Match Cut Director Consensus - Michelangelo Antonioni

[Ezee E]

http://g4rg4ntu4.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/antonioni.jpg

[Ezee E]

L'Avventura - 6.5
Blow Up - 6.5

[dreamdead]

L'Avventura - 9
L'Eclisse - 6.5

The latter deserves a revisit since that impression was based on an experience four years ago, before I had a solid read on his themes and style. He's one of the biggest neglected filmmakers I have. This thread will guide my future exploration, though.

[Sven]

L'Avventura - 8.5
La Notte - 3
Blowup - 8

[Yxklyx]

Story of a Love Affair - 7
Le Amiche - 8
Il Grido - 9
L'Avventura - 8
La Notte - 8
L' Eclisse - 10
The Red Desert - 8
Blow Up - 8
The Passenger - 9

[Mysterious Dude]

L'Avventura - 5
La Notte - 5.5
Blowup - 10
Professione: reporter (The Passenger) - 7

I started watching L'Eclisse once, but about twenty minutes in, I decided it was probably not worth the effort.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

L'avventura - 8
La Notte - 9.5
L'Ecclise - 9.5
Red Desert - 6
Blowup - 10
The Passenger - 8.5
"The Dangerous Thread of Things" from Eros - 1

[Spinal]

L'avventura - 9.5
La Notte - 7
Blow-up - 5.5

[Spaceman Spiff]

L' Avventura - 5.0
La Notte - 6.0
Il Deserto Rosso - 3.5

I find him quite boring. Neat lighting and framing though.

[Stay Puft]

Blowup - 9

Need to see more (too busy this week, unfortunately).

[eternity]

L'avventura- 8.5
Blowup- 10

[Kurosawa Fan]

L'avventura - 9.0
Blowup - 4.0

[Philosophe_rouge]

La Notte 8.5

[Derek]

Story of a Love Affair - 6.5
Il Grido - 7.0
L'Avventura - 10.0
La Notte - 7.0
L'Eclisse - 9.0
Red Desert - 8.0
Blowup - 8.5
Zabriskie Point - 7.0
The Passenger - 5.5
The Dangerous Thread of Things (segment from Eros) - 3.0

[Raiders]

Story of a Love Affair (1950) 8.0
L'Avventura (1960) 8.5
La Notte (1961) 7.5
L'Eclisse (1962) 8.0
Red Desert (1964) 6.5
Blow-up (1966) 6.0
Zabriskie Point (1970) 8.5
The Passenger (1975) 9.0
Beyond the Clouds (1995) 4.5

Still really want to see Il Grido and Le Amiche.

[Robby P]

Il Grido - 9
Blow Up - 3

More people need to see the former. One of the great neo-realist movies.

[Watashi]

Blow Up - 5

[Weeping_Guitar]

Il Grido - 7.5
L'Avventura - 9
La Notte - 8
L'Eclisse - 7.5
Blowup - 8
The Passenger - 8

[Izzy Black]

(Omitting documentery neorealist work)

Cronaca di un amore 8
La Signora senza camelie 6
Le Amiche 8
Il Grido 7
L'Avventura 10
La Notte 7
L'Eclisse 10
Il Deserto rosso 10
Blowup 6
Zabriskie Point 7
Chung Kuo - Cina 7
The Passenger 9
Mistero di Oberwald, Il 7
Identificazione di una donna 7
Beyond the Clouds 8
Lo Sguardo di Michelangelo 8
Eros: Il filo pericoloso delle cose 6

[Bosco B Thug]

Wow, scores are all over the place.

L'Avventura - 9
La Notte - 8.5
L'Eclisse - 8
Red Desert - 6.5
Blow Up - 8
The Passenger - 7

Anyone seen his film I vinti? I think it's pretty hard to find, but its apparently an omnibus film he made early in his career. I just saw the English language segment, which I liked a lot.

[Izzy Black]

He's divisive, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of Antonioni fans on Match-Cut.

[Izzy Black]

Wow, scores are all over the place.

L'Avventura - 9
La Notte - 8.5
L'Eclisse - 8
Red Desert - 6.5
Blow Up - 8
The Passenger - 7

Anyone seen his film I vinti? I think it's pretty hard to find, but its apparently an omnibus film he made early in his career. I just saw the English language segment, which I liked a lot.

I omitted most of his neorealist stuff, but yes, I have seen this film. It is good, albeit stark and confrontational.

[Qrazy]

I omitted most of his neorealist stuff, but yes, I have seen this film. It is good, albeit stark and confrontational.

I've heard Identificazione di una donna is quite good... have some brief thoughts on it?

[Boner M]

Il Grido - 8.5
L'Avventura - 7
La Notte - 7.5
L'Eclisse - 9
Red Desert - 5.5
Blowup - 6.5
The Passenger - 8.5

Gonna watch Story of a Love Affair this week.

[soitgoes...]

The Lady Without Camelias (1953) - 7.5
Le Amiche (1955) - 8.0
Il Grido (1957) - 9.0
L'Avventura (1960) - 9.0
Blowup (1966) - 6.5
China (1972) - 9.0
The Passenger (1975) - 7.5

[Melville]

L'Avventura - 6
Blowup - 4
The Passenger - 6

[SirNewt]

L'Eclisse - 10

Wow, is that really all I've seen?

[soitgoes...]

He's divisive, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of Antonioni fans on Match-Cut.Of the 7 films of his I've seen, 6 have been watched in the past 3 months. I always thought of him as being the "difficult" Italian filmmaker. Difficult in that it was more of a chore to watch, than say Fellini or the neo-realists. Since my mini-Antonioni binge I have come to appreciate him, and really look forward to delving deeper into his works.

[origami_mustache]

Story of a Love Affair - 6
Le Amiche - 6.5
Il Grido - 9
L'Avventura (1960) - 9
La Notte - 8
L'Eclisse - 9
The Red Desert - 8.5
Blow Up - 9
The Passenger - 8.5
Eros (segment "Il filo pericoloso delle cose") - 5

[B-side]

L'Avventura- 7.5
L'Eclisse- 8.5
Blow-Up-9
The Passenger- 8

[soitgoes...]

Blow-Up- 9
L'Eclisse- 8.5
The Passenger- 8
L'Avventura- 7.5

You should order your post chronologically.

[B-side]

You should order your post chronologically.

Will do. My bad.

[soitgoes...]

Will do. My bad.
No worries. It just makes it easier for the tallier.

[Duncan]

L'Avventura - 10.0
La Notte - 8.0
L'Eclisse - 9.0
Red Desert - 8.5
Blowup - 8.0
The Passenger - 10.0
The Dangerous Thread of Things - 4.0

[Amnesiac]

It's been too long since I've last since L'Avventura. Plus, I hate reducing a film to a numerical score.

I'd like to give it a re-watch, though. Perhaps pay closer attention to his often praised use of the telephoto lens. I don't think I truly caught the significance of that the first go-around. Although, thinking on it now, I assume it would serve to underscore the egocentricity (as well as the alienation) of certain characters.

[Spinal]

Plus, I hate reducing a film to a numerical score.

You're not reducing the film. You're reducing your opinion of the film.

[Amnesiac]

You're not reducing the film. You're reducing your opinion of the film.

Yeah, I guess that's more succinct. Still don't like it.

[Ezee E]

RESULTS:
1. L'Eclisse - 8.77 (13)
2. Il Grido - 8.25 (8)
3. L'Avventura - 8.19 (21)
4. The Passenger - 7.96 (14)
5. La Amiche - 7.63 (4)
6. La Notte - 7.27 (15)
7. Blow Up - 7.17 (21)
8. The Red Desert - 7.05 (10)
9. Story of a Love Affair - 6.92 (6)
10. Eros segment - 3.8 (5)

DNQ:
-China - 8 (2)
-Zabriskie Point - 7.5 (3)
-Lady Without Camelias - 6.75 (2)
-Beyond the Clouds - 6.25 (2)

Antonioni Master: Israfel
The Antonioni Killer: Anyone that saw his Eros segment

[dreamdead]

The Antonioni Killer: Anyone that saw his Eros segment

Amen to that. Horrible, horrible segment.

[Izzy Black]

It's been too long since I've last since L'Avventura. Plus, I hate reducing a film to a numerical score.

I'd like to give it a re-watch, though. Perhaps pay closer attention to his often praised use of the telephoto lens. I don't think I truly caught the significance of that the first go-around. Although, thinking on it now, I assume it would serve to underscore the egocentricity (as well as the alienation) of certain characters.

Well, Antonioni did not use the telephoto lens with L'Avventura. It was actually shot with a wide-angle lens - along with L'Eclisse and La Notte. Il Deserto rosso is the first film he shot using a telephoto lens, and used similar to the effects that you were describing. The use of the wide-angle lens in the trilogy should not be diminished, however. The emphasis was on mammoth architecture and an engulfing environment, achieving a similar type of alienation effect that he would capture later with the telephoto lens (for which Hsiao-Hsien Hou is now the master) but in a different way. He was one of the first to introduce the telephoto lens and its possibilities to mainstream filmmaking.

[Izzy Black]

I've heard Identificazione di una donna is quite good... have some brief thoughts on it?

I would say it is a return to form. As for a while, he had been venturing out doing side projects and experimental type things (documentary work and his foray into video for example). In other words, he returns to his central themes of his pre-Blowup era - and in some places, pre-L'Avventura, but perhaps what is most significant about the film is the erotic sensibility would permeate his late career (a la Eros and Beyond the Clouds, perhaps picking up where Zabriskie Point left off). Although, some would argue his earlier work was far more erotic in a sensual way, and that his later work is simply more sexualized. It also contains some self-reflexive and self-conscious ruminations on art that we have seen throughout his career.

[Izzy Black]

Of the 7 films of his I've seen, 6 have been watched in the past 3 months. I always thought of him as being the "difficult" Italian filmmaker. Difficult in that it was more of a chore to watch, than say Fellini or the neo-realists. Since my mini-Antonioni binge I have come to appreciate him, and really look forward to delving deeper into his works.

:)

He makes the audience work - by his own admission - but I think to far a greater reward; at least, as far as I am concerned.

[Izzy Black]

L'Avventura - 10.0
La Notte - 8.0
L'Eclisse - 9.0
Red Desert - 8.5
Blowup - 8.0
The Passenger - 10.0
The Dangerous Thread of Things - 4.0

I approve of these scores =)

[Amnesiac]

Well, Antonioni did not use the telephoto lens with L'Avventura. It was actually shot with a wide-angle lens - along with L'Eclisse and La Notte. Il Deserto rosso is the first film he shot using a telephoto lens, and used similar to the effects that you were describing.

Ah, my mistake. Thanks for letting me know.


The use of the wide-angle lens in the trilogy should not be diminished, however. The emphasis was on mammoth architecture and an engulfing environment, achieving a similar type of alienation effect that he would capture later with the telephoto lens (for which Hsiao-Hsien Hou is now the master) but in a different way. He was one of the first to introduce the telephoto lens and its possibilities to mainstream filmmaking.

Interesting. Yeah, I definitely gotta' give L'Avventura another look. And now that you mention it, I also need to look into more of Hsiao-Hsien Hou's work, too. The only film of his I've seen is The Puppetmaster.

[Izzy Black]

Ah, my mistake. Thanks for letting me know.

No problem. I figured you just got the two confused.


Interesting. Yeah, I definitely gotta' give L'Avventura another look. And now that you mention it, I also need to look into more of Hsiao-Hsien Hou's work, too. The only film of his I've seen is The Puppetmaster.

He's great - I would recommend Three Times, Millennium Mambo, and The Flight of the Red Balloon. I am rather fond of his later work. For earlier work, A City of Sadness is the most important.

[Yxklyx]

:)

He makes the audience work - by his own admission - but I think to far a greater reward; at least, as far as I am concerned.

I think you need to be in tune with him. For some, his films will never work.