My favorite Italian director is Fellini but I have to admit that I also love Michelangelo Antonioni and his unique voice in cinema. I know that his work is not everybody’s cup of tea but that’s what makes him so incredible and thus unforgettable. There is so much emotion and beauty in his films despite many complaints regarding flaws in plot structure or characterization that you still can’t help falling in love with his films. Even when you’re annoyed by his patented abrupt and seemingly negative endings you still appreciate the experience in total. His films require more than one viewing and you have to let them settle in for a while before judging them. Time has been very kind to the maestro for his best works are aging like fine wine. Here are the films that I consider Essential Michelengelo Antonioni.
L’Avventura (1960) is considered to be part of an existential trilogy of love and isolation followed by La Notte (1961) and L’Ecclisse (1962). Many include Red Desert (1964) as part of this series of isolation in the modern age of Man. Yes, the unanswered questions will irk you at first but you will come to appreciate it all.
La Notte (1961) Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau are a couple on the verge of breakup. They visit a dying friend and then deal with the realization that they might not be in love with each other anymore.
L’Eclisse (1962) Monica Vitti and Alain Delon starred in this third film of the trilogy. The chemistry between these two beautiful stars was powerful. Alain was french but starred in many Italian classics including Vischonto’s Rocco and His Brothers. The ending might leave you scratching your head but trust me, this movie is a priceless gem.
Red Desert (1964) Antonioni’s first film in color is a brilliant masterpiece. He used all of his artistic skills as a painter and made celluloid his canvas with the gorgeous Monica Vitti as his Mona Lisa. They were lovers during this incredible period of filmmaking.
Blow Up (1966) This is Michelangelo’s best work in most people’s mind. It came to symbolize the generation with its hip cool story about a photographer and all of the beautiful models that surrounded him. A gorgeous young Vanessa Redgrave shined brightly in this one.
Michelangelo made some other quality films before and after these films that I’ve selected such as 1955’s Le Amiche (The Girlfriends) and The Passenger in 1975 starring Jack Nicholson but I think the five that I picked out should be considered merely a starting point into the amazing body of work from one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time.
