L'Avventura (1960)

A woman disappears during a Mediterranean boating trip. During the search, her lover and her best friend become attracted to each other.

Director:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (story), Michelangelo Antonioni (screenplay)

Stars:

Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti, Lea Massari

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Sandro
Monica Vitti	...	Claudia
Lea Massari	...	Anna
Dominique Blanchar	...	Giulia
Renzo Ricci	...	Il padre di Anna
James Addams	...	Corrado
Dorothy De Poliolo	...	Gloria Perkins
Lelio Luttazzi	...	Raimondo
Giovanni Petrucci	...	Il principe Goffredo
Esmeralda Ruspoli	...	Patrizia
Enrico Bologna
Franco Cimino
Giovanni Danesi	...	Il fotofrafo
Rita Molè
Renato Pinciroli	...	Zuria - il giornalista

Storyline

A group of rich Italians head out on a yachting trip to a deserted volcanic island in the Mediterranean. When they are about to leave the island, they find Anna, the main character up to this point, has gone missing. Sandro, Anna's boyfriend, and Claudia, Anna's friend, try without success to find her. While looking for the missing friend, Claudia and Sandro develop an attraction for each other. When they get back to land, they continue the search with no success. Sandro and Claudia proceed to become lovers, and all but forget about the missing Anna.

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Plot Keywords:

island | disappearance | italy | marriage proposal | alienation | 

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Taglines:

A new adventure in filmmaking...

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The boat which the main characters holiday on was seized by the owner for non-payment. This is why the boat appears to be bigger in some scenes as the replacement that Michelangelo Antonioni procured was actually a little larger.

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Goofs

Near the end of the movie, Claudia wakes up and looks at her watch which shows a few minutes before 4:00 AM. She gets out of bed and walks around the room, before a clock chimes three times. It appears Claudia never reset her watch for the time change after leaving the Greek islands and travelling to Italy.

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Quotes

Claudia: I've never felt so shaken in my whole life. Sandro, why don't you help me?
Sandro: I think the only way we can help each other is by staying together.
Claudia: No. I'm sure that's not it.

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Connections

Referenced in Angel (1982)

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Soundtracks

Mai
(uncredited)
Written by Silvana Simoni (as Simoni), Aldo Locatelli (as Locatelli), Arturo Casadei (as Casadei), and Aldo Valleroni (as Valleroni)
Performed by Mina
[sung along to by Monica Vitti]

User Reviews

Shallow Characters In A Very Deep Film

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Mr Bongo Films

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English Greek

Release Date:

4 March 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'Avventura

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cino del Duca, Produzioni Cinematografiche Europee (P.C.E.), Societé Cinématographique Lyre

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min 102 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1