Saturday 4 April 2009

L'Eclisse

L'Eclisse (1962) - Michelangelo Antonioni

L'Eclisse is the final film in Antonioni's trilogy (preceded by L'Avventura and La Notte) and for me the most visually striking. I kept coming across one particular and intriguing image of an embrace between the two central characters. The light and expression were equally strong and this is what first compelled me to see the film.

The initial breakdown of Vittoria's marriage (played by actress Monica Vitti) leads her to visit her mother who is trying her luck on the stock exchange. This is where she will meet stockbroker Alain Delon. Without going into too much detail and spoiling the plot, what I will add is Antonioni once again demonstrates his skill as a filmmaker. There are similarities with his much later film The Passenger in that the end sequence is not only a joy to watch, but leaves the viewer pensive and is a clever play on editing.












No comments:

Post a Comment