Customer Reviews

L' Avventura [VHS]

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Monumentally influential film from 1960, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. A disaffected group of idle, rich Italians take a cruise to the volcanic islands south of Sicily. After they pause at one of the islands, one of their number, a beautiful young woman named Anna, suddenly vanishes. Her lover (Gabriele Ferzetti) and her best friend (Monica Vitti) scour the island for the missing girl -- no trace. Like any man in his right mind, Ferzetti's character Sandro almost immediately finds himself attracted to Vitti's Claudia -- she's taken aback at first, but only on a superficial level. The movie then chronicles the search for missing Anna -- and the burgeoning affair between Sandro and Claudia -- back in Italy. The rest you can see for yourself. What *L'Avventura* did for cinema was to shine light on the interiors of the human heart in a way that movies had been afraid to attempt before. The obvious charge one can lay against Antonioni's masterpiece is that it's slow and dull for that very reason -- a film character thinking about something doesn't exactly constitute action-packed cinema. Do understand that this movie is not for all tastes . . . but if you're reading this review, you're probably already curious and are considering buying the movie, to which I say, Take the plunge. *L'Avventura* is about ennui in our modern life -- ennui in our personal lives, ennui in our professional lives. Go ahead, snicker. It's easy to dismiss the subject as pretentious. Perhaps it IS pretentious -- but can you really deny the relevance of the subject matter? Can any man -- deep down in his heart of hearts -- not identify with Sandro, an overgrown boy unhappy in love and work? Can any woman not be impressed with Claudia's inner growth from shallow party-girl at the beginning of the movie to the Rock of Gibraltar she evolves into at the end? *L'Avventura* is a grown-up masterpiece for grown-ups. [Criterion furnishes us with an immersive experience for this movie. You get the brilliant transfer, of course, but you also get instructive commentary from critic Gene Youngblood, from which I certainly learned a lot. The second disc features a documentary about Antonioni made in the mid-60's -- it's very French, very pretentious, and very interesting. It also includes Jack Nicholson, of all people, reading Antonioni's mid-life-crisis screed against traditional morality, another essay in which the director displays a hilarious contempt for the utility of actors in film, and finally some personal recollections from Jack himself, who good-naturedly puts the intellectual director firmly back into place. This whole package is well worth the money, if what I've described is up your alley.]

...this Criterion DVD edition of L'AVVENTURA is a widescreen anamorphic 2-disc set, with the first disc movie-only and the second containing extras. I applaud putting the movie on its own disc, so that there could be less video compression and the picture quality could be at its best (whenever I see a single-disc DVD fully loaded with extras, I immediately wonder if the higher degree of compression needed would cause any compression artifacts on the picture). The picturesque photography of L'AVVENTURA really demands as perfect a video transfer as possible. I'm glad Criterion has delivered on that regard, for this DVD has simply one of the best black-and-white transfer I've ever seen. Efforts have been made to eliminate blemishes frame-by-frame, so this DVD is significantly better looking than Criterion's own laserdisc version made in 1989. There is a "restoration demontration" among the DVD extras that shows how the picture looks before and after the clean-up.

Subtitles have been significantly rewritten compared to the LD. With my limited knowledge of Italian I'm of the impression that the new translations are more literal, closer in meaning to the original dialogs, and have less paraphrasing and abbreviation. For instance, in an early scene where Anna confides to Claudia, the LD subtitle reads, "These separations are awful, believe me." On the DVD it becomes, "It's harrowing having to be apart, really." The use of "harrowing" seems more suitable than "awful" in conveying the connotations of the the Italian word "mostruoso" (atrocious), and "really" is the exact translation of "verimente". In another dialog later in the same scene, the LD subtitle is abbreviated into, "It's not easy to keep going like this...at a distance," whereas the DVD's translation is accurate almost word for word, "It's difficult keeping a relationship going, while one is here and the other there."

The best extra on the DVD is a terrific 1-hour documentary about Antonioni's work. It has numerous interviews of his collaborators (including Fellini) and acquaintances, all of whom give insightful answers about the genius of the director. It mentions a wonderful anecdote: several reporters and writers at Cannes signed a letter of support in reaction to the hostile reception of L'AVVENTURA by others (the full letter is reprinted on the DVD booklet). There is also a wonderful clip of a deleted scene from L'AVVENTURA. My minor quibbles are none of his films is dealt with in any length or depth, and not too many of clips of his films are shown.

Three extras from the LD have been retained on the DVD: the English theatrical trailer, Antonioni's eloquent statement on science versus moral (reprinted on DVD booklet), and the audio commentary by Gene Youngblood. Not on the DVD is the LD's photo gallery of then-and-now comparisons of the locations seen in the film. The DVD also has 3 audio segments: 2 of Antonioni's writings read by Jack Nicholson, and one of Nicholson himself lavishing praises on the director. Of the two Antonioni writings, the first is almost a duplicate of his "science versus moral" statement, and the second is an analysis of the purpose of a film actor.

This director creates meditative films that are certainly not propelled by action or overt themes; his audience is, thus, small, but devoted. The beauty of "L'Avventura" was not so apparent to me until I had the great pleasure of watching a new print on a wide screen the way it was conceived and intended. Admittedly, I'm a big fan of Monica Vitti; I'd probably pay to watch her sit and loll about in anything. This film exerts a certain pull over me because of its focus of spatial relationships and textures, its lovely compositions which make the emotional barreness of its characters all the more distressing. Sure, it's an acquired taste, and will probably not garner any new fans in the age of attention deficit disorder, but the pleasures of letting it slowly work its understated magic on one amount to much more than just surmising it's two and half hours of rich people being aimless. Antonioni cared about the beauty of the natural world, about humans retaining virtue and honesty and meaning in relationships. It may not rank as "entertainment" to watch a world where these qualities have seriously eroded, but it certainly does approach and sometimes achieve art.

L'Avventura is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen and this DVD does it perfect justice. The transfer is pristine reflecting the breathtaking cinematography, and the commentary by film historian Gene Youngblood illuminates Antonioni's revolutionary genius by offering awe-inspiring insight into nearly every scene of the movie. Of all the commentary offered so far by criterion this is by far the best though the film is not necessarily for everyone. The pacing is a bit slow at times for the moviegoer who enjoys films with more action and overt sexuality(though the two lead actresses have beauty enough to leave you enchanted), but L'Avventura is always interesting for fans of film who want to learn more about the technique and art of moviemaking. The documentary provides a good overview of Antonioni's career and Jack Nicholson reads documents that provide knowledge of Antonioni's philosophy of art. If you have enjoyed prior Criterion Collection editions of great films this DVD is perfect for your collection.

"After finishing L'Avventura, I was forced to reflect on what the film meant." -director Michelangelo Antonioni.

This is the greatest film about adult romantic relationships ever made. Every topic is touched on: infidelity, jeaslousy, male preoccupation with sex, female preoccupation with resistance, the urgency of love, and the futility ("why,why,why,why...") Is there a better? Perhaps I am underinformed.

And the sheer beauty! My God, it's enough to make you forget the plot. For picturesque rocky islands and splashing surf, this must be the Ansel Adams of Palermo. This is not to mention the rest of the film. As a friend of mine said, every frame could be in a book of modern photography. Antonioni knows how to frame his shots.

Enough, please, of this film being 'Boredom Personified.' Woe to those who are thoughtless enough to resist assimilating its message. This is not a film for children - or the childish. This film is partly about the psychological issues of love and romance in the modern industrial age. It is partly about keeping the difficulties thereunto connected, in proper perspective. Those who hold such an exercise as tedious, are advised to go back to the mall.

Yet, "For those who wish to listen, it will have a value beyond words."

I saw this film the first time without commentary, obviously, and was really taken aback by it. Everything that has already been said on here about the beautiful images in every frame, and the freshness of approach, etc., I agree with completely. Viewing it from a "normal" movie-watching perspective, the story is very interesting, but a little slow; I probably would have given it four stars. But the entirley new perspective and enthusiasm that is provided by Gene Youngblood's commentary really elevated the film to a higher level for me. The film definitely stands on its own as a great work of art, but the Criterion edition helped me to adjust to Antonioni's style and language much quicker. A great film, transfer, special edition, and commentary. This is well worth the cost if you're looking for something interesting and new. I know this isn't the most helpful review, but I just wanted to add another positive vote for "L'Avventura."

Is there a more apt film made that represents modernism? This story of a woman's disappearance, two people's search for her throughout the duration of the film... sound familiar? It's still being echoed in fiction and film, especially in the latest of the post-modern offering of a Japanese master of fiction: Haruki Murakami's "Sputnik Sweetheart." The barebones of the book resembles the plot of 'L'Avventura'. The themes of the instability of modern-day existence, and the moral bankruptcy/irrelevance are still haunting. Antonioni's direction is architectural and masterful. The vistas are captured in a ghostly sparse way. Movements and shots are resolutely metaphorical - We see people moving away in the distance in divergent directions after a conflicting discussion. Moments of beauty abound throughout... the way a woman's neckline slopes, a crowd of people spilling out from the church to the street... Everything is so well executed, yet doesn't feel clinical. A masterpiece of modernism.

Oblique and elliptic, "L'avventura" is one of the true modernist masterpieces. One of the most common misreadings of the film is that it is merely a critique of the bourgeoisie (see review below). The larger themes of the film, it seems to me, are about the ultimate impossibility of communication, the betrayal of memory and the frailty of human relationships. Far from boring, the film is beautiful, entrancing.

Antonioni has conveyed the spiritual malaise of our age in a film that, granted, moves at a snail's pace and demands the attention and involvement of it's audience. The effort involved is worth the trouble because L'Avventura builds into a powerful experience. Some have viewed the film as Marxist tract against the idle rich but it is more than just that. Non-caring egotism,spiritual emptiness, easy betrayal are some of the major themes. The disappearance of Anna is more of a plot device than anything else; don't get too hung up on it as it is not one of Antonioni's main concerns. A worthy "companion" piece to Fellini's La Dolce Vita and one of the masterpieces of international cinema.

Some people seem to think "L'Avventura" is Antonioni's first 'Great' film. No Way! Antonioni was already up there with the all-time greats with his first two Fifties masterpieces "Chronicle of a Love Affair" and "Le Amiche," (Glad to say "Le Amiche" is now available in a very good transfer on IMAGE DVD with removeable subtitles in all its rapid-fire Italian dialogue glory which you can freeze and study at your own pace) although he didn't become quite the Revolutionary of Cinema until about the time of "Il Grido (The Cry)" which hinted at everything that soon crystalized on the magnificent trilogy of "L'Avventura," "La Notte," and "The Eclipse," & later even expanded into an almost romantic and transcendent view of the future (through individuation & discarding of outdated myths and customs) in the vastly underrated artistic coup-d'etat of American cinema & all of American commercial culture: the awesome post-Hippie tour-de-force "Zabriskie Point" (a multi-million dollar commercial disaster that severely crippled Antonioni's later ability to raise financing).

The superb ultra-dense and illuminating commentary on the first disc of Criterion's "L'Avvenura" by Gene Youngblood (author of the late '60s cinematic theory classic "Expanded Cinema"; for a different take on Antonioni, that goes even deeper than what Youngblood has to say on this disc without becoming didactic or pretentious in any 'film-or-art-school gibberish' way, you cannot do much better than William Arrowsmith's long essay in "Antonioni: Poet of Images";), that alone, along with the pristine transfer of the film itself (only one negligable line in the final party scene which they've reduced to an absolute minimum) would easily be worth the price of 4 movie tickets.
But you also get a second disc which doesn't have too much on it, but what it does have is fantastic: a rare 1 hour mid-'60s French documentary on Antonioni & Jack Nicholson's passionate reading of 3 of Antonioni's most insightful essays (and later a recalling of a hilarious incident on the set of "The Passenger").

Now, for a superstar like Nicholson (who has never embarrassed himself as an artist or sold-out to the Hollywood mainstream despite a thousand and one opportunities & made the producers of "Batman" pay points through the nose for agreeing to appear in that fluff piece) to take the time to pay his respects to a director he truly admires, and promote the sale of this DVD, should teach some of the younger generation of actors something (or even Robert De Niro, who has for many years now, it's pretty friggin' obvious, gone completely mainstream, and is busy doing DVD commentaries for awful pieces of unfunny, brain-dead commerical putritude like "Meet the Parents," that didn't need his commentary to sell a zillion copies!)! The documentary is in Black and White and among other things which are of supreme interest for cineastes, are the rare interviews with Cesare Zavattini (one of the founders of Neo-Realism), Ennio Flaiano (Fellini's and Antonioni's co-writer), Giovanni Fusco (the Rolls Royce to Ennio Morricone's Ford Mustang in the Paisano hierarchy of film composers), Monica Vitti (at home, in the early '60s with Antonioni himself, who doesn't talk to the interviewer & only throws in an occasional comment!), and Fellini (taking a break from filming "Juliet of the Spirits" to talk to the enquiring interviewer about his friend & co-writer on "The White Sheik"). There are some rare, very revealing shots of Antonioni directing films which give you a rough idea of his style of interaction with cast and crew (in one scene, he is shown directing Princess Soraya, the former wife of the Shah of Iran, whom the Shah had divorced for not having borne him a son!). Last but not least, we also get to see the ridiculously vulgar American trailer for "L'Avventura" that tries to sell it to 'high-class' American audiences as some kind of 'sophisticated' European sex-exploitation film by showing every 'provocative' little snippet in the entire film!