Eclisse, L’ / Eclipse, The (1962)

Eclisse, L’ / Eclipse, The (1962)

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“All those billions, lost — where do they end up?”

Synopsis:
A young woman (Monica Vitti) who has just broken up with her lover (Francisco Rabal) finds new romance with the earnings-focused stock broker (Alain Delon) of her mother (Lilla Brignone).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alain Delon Films
  • Italian Films
  • Michelangelo Antonioni Films
  • Monica Vitti Films

Review:
This third entry in Antonioni’s informal “trilogy of alienation” — following L’Avventura (1960) and La Notte (1961) — once again features his muse and lover, Monica Vitti, in a central role; and, similar to the two earlier titles, its storyline — this time taking place in the EUR of Rome — isn’t exactly jam-packed. As DVD Savant writes in his synopsis of the film: “The camera simply observes a series of events in a young woman’s life that show her responses — or more accurately, her difficulty in finding responses — to what seems a random and soul-less existence.”

Indeed. Of course, there is a lot more going on thematically for those interested in digging deeper; as Professor Richard Read notes in his analysis of the film:

“It is widely recognized that Michelangelo Antonioni’s film L’Eclisse is a late Italian Neo-Realist critique of the alienating effects of capitalist reification, mass society, mechanization, dysfunctional gender roles and urban living in Cold War Rome.”

Yep. All that, for sure — though as a straightforward movie-watching experience, the film remains less than compelling. However, Vitti and Delon are a beautiful couple to look at:

… and Gianni Di Venanzo’s cinematography is top-notch. Especially noteworthy are the energetic stock trading scenes, filmed with real brokers as extras to add to the verisimilitude.

Note: If you’d like to geek out on the role of architecture in this film, be sure to watch James Macgillvray’s talk.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Fine cinematography


Must See?
No, though most film fanatics will probably be curious to check it out.

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

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One thought on “Eclisse, L’ / Eclipse, The (1962)”

  1. First viewing (8/1/21). Not must-see. Only for Antonioni fans.

    I can’t help feeling that, after ‘L’avventura’ was widely well-received (its notorious, ill-reception at Cannes notwithstanding), Antonioni got the idea that a trilogy on the theme of alienation was just what was needed in cinema. I don’t think he realized that one good film on the subject (from him) was enough.

    This finale in his thematic-trio of films is rather tedious, with dialogue that often flips back and forth between banal and ridiculous.

    Nevertheless, it’s also the type of film that certain critics and other filmmakers adore. (The trilogy has been called a “unified statement about the malady of the emotional life in contemporary times.” Whatever, dude.) Of ‘L’eclisse’, Scorsese said it “felt less like a story and more like a poem.” Well, it *is* less like a story, much less.

    I can’t argue with people who view its particular visual style as poetic, or its sense of ennui as existential. But it sure ain’t easy to sit through.

    As I see it, Antonioni is either ‘on’ or ‘off’ in his inspiration. This flick is ‘off’. Still… like you, I’ll give it points for the urgency and vitality in the stock-trading scenes.

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