound too appealing. But the film is surprisingly restrained and though the drama itself didn't really do anything for me, there are some memorable moments here. I didn't care much for the characters, nor their marital troubles, but Antonioni keeps things pretty subtle (which isn't my experience with classic Italian drama). The black and white cinematography is solid and there are some beautiful shots, the dialogues feel somewhat forced though, and the runtime is a bit excessive. Not the worst though.Read all
An early Antonioni. I was glad to see his work is a bit different from the typical neo-realist films that were all the rage in Italy at the time, on the other hand I'm not really a big fan of films about the film business either, as they tend to get a little too self-indulgent (and whiny). For the most part, Antonioni seems to avoid that pitfall. The cinematography is stark and clean, but a little uneventful. The same can be said about the soundtrack. For someone who's described by many as a "mood director", I'm not quite convinced of Antonioni's skills yet and The Lady Without Camelias didn't do much to change that feeling. Performances are decent (and surprisingly subdued) though and the plot was interesting enough to keep my attention. I can't say I was completely intrigued, but it never started to drag and it even managed to get a little better near the end. It makes for a solid, though rather basic drama. If I'm honest though, I expected worse.Read all
I've been making decent inroads into Antonioni's oeuvre these past few years, but so far he hasn't been able to wow me. His films tend to be quite long and slow and they don't really appeal to my sense of style. The Passenger is no exception, it's a typical gritty 70s thriller, not really my cup of tea. I wasn't too impressed by Nicholson's part, I didn't really care for Antonioni's style and two hours is quite long for a film that often moves at a glacial pace. I did appreciate that Antonioni has a clear sense of direction and even though I didn't like it all that much, it is a film that lingers. It's just not for me.Read all
Only my second feature-length Antonioni, this time in color and in English. Sadly it didn't make that much of a difference, while I understand the film's historic significance I found the actual result to be quite underwhelming. I do believe it did explain a thing or two about Antonioni's segment in Eros, which I felt was by far the weakest in that anthology. It's always a bit of a gamble when directors make a film in a language that isn't their own. It's no surprise then that the performances felt very stiff and unnatural. Redgrave and Hemmings looked incredibly uncomfortable and uncertain of what they were supposed to be doing, which is not a good start for a film that spends so much time circling its main character. Blow-Up is very much a mood piece though, a true relic of the 60s. That's pretty cool for people who like the 60s, personally I couldn't care less. The music was atrocious, the cinematography looked rather grim and the fashion and styling were ugly as can be. And even though there are a handful intruiging scenes, they are few and far between, and they get completely overshadowed by the ones that miss their target. Not impressed.Read all
Antonioni is clearly a stylist, but not to a degree where the cinematography can really carry the film. It all comes down to the characters and their problems then, who never seem to gel with me. Spending two hours with the cast of Red Desert is quite the ordeal, not good for a drama. Though the styling is pretty precise, the drab colors and somewhat crude editing do the visuals no favor. The performances are pretty weak, the characters didn't grab me and the pacing is dead slow. It's not all bad and at least Antonioni has a clear point of view, the drama just isn't for me.Read all
My first Antonioni, not a big success. The black and white cinematography doesn't do justice to the beautiful setting, the acting is mediocre and the dialogues feel forced. It all stands in the way of the drama, which is cold and lifeless. And why this needs to be 140 minutes long, who knows ...