Rent L'Avventura (1960)

Italian Arthouse. - L'Avventura review by Steve

Fascinating though complex- and yes, difficult- arthouse classic which famously aroused loud disapproval at its opening in Cannes, though ultimately won a prize. It reflects on the themes which became characteristic of Michelangelo Antonioni’s films: isolation, communication and cultural atrophy.

And there is the familiar satire of some kind of elite; here, of the wealthy fashionistas of la dolce vita. A party of well connected yet trivial socialites visit the volcanic islands around Sicily and mysteriously lose one of their group (Lea Massari). Her partner (Gabriele Ferzetti) and friend (Monica Vitti) try to find her.

The opening titles are scored like a Mediterranean thriller and the disappearance might trigger that kind of story. But the two photogenic sleuths are soon distracted. They have an affair and their lives return to usual patterns. This unwillingness to pursue, or even resolve the puzzle is what got everyone upset at Cannes.

But of course, Antonioni is representing the condition of being alive. The scenes among the rocky islands are the most haunting, illustrating the inert isolation of the characters. Sure, sometimes this is frustrating, even boring, but that’s part of the experience! Antonioni was an esoteric, cerebral film maker, but usually more accessible than this sounds.

Rather Too Long - L'Avventura review by Cato

I'd been looking forward to this film for a long time, but in the end I was rather disappointed in it. The start is very good, and for half an hour you think it's going to be a great film. The photography is superb, and the sea and the stones of the Aeolian Islands are wonderfully filmed. It's just that the cast in the main are rather lackadaisical and somehow uninteresting. Plus at 142 minutes it's far too long and you feel as though you couldn't care less about the rather boring people on show in the end.