A few months ago Michelangelo Antonioni passed away and there were a number of tributes paid to the Italian Director.
Although it was a few years ago, I vividly recall a number of the scenes from the feature - "Blow Up" - which affected me greatly both personally and professionally.
The film was set in the swinging sixties in London, England.
The images in the park still resonate; in particular, those of a mime playing a surreal game of tennis which casts nagging doubts in the mind about illusion and reality.
For their day the ideas were thought-provoking and ground-breaking.
The visionary auteur was capable of going beyond boundaries - and as a result - he exacted his own inimitable style.
For this reason, he was a director's director.
Martin Scorsese was asked to reflect on Antonioni's body of work.
In a discussion on "L'Aventura", Scorsese noted:
"His visual language was keeping us focusing on the rhythm of the world: the visual rhythms of light and dark, of architectural forms, of people positioned as figures in a landscape that always seemed terrifyingly vast. And there was that tempo, which seemed to be in sync with the rhythm of time, moving slowly, inexorably, allowing what I eventually realized were the emotional shortcomings of the characters - Sandro's frustration, Claudia's self-deprecation - quietly to overwhelm them and push them into another adventure, and then another, and another."
Further, he reflected that,
"His characters floated through life, on impulse to impulse, and everything was eventually revealed as a pretext: the search was for a pretext for being together, and being together was another kind of pretext, something that shaped their lives and gave them a kind of meaning."
Scorsese emphasized that Antonioni seemed to open up new possibilities with each new unveiling. For example, he points out that the last seven minutes of L'Eclisse were even more terrifying and eloquent than the final moments of an earlier picture considered part of a trilogy.
"Antonioni brings us face to face with time and space, nothing more, nothing less. And they stare right back at us. It was frightening. It was freeing. The possibilities of cinema are endless."
According to Scorsese - Antonioni realized something extraordinary - the pain of simply being alive. And, its mystery.
Kevin Thomas, a Los Angeles Times critic, noted:
"He had the uncanny ability to capture the undercurrents of a particular time and place."
This observation was particularly true in respect to "Zabriskie Point".
At a recent screening it became painfully obvious that in contrast to "Blow Up" - which remains timeless, in many respects - "Zabriskie" appears dated and locked in some-kind-of Twilight Zone.
Undoubtedly, it's due to the fact the piece is set in the turbulent sixties.
In this instant case, Antonioni's vision was hindered by his methods - the pregnant pauses, the off-kilter slant on realism - and ultimately - Zabriskie Point sank in a sea of dashed hopes and good intentions.
A lot of style without substance!
For the most part, the camera shots tended to be gimmicky, too.
This is particularly true in respect to one scene where an architect leans back in a comfortable easy-back chair. Antonioni elected to shoot up from below - strategically setting the character within a frame of his choosing - against a startling vivid blue sky in the background.
As a result, the direction is not seamless, but glaring instead.
In a scene at the sand dunes later, clever camerwork, awesome lighting, and remarkable filmmaking technique, evoke a surreal quality to the desert which is breathtaking. Antonioni's manipulation of the senses manages to conjure up scintillating images - but without legs to stand on - they fall flat. However, the scenes are seductive, none-the-less.
In many respects - "Zabriskie Point" - appears to be an experiment.
A psychedelic one, at that.
In sum, Antonioni's intriguing message appeared to be all about the shifting states of mind that struggle for safer ground.
For a number of bang-on reasons, critics quickly panned the effort, unfortunately.
In my estimation, the obvious was overlooked for the most part.
Antonioni captured the mood of the era, and the instinct of a younger generation, seemingly so distant now.
Today, the celluloid moments - precious as they are in a biographical or historical sense - jump out like a sore thumb but are relevant none-the-less.
In sum, "Zabriskie Point" is a little clunky and unnatural in form.
But, the images are intriguing to watch.
For Scorsese they are,
"Images that continue to haunt me, inspire me. To expand my sense of what it is to be alive in the world."
Ah, there's a heightened sense of that aliveness, for sure!
No comments:
Post a Comment