Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni – Like Fellini, Antonioni has his roots in neorealism. He made documentary shorts early on, but soon turned towards highly stylized dramas. While neorealism uses landscape or external social environments to define human beings, Antonioni presents landscape and characters as a mystery. Antonioni’s films are slow, spare, and do not draw clear conclusions; they are the opposite of Fellini’s films in many ways. Antonioni’s films include scenes of nature and modern architecture to reflect the internal states of his characters. Some claim that Antonioni’s films contain characters that are boring, but Mast and Kawin point out that his films are often about living with ambiguity. Antonioni’s films communicate things that are impossible to put into words and cannot be resolved.
One of Antonioni's most well known films is L’Avventura (1960). The film is about a group of friends that go to an uninhabited island. One of the friends Anna (Lea Massari) disappears and her friend Claudia (Monica Vitti) and lover Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti) try to find her. They never do find Anna and seem to give up trying as the film progresses. Sandro and Claudia become lovers and Mast and Kawin suggest that the film expresses that betrayal is a fact of life.
In the following clip, the search for Anna communicates the loneliness and alienation of the modern world.
L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960):
Clip we saw in class was them walking around the rocks yelling Ana!
1)Has roots in Neorealism
2)Made documentary shorts in the beginning
3)Turned style to highly stylized dramas
4)Films are slow, spare and do not draw clear conclusions
The opposite of Fellini films in many ways.
5)Films include scenes of nature & modern architecture "to reflect the internal states of
his characters.
6)Mast & Kawin say the films are about living with ambiguity.
7)Hi films communicate things impossible to put into words or resolve.
"While Neorealism uses landscape or external social environments to define human beings,
Antonioni presents landscape and characters as a mystery."
L'Avventura (1960) his most well known film.
It's about friends that travel to an unihabited island. One friend disappears, the other two become
lovers and kind of forget about her. Mast & Kawin suggest film expresses that betrayal is a fact
of life.
In l'Avventura clip: Anna (the one who goes missing) communicates the loneliness & alienation of the
modern world. L'Avventura trailer - Click Here
Blow Up (1966)
Blow Up (1966) is about a fashion photographer (David Hemmings) who believes he has unwittingly captured a murder on film. The film comments on the nature of knowledge...that everything we believe to be verifiable or true is really an illusion or façade. The more we investigate something, the less we understand about it: a murder in a photograph or love, truth etc. The following clip shows Thomas witnessing mimes "playing" tennis. As the mimes continue, we (or Thomas) hear (witness) the reality of people playing tennis via the soundtrack. Antonioni uses the scene to comment on the uncertainty of truth and belief.
About a fashion photographer (David Hemmings)
He believes he photographed a murder
The film comments on the nature of knowledge "that everything we believe to verifiable or true is really an illusion or facade. The more we investigate something, the less we understand about it: a murder in a photograph or love, truth."
In Blow Up film clip - Thomas witnesses mimes 'playing' tennis. In the background her hears people real people playing tennis. "Antonioni uses the scene to comment on the uncertainty of truth and belief."
See Trailer
Click here for Trailer of Blow Up
A Blog Post discussion on Blow Up Click Here
Post Class:
A BLOG discussion on L'Eclisse
Click Here for the Blog discussion
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