Synopsis:
A novelist (Marcello Mastroianni) and his wife (Jeanne Moreau) spend a challenging evening together, including attending a party where Mastroianni flirts with a beautiful young woman (Monica Vitti) and a playboy (Giorgio Negro) pursues Moreau.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Italian Films
• Jeanne Moreau Films
• Marcello Mastroianni Films
• Marital Problems
• Michelangelo Antonioni Films
• Monica Vitti Films

Review:
The second of Michelangelo Antonioni’s so-called “alienation trilogy” — after L’Avventura (1960) and before L’Eclisse (1962) — was this similarly (slowly) paced film showing us a day and a night in the lives of a well-to-do couple whose relationship has clearly reached a point of impasse. After visiting their dying friend (Bernard Wicki) in the hospital:

… Mastroianni is briefly seduced by a disturbed young woman (Maria Pia Luzi) down the hall:

… while nonchalant Moreau wanders the streets of Milan, observing life and landscapes around her.

That night, the couple head first to a nightclub, where they watch an erotic dance:

… and then to a party, which takes up the entire second half of the film.

Mastroianni is attracted to the daughter (Vitti) of the party host (Vincenzo Corbella):

… while Moreau allows herself to be distracted by a man (Giorgio Negro) who’s shown interest in her.

As with most other Antonioni films of the period, that just about sums up the narrative. While it’s beautifully shot, this one is only must-see for fans of his work.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Gianni Di Venanzo’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look.

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review
• Time Out Capsule Review