Movie Review Thread

[Puzz3D]

L'Avventura (The Adventure, 1960) by Michelangelo Antonioni is a landmark film that deals with the difficulty of male/female relationships in an afluent world of modern values which are portrayed as less enduring than the old values which no longer work in the modern world. The direction, acting, cinematography and framing of the scenes is all of the highest order. The story is told almost entirely by the visual imagery and the motions of the characters. Space is used to convey emotional separation, and passage through an arch or doorway serves to portray a change in emotional state of the protagonist. In a way, the narrative is a mystery in reverse beginning with a solution and ending with the dilemma. The theme is a search for identity by the protagonist, and this itself was revolutionary at the time considering who the protagonist turns out to be. This film has been very influential. It probably requires two viewings to grasp the significance of every scene, but if you recognize the style of filmaking, you can do it with one viewing.


La Notte (The Night, 1962) by Michelangelo Antonioni is a drama which also deals with a male/female relationship this time about midway through it. The social setting is again alfluent society with the two principal characters on the edge of this, and in a position to choose to enter this society or not. In that society, value is seen as external to the individual while outside that society value is seen as intrinsic to the individual. The couple, portrayed by the excellent actors Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau, are leaning in different directions on this choice, and they also face the crisis of loss of passion for each other. The film's pacing is slow and requires patience to watch, but the question it poses will tell viewers something about themselves depending on how they answer it. As usual, Antonioni doesn't provide an answer. BTW, Lidia is not wandering around Rome aimlessly as some film critics seem to think. What she does is go back to the neighborhood where she and her husband lived when they were first married searching for an emotional connection to her past feelings.


L' Eclisse (The Eclipse, 1962) is Michelangelo Antonioni's final entry into this trilogy of films about the male/female relationship. This film begins with the breakup of a relationship, and follows the woman in her hesitant and uncertain quest for a new relationship. This film takes a great deal of patience to watch; perhaps more than any other film I've seen. It paints a bleak, but honest picture of what many people face in life. Once again it's from the female perspective. The final sequence is powerful in what it suggests about the personal relationship, and the general relationship of people within the environment they have created.


Lady Vengeance (2005) is a drama/thriller by Korean director Chan-wook Park. It's a very well done film about how a quest for vengeance, which is attainable, becomes a quest for redemption which is probably not attainable. There are definite Antonioni influences here, and the film was even released in a black and white version which may indicate that these are direct influences.