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L'Avventura More at IMDbPro »L'avventura (original title)
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| Index | 79 reviews in total |
105 out of 125 people found the following review useful:
Shallow Characters In A Very Deep Film, 22 March 2005
Author:
Poison-River from Stirling, Scotland
There's something strange going on in this film.
The first time I watched it, it seemed to wash over me without
affecting me in anyway. Later on(and I've read this in other people's
comments here as well) I found images and dialogue from the movie
creeping into my subconscious; entire dreams would take place upon the
island where Anna goes missing(often in monochrome), or I'd start to
compare real life events to those that occur during the film. Did
Antonioni plant subliminal messages within the movie? Probably not.
It's more likely the masterful pace he employs here, coupled with the
busy, deep cinematography is the cause of this. Notice how the
backgrounds NEVER go out of focus, no matter how much is going on
within the frame. Check out the scene about an hour and ten minutes in,
where Sandro and the old man are talking in the middle of an extremely
busy street; nothing blurs or goes out of focus, even when a tram comes
in and out of the shot, nothing loses it's perspective, and as the
scene ends and they walk deep into the shot we can see way past them
and far, far into the distance.
This seems to be why the film has such a deep affect on the
subconscious. The characters are deliberately shallow and are placed at
the very foreground of every shot, yet the backgrounds are rich
tableaux bustling with life. In the scenes on the island where Anna
disappears, we see the main characters always in shot, yet in the
background there is a feeling that something strange within nature
itself is going on. The darkening of the clouds, the sudden mist upon
the water, the rocks falling to the sea, even the sudden appearance of
the old hermit character, all give a certain unease.
There's also the haunting feeling of the film, as Anna's friends begin,
almost immediately to forget about her. Soon, they don't seem to care a
jot about her, and neither, in a sense, do we. It's this feeling of
loose ends and guilt on our part(for joining her so called 'friends' in
forgetting about her so quickly) that leaves the deepest impression.
The characters in this film are so morally shallow(the ending bears
this out) yet they are the reason this film leaves such a strong
impression on those who watch it, and who become captivated by it.
I cant recommend this film to everyone because I know that the
Hollywood Blockbuster has reduced most modern cinema-goers attention
spans to almost zero. But if you fancy a challenge, or merely wish to
luxuriate in classic cinema.....begin here.
47 out of 63 people found the following review useful:
Innovative study on alienation, 1 March 2006
Author:
Alexandar (acanovakovic@gmail.com) from Nis, Serbia
L'Avventura (1960)****
Young woman (Lea Massari) suddenly disappears during a boating trip on
an inhabited island. Shortly afterward, her boyfriend (Gabriele
Ferzetti) and her best friend (Monica Vitti) became attracted to each
other.
However, don't expect the mystery. This is a study of emotional
isolation, moral decay, lack of the communication and emptiness of rich
people in contemporary (then) society. You can easily be bored by the
slow pace and the lack of dramatics of this movie unless you capture
its true purpose. This is "state of mind" or experience film rather
than conventional plot film. Antonioni practically discovered the new
movie language in L'Avventura. By using formal instruments he is
expressing emotions of the characters (loneliness, boredom, emptiness
and emotional detachment) and the viewer is forced rather to feel this
same emotions himself than to be involved in the story and its events.
These formal instruments are: slow rhythm, real-time events, long
takes, visual metaphors like inhabited island(s), fog, extreme long
shots (small characters in panorama) and putting protagonists on
inhabited streets or large buildings and landscapes.
Great cinematography. Forms trilogy with La Notte (1961) and L'Eclisse
(1962).
46 out of 67 people found the following review useful:
10/10, 12 February 2001
Author:
zetes from Saint Paul, MN
I first saw this film about three years ago. It had come up in my reading,
and it sounded interesting. So I rented it. I found it good, if a little
boring. However, later I discovered that it was one of those films that may
not be entirely entertaining when it is watched initially, but that comes
back full force in the memory at a later time. This is true both for this
film, and the only other Antonioni film I have seen, Blowup. Still, tonight
was the first time in three years that I have actually sat down to watch
L'Avventura (and I actually plan to re-rent Blowup in the next couple of
days and any other Antonioni films I might be able to find).
As I have said, L'Avventura has been built up by my mind ever since I saw
it. Was it as good as I made myself think for the past three years? Yes. I
have confirmed my suspicion: L'Aventurra is one of the best films ever made.
In subject, this film is a lot like La Dolce Vita. Its main theme is the
decadent lifestyle of the wealthy. The decadent wealthy in L'Avventura are a
lot worse off, though, than those in La Dolce Vita. At least those who were
living Fellini's version of the sweet life were having fun. Sure, it was
soulless fun, but, while watching the film, this thought, no matter how much
I wanted to suppress it, was pounding in my mind: "Jeeze, I wish I could
party with these people." Their lifestyle seems just plain fun. They may
have to pay for their hedonism in some way, but at least they're having fun
in the meantime! L'Avventura's sweet life is the definition of "l'ennui."
Life to them is an unfortunate event.
The script to this film, as well as anything else about it, is absolutely
ingenious. To simplify things, let us say that the first plot point in the
film is Anna's disappearance. This is the initial problem that the
characters have to deal with. In a film made under the classical guidelines,
this would have been the goal that would have to be solved by the end of the
film. But as L'Avventura advances, the script allows us, or maybe even makes
us, forget about Anna. This process is very gradual (and she never
completely disappears from our minds, especially since Claudia mentions her
so explicitly near the end), but it begins very quickly after she
disappears, with the infamous kiss between Sandro and Claudia. There are
miles of interpretation and discussion left to go, but it is unneccessary to
continue here. This is just a beginning.
The title to this film is, of course, ironic. There is no literal adventure.
One could make the argument that the adventure is one of the mind, but I do
not believe this. The adventure, I believe, is an adventure in reinventing
the cinema.
18 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
A brutal study of alienation., 1 August 2007
Author:
UnholyBlackMetal from Lawrence, KS
Having recently seen L'Avventura and Scenes from a Marriage back to
back they seem as different as it is possible to be. Yet they do share
a common ground, namely humanity's quest for love and understanding and
the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that lie in the way. But whereas
Bergman's film has moments of true warmth and happiness, Antonioni's
L'Avventura is as brutally cold as a Scandinavian winter.
Plot summary is not entirely important (and would spoil potential
surprises), suffice to say that the movie is uniquely structured and
may not proceed the way you expect it to. There is a mystery, and
romance; but not in any traditional sense. The men and women of this
film stumble through a loveless, desolate Italy, occasionally pausing
for forced, wretched couplings. Alienation and the inability for humans
to connect to one another have never been so painfully presented in
film.
While discussing the guilt felt in betraying a mutual friend a woman
asks "How can it be that it takes so little to change, to forget?" to
which the man responds, "It takes even less." Before one of the films
many desperate scenes of impersonal copulation the woman cries out in a
fit of existential despair, "I feel as though I don't know you!" to
which the man responds, "Aren't you happy? You get to have a new
fling." The film is so brutally cynical about friendship, love and
human interaction that it feels unreal. Strange alien landscapes,
magnificently filmed among the rocky islands around Italy serve to
underline the insurmountably barren distances between the characters.
And as they grope and fumble for some kind of connection in the
darkness that surrounds them, the viewer is pulled into their mire as
well.
When they are not desperately searching for some kind of connection
with each other, the characters struggle to come to terms with their
own absurd existence. A man knocks over a bottle of ink, destroying an
art student's in-progress drawing. A woman makes faces in a mirror at
herself. Another woman pretends to see a shark in the ocean she is
swimming in. None of these distractions are remotely successful.
By the time the film has reached its unbelievably cynical ending
(dependant on one of the most effective uses of a musical score in film
history), it becomes clear. These people have lost their way.
This overwhelming bleakness seems like it would create an unbearable
viewing experience, but there is a truth to it all as well.
Companionship is a basic human need, and it can often seem impossibly
difficult to form any real connection. However, what is important is
that it only seems that way, it is not impossible. Antonioni has shown
us only one possible outcome. By watching a movie filled with people
slouching towards oblivion, unable to form even the most basic human
bond, the mind rebels. There must be another way…
16 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
"I Love You... I Hate You... I Feel Nothing", 25 January 2009
Author:
ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico
The circular story, the emphasis on isolation and futility, and the
symbolic use of Sicilian landscape returned with greater strength in
"L'Avventura," the first film in a free trilogy ("La Notte" and
"L'Eclisse" followed) about restless, disillusioned unhappy women and
sensitive, unreliable, soft men...
Some way into the movie and without a careful explanation, a central
affluent character disappears without a trace from a yachting trip...
Few of the group of socialites—wealthy, elegant, bored—come in sight
bothered by what has occurred, and while the girl's neglectful
sweetheart and her best friend (Monica Vitti) pair off in a search
around a remote, uninhabited island, they embark on a spontaneous
exciting intimacy…
The story is simple, but the greatness of the film, however, is in two
parts... First, it analyzes the psychology of the two main characters
in keen and penetrating yet doubtful tones... Second, unconcerned with
the reasons for the girl's unexpected disappearance, Antonioni instead
concentrates on the moral discomfort that drives forward their closest
knowledge to betray her memory...
20 out of 30 people found the following review useful:
The "Adventure" of Existence, 17 April 2000
Author:
mackjay from Out there in the dark
Just looking over the other comments on this page gives an indication of
how
rich yet elusive this masterpiece of Antonioni is. The seemingly limitless
number of interpretations and reactions the film elicits are testimony to
its success in conveying its theme. For Antonioni, life is an "adventure" a
quest for identity and meaning.
It is no accident that the initial group of characters seem to forget all
about their friend who suddenly vanishes on a barren volcanic island. The
unexpected absence seems to open a void of speculation, which the balance
of
the film proceeds to explore.
It should always be remembered that the VISUAL aspect in Antonioni is as
important as the verbal; and, often, it is more important. The characters
continuously gaze at a landscape, run their hands along a rock or some
other
surface as if trying to see or feel what is under the veneer. There is
something almost Eastern in Antonioni's aesthetic. His films seem to view
the material world as an enormous surface illusion. People, the director
has
said, have lost touch with their true origin, as part of the natural world.
Large cities and technology have cut us off, and isolated us from nature.
The modern individual is constantly in search of a primal connection. This
explains the preoccupation with sex in some characters, something Antonioni
calls "serial monogamy". Since sexuality, as Huxley has said, is the only
remaining link to the mystery of life, humans turn more and more to it as
their world achieves greater sophistication and technological
advancement.
Were Antonioni not an artist, such speculations could be either dull or
off-putting. But through a poetic use of image and spare dialogue, he
creates a world of strangely compelling and sympathetic characters. The
viewer is compelled along with them on their "avventura".
In addition, this film makes beautiful case for black and white
cinematography.
29 out of 48 people found the following review useful:
One of the truly great works of cinema, 12 June 1999
Author:
Opio from Oklahoma City, OK
"L'avventura"--"The Adventure", an adventure into the void of the modern
world.
Antonioni's first international success is a subtle masterpiece focusing
on the disappearance of an unhappy woman on an island and her friends'
subsequent search. This is one of my favorite films of all-time. The
composition and camerawork is aesthetically perfect; every frame is
beautiful. The film's subtle psychological exploration is masterful,
dealing with isolation and the protagonist's passive lifestyle forced to
change under new circumstances. The sparse score perfectly fits the
mysterious tone of the picture. Monica Vitti is nothing short of
magnificent in the lead role. Constricting and excess plot details have
been cut away, and the pace is slowed to allow the viewer to take in the
wonderful images and actually think about the meanings and ideas contained
within them. For viewers seeking serious, artful, intelligent, subtle,
visually-stunning 'pure' cinema, this is the epitome.
42 out of 74 people found the following review useful:
A fine series of tableaux, but not a great film., 12 November 2002
Author:
Tom May (joycean_chap@hotmail.com) from United Kingdom
Antonioni's "L'Avventura" is a most curious creation... It may be because
this is the first film of the director's that I have seen, but I found it
wilfully alienating and profuse in its indulgence.
This is first and foremost a cinematographer's film; absolutely astounding
work here at times... there is an artist's eye to these canvases, such scope
and depth to the pictures; it's quite beguiling. This is all said to be
representative of Antonioni's vision of dislocated, isolated figures within
a barren, icily arid Sicilian landscape.
The vision is soundly, perhaps too laboriously executed. Everything moves at
a stubbornly staid, slow pace; surely meant to be symbolic of the odd, inert
existences of the main characters. Inertia is excellently evoked; as is the
emptiness of Ferzetti's character's emotions. Monica Vitti has an incredible
screen presence, yet too much of her character is just built around playing
at being enigmatic. Antonioni's camera revels in capturing this classical
beauty in her languorous glory.
Yet it is the film's studied languor that really does alienate. The first
45-60 minutes, with the central enigma posed, leave one expecting something
more special in the remainder. A hope that is not fulfilled, as the affair
between Ferzetti and Vitti is padded out to its extremes. It's just not so
interesting and involving a film once the action shifts away from the
island. Everything is lingered on for perhaps inordinate lengths of time. Of
course, the photography bewitches, but the actual dramatic matter of the
film begins to grate a little after a while.
There is an excellent usage of subtle, background sounds to create a
naturalistic, slightly unnerving effect, particularly in the island scenes,
which form the most compelling part of the film. Also, the use of extras and
bystanders, particularly late on, in the party scenes, is fantastic. Very
subtle glances and body language from these extras help give a sense of odd
scale about things. Adds a little more ambiguity as well.
There is little dialogue actually in this 145 minute film, and really the
lines that do occur are not always that important; it is a film that rests
on its photogenic lead performers and the intimidating tableaux of the
photography. I did not really enjoy this film as an experience overall; it
disappoints, perhaps because of its comparatively narrow focus, and the way
things are stretched out needlessly. So, a film to be admired, and credited
with a valid "vision", but not one to be loved.
Rating:- *** 1/2/*****
35 out of 62 people found the following review useful:
Love can be worth so little, 28 January 2003
Author:
Mort-31 from Vienna, Austria
What I particularly liked about this film, was, in the first part, the
surreal black-and-white landscape, and how people (literally and
metaphorically) seem to disappear in that landscape. The movie is beautiful
to watch, slow but never boring, an original story featuring complex
characters. The actors are fascinating, they do not do a lot but they
express a great variety of feelings, including the inability to feel in
certain situations.
Of course, there are `themes' too. Basically, the movie is about forgetting;
about the transitoriness of everything abstract, particularly about how
little love can be worth; and I am sure a lot of other meanings can be
gathered from this beautiful movie.
8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
A masterpiece, 26 September 2004
Author:
fandango1 from Rome, Italy
A real masterpiece! Antonioni at his best! He is able to capture in a
unique visual style the tragedy that surrounds people and their
inability to communicate. And yet they are always longing for comfort,
love and forgiveness.
It starts as a mystery but it later goes in search of deep human
feelings. The scenes are so rich you'd be surprised to be completely
mesmerized and lost in his world.
Slow pacing, of course. But what can you expect when you are watching a
movie that look like a moving painting of two hours. You simply have
adjust yourself to the interior beat of this brilliant movie which
opened a decade of successes in Italian cinema history.
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