Michelangelo Antonioni’s films are landmarks in modern cinema; an honorary Oscar, Palme d’Or, Golden Lion and Golden Bear recipient, he is among the most revered directors of the 20th century. Born in northern Italy, an early talent for drawing developed into an interest in storytelling, and by the mid-1930s, he was writing about film for a local newspaper. During World War II, Antonioni did some work as a screenwriter and assistant director before he began making his own shorts with 1943’s “Gente del Po.”
If these initial efforts resemble the neorealism of Rossellini and De Sica, Antonioni began to stake out new territory with such features as STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR, I VINTI and LE AMICHE, all featuring middle class protagonists. L’AVVENTURA, set in a similar milieu, earned the filmmaker international acclaim and won a Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The story of a fruitless search for a young woman who goes missing during a boating trip, the film launched Monica Vitti to stardom, and became the first of a trilogy (including LA NOTTE and L’ECLISSE) by the director dealing with alienation in contemporary society. Along with breaking new thematic ground, Antonioni forged a distinctive visual style including elliptical long takes and, beginning with RED DESERT, striking use of color.
Capitalizing on his critical cache, he signed a deal with producer Carlo Ponti to make three films in English for MGM. The Swinging London-set mystery BLOW-UP was a huge hit; follow-up ZABRISKIE POINT dove even deeper into generational divides and rock music (with a soundtrack by Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead and others); and for THE PASSENGER, Antonioni cast two of the hottest stars of the moment, Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider. Yet even at the cutting edge of pop culture, what he found was a sense of disconnection, emptiness and existential angst. If these hallmarks of modern life have become more familiar in cinema over the years, they have never been more haunting than in the films of Michelangelo Antonioni.
The series also includes IL GRIDO, IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN and documentary CHUNG KUO – CHINA, as well as several rare Antonioni shorts. Many films will be shown in 35mm film prints. All films are subtitled if the spoken language is not English.
BLOW-UP / IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN
Thu, Sep 13, 2018 – 7:30pm
Egyptian Theatre
L’AVVENTURA
Fri, Sep 14, 2018 – 7:30pm
Egyptian Theatre
LA NOTTE / STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR
Sat, Sep 15, 2018 – 7:30pm
Egyptian Theatre
L’ECLISSE
Sun, Sep 16, 2018 – 7:30pm
Egyptian Theatre
I VINTI / LE AMICHE
Thu, Sep 20, 2018 – 7:30pm
Egyptian Theatre
RED DESERT / IL GRIDO
Fri, Sep 21, 2018 – 7:30pm
Egyptian Theatre
THE PASSENGER / ZABRISKIE POINT
Sat, Sep 22, 2018 – 7:30pm
Egyptian Theatre
Art House Theater Day 2018!
CHUNG KUO – CHINA
Sun, Sep 23, 2018 – 7:30pm
Egyptian Theatre
