Blow-Up (1966) Antonioni

Probably one of my new favorite movies, the favorite I've watched so far this semester. As if I didn't want to live in the 1960s badly enough, now I wish I was living in the 60s in London.

(1) Basically this movie is very plotless- a plot starts but then it kinda doesn't go anywhere. There are random gratuitous scenes that just make no sense but capture the essence of the 60s. Thomas is a fashion photographer who gets really sick of it, so he decides to go to the park and take some landscape pictures. Because he's a womanizer he sees this couple in the park and starts taking photos. When the woman discovers him she freaks out and demands the film. He says no. When he develops the pictures he notices something strange and thinks he sees a gun killing the male in the park. When he goes to check it out he sees the body dead. Then he goes back with his friend the body mysteriously disappears. Now this seems like a straightforward plot but add a random threesome, tennis with mimes, thomas buying a propellar from an airplane for no apparent reason otehr than he's got to have it and a musical performance by the Yardbirds and then you have this movie. (I like how I wrote plotless yet this is the longest plot summay I've written)

(2) How does one critique the acting in this film. There's no dialogue in half the film. It's more action filled but this action is standing doing nothing. So I don't know if I can provide a fair assessment of the acting.

(3) The mise-en-scene is just utterly brilliant. To just capture the 60s to such perfection is mind numbing. Though bizarre it's just so beautiful. To the lighthing, costumes, music, editting, it's just so.... 60s.

(4) You will either love this movie because you enjoy the 60s or you will hate it. There's no inbetween. You will it either brilliant or just plain silly. I give it 5 out of 5 stars because I can find no flaws. It's brilliant combination of contemporary life and traditional italian neo-realism is just something that I applaud.