L’Eclisse – Eclipse (Michelangelo Antonioni – 1962)
Published
With the spirit of experimentalism Antonioni was known for as exhibited in this film that serves part of his existential trilogy – I figured we could try a new post format today. Interested? Well read on. The following paragraphs will all have two common characteristics: 1) they all answer a simple question; what I liked about the film and 2) they’re all in a tweet bite size (140 characters), so any piece you particularly like, you can easily share on Twitter by simple copy & paste.
Ready? So here we go!
#Eclipse opens up in a long scene with minimal dialogs. Only facial expressions and interplay with objects. Sea of human greed and shouts coupled with low-tech you're amazed how this 60's Roman stock exchange functioned at all.
#Eclipse Rare capture of Rome's stock exchange. Greed and havoc mixed with 1 minute silence for a passing member.
#Eclipse Vittoria (Monica Vitti) represents past values, looking for true love. Piero (Allan Dellon) - modern greed.
#Eclipse film shot during period of revolutions students, feminist etc. Antonioni warns against blinded by consumerism. Riccardo (Francisco Rabal) and Vittoria (Monica Vitti) and EUR's menacing Fungo in the background.
#Eclipse outdoors scenes shot in EUR - an upscale Roman neighborhood Mussolini built in 1935 for 42nd World Fair.
#Eclipse Shooting bottom-up the Fungo, mushroom shaped tower in EUR, symbolizes period menacing Cuban atomic crisis.
#Eclipse director uses his signature themes of alienation and miscommunication: kissing through glass, ringing phones.
#Eclipse Piero's car (Lancia Aurelia) same as Roberto in Il Sorpasso drove represent modern world, but with price.
#Eclipse #MonicaVitti is great as she can portray 12 conflicting facial expressions at one glance. Amazing!
#Eclipse funny scene with 3rd flr neighbor that is asked to shoot a balloon Vittoria releases. Quite unreal!
#Eclipse Vittoria's mother (Lilla Brignone) represents even such old family institution falls victim to modern avarice.
#Eclipse Antonioni is director of images not words. His notable #FinalScene is a collage of artificial objects no words.
#Eclipse #FinalScene vacant streets, outwardly close-ups, clean architectural, shapes, blinding lamp = apocalyptic.
#Eclipse #FinalScene nature wins: water rivulets, wind turning leaves, and darkening skies.
#Eclipse with this hot tweet-size format are we fulfilling Antonioni's prophecy of over communicating and not at all?
