Michelangelo Antonioni

Vittoria is a young woman who breaks off the relationship with her longtime boyfriend. When she visits her mother at the stock exchange, she meets Piero. He is interested in Vittoria, but she isn't immediately won over by this slick-looking stock broker. He is so persistent that Vittoria finally caves.

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.

Lidia and Giovanni are a married couple whose relationship is slowly deteriorating. They promised to attend a party, but when they visit a dying friend beforehand it is clear things are going to spiral out of control. As the evening progresses, the vibe between then becomes increasingly toxic.

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.

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.

David Locke is a war reporter who finds himself disillusioned with his job. Thanks to an odd coincidence (an arms dealer dies in the hotel David is staying in), he is able to take on a new identity, hoping this will give his life new meaning. It doesn't take long before the arms dealer's enemies are on David's tail.

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.

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.

Giuliana is suffering from depression. She wants to make a change in her life, so she starts an affair with an employee of her husband's factory. He seems to be the only one who understands what she is going through, while the other people in her life are making light of Giuliana's troubles.

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.