L'eclisse (1962)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (scenario and dialogue) &
Tonino Guerra (scenario and dialogue) ...

Release Date:

20 December 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A young woman meets a vital young man, but the love affair is doomed because of the man's materialistic nature.

Plot Keywords:

Stock Market | Translator | Rome | Psychological Drama | Lobby

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Alain Delon	...	Piero
Monica Vitti	...	Vittoria
Francisco Rabal	...	Riccardo
Louis Seigner	...	Ercoli
Lilla Brignone	...	Vittoria's Mother
Rosanna Rory	...	Anita (as Rossana Rory)
Mirella Ricciardi	...	Marta

Also Known As:

Eclipse (USA)
L'éclipse (France)
The Eclipse (UK)

Runtime:

118 min | Hungary:125 min | Argentina:97 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Portugal:17 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1994) | UK:A (original rating) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Rome Stock Exchange, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cineriz

Trivia:

Final part of the unofficial "Incomunicability Trilogy" also including L'avventura (1960) and La notte (1961).

Quotes:

Vittoria: As long as we were in love, we understood each other. There was nothing to understand.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Monty Python's Flying Circus: The Money Programme (#3.3)" (1972)

A Haunting and Enigmatic Journey

In many ways, "L'Eclisse" is the quintessential film from Antonioni's vintage period. Less beautiful than "L'Avventura", it compromises nothing in its exploration of human disaffection. The director himself has stated the humans are out of joint with their world, because of a kind of over-civilization, mainly through technology. And sexuality remains a final realm of mystery and contact with natural human physicality. For this reason, many characters in his films move from one sexual liaison to another, with no sense of any deep involvement: the attempt to connect in this way is futile. A real connection to the natural world has been lost. Humans have constructed a cold, efficient surface for the world which is difficult or impossible to penetrate. In an unconscious attempt to penetrate, to understand, characters seem continuously to grope and search.

"L'Eclisse" is especially memorable for its strange juxtaposition of the imagery of modern city life (in particular the Stock Exchange scenes; the car running into the river) with that of natural, or more primitive states (Monica Vitti's African dance; the fossilized plant). And the final sequence is almost overwhelming in its science-fiction-like presentation of a silent eclipsing of mankind in his own environment.

Vitti is the perfect Antonioni actor. She displays just enough emotion to realize the character, but is malleable enough for the director to illustrate his theme through her. Alain Delon never looked more handsome. He conveys the spiritually empty stock broker quite effectively.

Unfortunately, prints of this film are not in the best condition. It is time to restore it, along with "La Notte" to the technical standards they deserve.