Michaengelo Antonioni is an interesting director for me, but do more appreciate him and recognise his influence in films than love him and consider him a favourite. His films are extremely well made and thematically interesting (some like urban alienation being ground-breaking), his directing style is unique and deservedly influential and he does get the best out of good casts in his best work. He is though a polarising director, for while his films fascinate and transfix many they alienate and perplex others and he has been criticised for detatchment, self-indulgence and ambiguity.
His first English language film 'Blow-Up' epitomises all of this for me. Absolutely love 'L'avventura' (though it took me more than one viewing to do so), 'L'Eclisse' and especially 'La Notte', but while acknowledging its numerous good things 'Blow-Up', hailed as a work of genius in its day and considered daring with the at the time innovative use of nudity, left me very conflicted and somewhat cold. This epitomises everything that has been perceived by me of what is generally thought of Antonioni, good and bad, and while it is actually not hard to see why it is highly thought of by some and appreciate what they've said it is equally not hard to see why it has garnered criticism. Don't think it is his most accessible film (of the films seen of his that's 'La Notte', which also emotionally connected with me the most), if anything it's his, or one of his, most polarising and among his more troubling ones.
'Blow-Up' looks fantastic, so cleverly shot and the long takes are a thing of beauty. The setting is evocatively and handsomely rendered too and the editing excites even when relatively understated at times. The minimal use of music is both dream-like and haunting. On a thematic level, 'Blow-Up' is very intriguing and insightful (if not ground-breaking, urban alienation is a common theme in Antonioni films and was explored more effectively before).
Was enticed admittedly when it started and initially it did grab my attention, before the film started trying too hard. Apart from an uncomfortable-looking Vanessa Redgrave, though she does look luminous, the acting is fine. David Hemmings especially does a very good job, creepy and enigmatic, in what was clearly not an easy role for him, considering understanding the character himself from an audience perspective was one of the film's more troubling elements. There are moments of brilliance here in 'Blow-Up' and Antonioni's direction does have thoughtful and striking moments.
Unfortunately these moments of brilliance are too fleeting and my main issue with 'Blow-Up' was not being able to connect with it, whether emotionally or any other way. Not all of Antonioni's films lacked emotional impact, was actually very moved by 'La Notte' and 'L'avventura' and 'L'Eclisse' in their best moments are also powerful. Everything here just felt very detatched emotionally for me and like it was all going for style at the expense of substance (and later sense), and as the film progressed it felt like in this respect it was trying too hard and some of it got very ostentatious. The arty route Antonioni increasingly took over-time in the film became heavy-handed and swamped everything needed to give a film any depth or emotion. The symbolism is confusing in some places and too obvious in others while sometimes adding little. The thrills for the mystery aspect of the very thinly plotted story aren't really here, suspense is but fleetingly and the sexual aspect that was daring at the time doesn't allure enough. Anybody not crazy about ambiguity will find themselves very confounded by 'Blow-Up'.
Ambiguity is not a bad thing sometimes, there have been instances where it has worked and where open-endedness sparks a good deal of fascinating debate. 'Blow-Up' is one of the few Antonioni films for me though where the ambiguity is taken too far and things are left too vague (anybody that found the character development vague in 'L'avventura', and some were, will find it meaty compared to the non-existent development here with a complete cipher of a main character as one can get from any of his films), meaning that it severely affects the coherence. Usually do not have a problem understanding films, but goodness was trying to make sense of too much of 'Blow-Up' a chore or what? Personally found the ending visually striking but incomprehensible, for an ending of an Antonioni film that stays with one forever in a good way the epitome of that is 'L'Eclisse'. With so little emotional impact and a story with not much to it, this is an example where a deliberate film actually feels much slower than it should be and it does get ponderous and heavy-handed. The sparse dialogue is banal at best.
In conclusion, cannot not acknowledge that there are a good number of great things with 'Blow-Up' and it is interesting to see from a historical perspective. But am really, really sorry, it just didn't connect with me and this is being said with deep regret. 5/10 Bethany Cox
His first English language film 'Blow-Up' epitomises all of this for me. Absolutely love 'L'avventura' (though it took me more than one viewing to do so), 'L'Eclisse' and especially 'La Notte', but while acknowledging its numerous good things 'Blow-Up', hailed as a work of genius in its day and considered daring with the at the time innovative use of nudity, left me very conflicted and somewhat cold. This epitomises everything that has been perceived by me of what is generally thought of Antonioni, good and bad, and while it is actually not hard to see why it is highly thought of by some and appreciate what they've said it is equally not hard to see why it has garnered criticism. Don't think it is his most accessible film (of the films seen of his that's 'La Notte', which also emotionally connected with me the most), if anything it's his, or one of his, most polarising and among his more troubling ones.
'Blow-Up' looks fantastic, so cleverly shot and the long takes are a thing of beauty. The setting is evocatively and handsomely rendered too and the editing excites even when relatively understated at times. The minimal use of music is both dream-like and haunting. On a thematic level, 'Blow-Up' is very intriguing and insightful (if not ground-breaking, urban alienation is a common theme in Antonioni films and was explored more effectively before).
Was enticed admittedly when it started and initially it did grab my attention, before the film started trying too hard. Apart from an uncomfortable-looking Vanessa Redgrave, though she does look luminous, the acting is fine. David Hemmings especially does a very good job, creepy and enigmatic, in what was clearly not an easy role for him, considering understanding the character himself from an audience perspective was one of the film's more troubling elements. There are moments of brilliance here in 'Blow-Up' and Antonioni's direction does have thoughtful and striking moments.
Unfortunately these moments of brilliance are too fleeting and my main issue with 'Blow-Up' was not being able to connect with it, whether emotionally or any other way. Not all of Antonioni's films lacked emotional impact, was actually very moved by 'La Notte' and 'L'avventura' and 'L'Eclisse' in their best moments are also powerful. Everything here just felt very detatched emotionally for me and like it was all going for style at the expense of substance (and later sense), and as the film progressed it felt like in this respect it was trying too hard and some of it got very ostentatious. The arty route Antonioni increasingly took over-time in the film became heavy-handed and swamped everything needed to give a film any depth or emotion. The symbolism is confusing in some places and too obvious in others while sometimes adding little. The thrills for the mystery aspect of the very thinly plotted story aren't really here, suspense is but fleetingly and the sexual aspect that was daring at the time doesn't allure enough. Anybody not crazy about ambiguity will find themselves very confounded by 'Blow-Up'.
Ambiguity is not a bad thing sometimes, there have been instances where it has worked and where open-endedness sparks a good deal of fascinating debate. 'Blow-Up' is one of the few Antonioni films for me though where the ambiguity is taken too far and things are left too vague (anybody that found the character development vague in 'L'avventura', and some were, will find it meaty compared to the non-existent development here with a complete cipher of a main character as one can get from any of his films), meaning that it severely affects the coherence. Usually do not have a problem understanding films, but goodness was trying to make sense of too much of 'Blow-Up' a chore or what? Personally found the ending visually striking but incomprehensible, for an ending of an Antonioni film that stays with one forever in a good way the epitome of that is 'L'Eclisse'. With so little emotional impact and a story with not much to it, this is an example where a deliberate film actually feels much slower than it should be and it does get ponderous and heavy-handed. The sparse dialogue is banal at best.
In conclusion, cannot not acknowledge that there are a good number of great things with 'Blow-Up' and it is interesting to see from a historical perspective. But am really, really sorry, it just didn't connect with me and this is being said with deep regret. 5/10 Bethany Cox