L’Avventura – Film Review

I thought I would discuss “L’Avventura”, the film directed by Michaelangelo Antonioni and released in 1960, which I watched last night. I really enjoyed the style and feel of “Blow Up”, his famous film starring David Hemmings from the mid-60s. “L’Avventura” is also in black and white and has truly masterful and mesmerizing cinematography. It’s the story of the mysterious disappearance of a young woman on a tiny rocky island off the coast of Sicily. In that sense it sort of reminded me of Peter Wier’s “Picnic At Hanging Rock”. The story itself is not as important as the feelings engendered by eerie, stylized and spare cinematography. Probably the overarching theme is the impermanence of love. I hate when people spoil plot elements so I won’t… the story drags at bit at 2 hours and 20 minutes. The really unusual photography got me to hang in there.

I grade this movie B+ for great visuals and solid performances.