{"id":85652,"date":"2022-07-20T13:45:23","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T20:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=85652"},"modified":"2023-12-18T20:37:36","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T03:37:36","slug":"avventura-l-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=85652","title":{"rendered":"Avventura, L&#8217; (1960)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;How can it take so little time to change, to forget?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/LAvventura-Poster2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/LAvventura-Poster2-210x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-85662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/LAvventura-Poster2-210x300.png 210w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/LAvventura-Poster2-90x128.png 90w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/LAvventura-Poster2-189x270.png 189w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/LAvventura-Poster2.png 665w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter her best friend Anna (Lea Massari) mysteriously disappears during a boating trip in the Mediterranean, a young woman named Claudia (Monica Vitti) unexpectedly falls in love with her friend&#8217;s fiance, Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Italian Films<\/li>\n<li>Michelangelo Antonioni Films<\/li>\n<li>Monica Vitti Films<\/li>\n<li>Mysterious Disappearance <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;slow, enigmatic work by Michelangelo Antonio&#8221; &#8212; which &#8220;many critics consider infuriatingly shallow and others think is fraught with insight into the psyche of the rich&#8221; &#8212; is a &#8220;pessimistic film&#8230; about the tenuous nature of modern relationships, the inability of people to communicate verbally, the lack of joy in lovemaking, the meaningless and alienated lives of the rich, the realization that we&#8217;ll all disappear from the face of the earth and that life, such as it is, will continue (and we will fade from memory).&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Massari.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Massari.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"556\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-85656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Massari.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Massari-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Massari-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Massari-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Massari-497x270.png 497w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He points out that the &#8220;film is very slow-paced, has no real storyline, [and] uses dull dialogue to express the dullness of the uncommunicative characters.&#8221; He notes that while he personally finds &#8220;the film fascinating,&#8221; he now knows &#8220;better than to recommend it to the casual moviegoer.&#8221; Finally, Peary highlights the &#8220;mesmerizing photography by Aldo Scavarda.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-Window.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-Window.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"556\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-85657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-Window.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-Window-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-Window-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-Window-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-Window-497x270.png 497w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I agree that it&#8217;s easy to see how this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/films\/209-l-avventura\">&#8220;challenging&#8221;<\/a> film would divide audiences. It&#8217;s gorgeous and provocative, but requires patience and some intentional analysis to appreciate the points its director seems to be making. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/99-l-avventura-a-present-absence\">Geoffrey Nowell-Smith&#8217;s essay for Criterion<\/a>: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>From the moment that Sandro\u2019s pursuit of Claudia is suddenly converted into mutual passion, the film\u2019s momentum changes. Anna recedes into the background, but her absence continues to haunt the narrative, right until the very end. This absence &#8212; which is also a presence &#8212; is a key to the film. It inevitably brings to mind Hitchcock, who plays with a similar motif in <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18126\"><em>Rebecca<\/em> (1940)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28420\"><em>Vertigo<\/em> (1958)<\/a>, and also dispatches his heroine early in a film exactly contemporary with <em>L\u2019Avventura<\/em> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5177\"><em>Psycho<\/em><\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>However, Nowell-Smith points out a crucial difference between Antonioni and Hitchcock&#8217;s approach: Antonioni did not provide easily discernible reasons or motivations for anything that happens (or doesn&#8217;t happen) to his characters; they simply exist and (inter)act. Antonioni followed up this film with three others also starring Vitti: <em>La Notte<\/em> (1961), <em>L&#8217;Eclisse<\/em> (1962), and <em>Red Desert<\/em> (1964); I&#8217;ll be reviewing and comparing those soon. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Monica Vitti as Claudia<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"556\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-85658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Vitti-497x270.png 497w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Aldos Scavarda\u2019s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Final-Shot.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Final-Shot.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"556\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-85660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Final-Shot.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Final-Shot-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Final-Shot-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Final-Shot-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Avventura-Final-Shot-497x270.png 497w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical relevance as &#8220;Antonioni&#8217;s breakthrough film.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Foreign Gem<\/li>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/reviews\/?page_id=1458\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0053619\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/3197\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4659avve.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1961\/04\/05\/archives\/screen-lavventurafilm-by-michelangelo-antonioni-opens.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/99-l-avventura-a-present-absence\">Criterion Essay<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/81006\/lavventura#articles-reviews?articleId=25864\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;How can it take so little time to change, to forget?&#8221; Synopsis: After her best friend Anna (Lea Massari) mysteriously disappears during a boating trip in the Mediterranean, a young woman named Claudia (Monica Vitti) unexpectedly falls in love with her friend&#8217;s fiance, Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Italian Films Michelangelo Antonioni Films Monica Vitti Films Mysterious Disappearance Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: Peary writes that this &#8220;slow, enigmatic work by Michelangelo Antonio&#8221; &#8212; which &#8220;many critics consider&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=85652\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=85652"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94087,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85652\/revisions\/94087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=85652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=85652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=85652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}