24.5.12

Pan and Zoom; Fade to Black

Two film-related posts quite close together, but I'm feeling the vibes at the moment so I'm gonna just roll with it. Once again I'm heading back to the 60s, and by some coincidence all these movies are full of moodiness and mystery. Maybe that's just how things were in the 60s for Italians, generally moody. Us non-Italians thought they just zipped around on their vespa's with pizaz but little did we know that it was all with a pervading sense of melancholy. Which brings us to Michelangelo Antonioni! The name Antonioni is synonymous with mood and melancholy and poignancy - we may not know what the film means but it sure is poignant! There is one actress who was particularly marvelous at personifying Antonioni's poignant vibes and that was Monica Vitti. In my opinion the best Antonioni films - L'Aventtura, L'Eclisse - were the ones filled with shots of Vitti looking enigmatically into the distance. But also part of the appeal were her meticulous outfits, always sensuous ensembles of kitten heels and crisp shirts and pencil skirts and soft sweaters. Everything good about Italian fashion.










































I also can't help but throw in a non-fashion related by quintessentially Antonioni shot to finish off.