Written by: Michelangelo Antonioni (story), Julio Cortázar (short story "Las babas del diablo")
Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles
Rated:--
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!
Plot
A London photographer finds a suspicious detail in the images of a girl he photographed in the park.
Verdict
This is a snapshot of '60s London with all the action of a still photograph. I spent most of the movie wanting something to happen. The murder mystery is secondary.
I can see how this movie gets the recognition it does, but it might take a second viewing for me to begin appreciating it.
Skip it.
Review
The plot is more interesting than the execution. It's part murder mystery and part day in the life of a playboy photographer, but the movie spends too much time on the latter. The mystery isn't introduced until well into the second half of the film.
Thomas goes from shoot to shoot and even stops by an antique store before he snaps a few photos in the park. It's from these photographs and the resulting blow-ups that he discovers a dead body in the background.
Thomas sees the world through a camera lens, creating a certain disconnect. He's capturing the best image of the world, but sometimes the dark parts are hidden in the background. He tries to convince others that there's is a body in the park but fails. While you typically can't trust your own memories, can Thomas trust these grainy images?
I like the ending. We've see Thomas's leisurely life and then he discovers a mystery he can't solve or prove. In one of the last scenes he wakes up and watches mimes perform a tennis match. It pushes the question of was this movie a dream? It could begin to explain the strange murder and the women that throw themselves at him, but it's left up to interpretation.
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