Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor, who wrote and directed 19 feature films and over 20 short films. Regarded as among the defining figures of slow cinema, his work is characterized by their visual composition, minimalist narrative style, and recurring themes of alienation, modernity, and human relationships; his films are widely recognized for their influence on the development of international art cinema. He began his career as a film journalist for the Ferrara newspaper Il Corriere Padano after graduating from the University of Bologna in 1935. In 1940, Antonioni moved to Rome, where he briefly attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and worked as a screenwriter and assistant director while contributing criticism to the magazine Cinema, edited by Vittorio Mussolini. In 1942, Antonioni co-wrote A Pilot Returns with Roberto Rossellini and served as assistant director on Enrico Fulchignoni's I due Foscari. The following year, he traveled to France to assist Marcel Carné on Les visiteurs du soir and began work on his directorial debut with Gente del Po (1947), the first of several Italian neorealist short documentaries, which, although filmed in 1943, was not released until 1947.
In 1948, Antonioni continued directing documentary shorts, including N.U. (Nettezza urbana), Sette canne, un vestito (Seven Reeds, One Suit), Superstizione (Superstitions), and Roma-Montevideo, works that reflected the influence of Italian neorealism, depicting the moral and economic conditions of post-World War II Italy. The following year, Antonioni wrote and directed the 1949 short documentary film L'amorosa menzogna (Lies of Love) was screened at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival. In 1950, Antonioni made his feature-length directorial debut with Cronaca di un amore (Story of a Love Affair), which won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Score for Giovanni Fusco the following year, while Antonioni received a Special Nastro d'Argento for its "human and stylistic values." Antonioni's next feature was the I vinti (The Vanqueshed, 1953) a triptych of stories about juvenile delinquency set in France, Italy, and England. He continued exploring themes of social alienation in a series of feature films, including La signora senza camelie (The Lady Without Camellias, 1953), about a young film star's rise and fall; and Le amiche (The Girlfriends, 1955), which follows the lives of middle-class women in Turin. Il grido (The Outcry, 1957) marked a return to working-class subjects, depicting a factory worker and his daughter.
With Le amiche, Antonioni began to develop a more experimental narrative style that used fragmented storytelling, extended takes, and an emphasis on the psychological states of his characters. He continued this style with L'avventura (1960), which became his first international success despite a mixed reception at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize. The film marked the beginning of Antonioni's "alienation trilogy," which was followed by La notte (1961), which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, and L'eclisse (1962). His first color feature, Il deserto rosso (Red Desert, 1964), continued these themes and is sometimes regarded as an extension of the trilogy. All four films starred Monica Vitti, who was Antonioni's partner during this period.
Antonioni later signed a three-film agreement with producer Carlo Ponti that granted him artistic freedom to make English-language films. The first, Blowup (1966), became an international critical and commercial success, winning the Palme d'Or at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. It was followed by Zabriskie Point (1970), set against the backdrop of the American counterculture, and The Passenger (1975), starring Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider. In 1972, Antonioni directed the documentary Chung Kuo, Cina, followed by the experimental color film Il mistero di Oberwald (The Mystery of Oberwald, 1980) and Identificazione di una donna (Identification of a Woman, 1982). After suffering a stroke in 1985 that left him partially paralyzed, he returned to filmmaking with Beyond the Clouds (1995), co-directed with Wim Wenders, and concluded his career with Il filo pericoloso delle cose (The Dangerous Thread of Things, 2004), a segment of the anthology film Eros. In 1994, he received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of his contributions to cinema.
Feature films + YearEnglish titleOriginal titleDirectorWriterEditorNotes1942A Pilot ReturnsUn pilota ritornaWith Ugo Betti, Gherardo Gherardi, Rosario Leone, Margherita Maglione, Massimo Mida, Vittorio Mussolini, and Roberto Rossellini; made with the co-operation of the Italian Air Force.The Two FoscariI due FoscariWith Gaetano Campanile-Mancini, Mino Doletti, and Enrico Fulchignoni; based on Lord Byron's 1821 play of the same name. The Devil's EnvoysLes visiteurs du soirUncredited1947Tragic HuntCaccia tragicaCo-written with Giuseppe De Santis, Corrado Alvaro, Umberto Barbaro, Carlo Lizzani, Gianni Puccini, and Cesare Zavattini.1950Story of a Love AffairCronaca di un amoreCo-written with Daniele D'Anza, Silvio Giovannetti, Francesco Maselli, Piero Tellini; story inspired by the James M. Cain novel The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934); Antonioni's feature-length directorial debut.1952The White SheikLo sceicco biancoWith Frederico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli.1953The VanquishedI VintiCo-written with Giorgio Bassani, Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Diego Fabbri, Roger Nimier, and Turi Vasile; anthology film of three separate stories in three different countries.The Lady Without CameliasLa signora senza camelieCo-written with Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Francesco Maselli, and Pier Maria Pasinetti.Love in the CityL'amore in cittàcomposed of six segments, each with its own director, including Antonioni Carlo Lizzani, Dino Risi, Federico Fellini, Francesco Maselli and Cesare Zavattini, and Alberto Lattuada.1955The Girl FriendsLe AmicheCo-written with Suso Cecchi d'Amico and Alba de Céspedes; based on Cesare Pavese's 1949 novella Tra donne sole (lit. "Among women only" or "Among single women").1957The CryIl GridoCo-written with Elio Bartolini and Ennio De Concini.1958TempestLa tempestaAlso second unit directir1959Sheba and the GladiatorNel segno di RomaAfter director Guido Brignone fell ill during the production, Antonioni and Riccardo Freda were brought in to complete the film during the final days of shooting.1960The AdventureL'AvventuraCo-written with Elio Bartolini and Tonino Guerra.1961The NightLa NotteCo-written with Ennio Flaiano and Tonino Guerra.1962The EclipseL'EclisseCo-written with Tonino Guerra and in collaboration between Elio Bartolini and Ottiero Ottieri.The Flower and the ViolenceIl fiore e la violenzaCo-directed with François Reichenbach and Jean Renoir; co-written with Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Diego Fabbri, Turi Vasile, François Reichenbach, and Guy de Maupassant. 1964Red DesertIl Deserto RossoCo-written with Tonino Guerra.1965The Three Faces I tre voltiCo-written with Tullio Pinelli (segment "Gli amanti celebri"), Clive Exton (segment "Gli amanti celebri"), Alberto Sordi (segment "Latin Lover"), Rodolfo Sonego (segment "Latin Lover"), and Franco Indovina (segment "Latin Lover"). 1966BlowupCo-written with Tonino Guerra; inspired by Argentine-French writer Julio Cortázar's 1958 short story "Las babas del diablo", which was later retitled "Blow-Up" to tie in with the film. 1970Zabriskie PointCo-written with Fred Gardner, Sam Shepard, Tonino Guerra, and Clare Peploe.1975The PassengerProfessione: ReporterCo-written with Mark Peploe and Peter Wollen.1980The Mystery of OberwaldIl mistero di OberwaldCo-written with Tonino Guerra.1982Identification of a WomanIdentificazione di una donnaCo-written with Gérard Brach and Tonino Guerra.198912 Directors for 12 Cities12 registi per 12 città1995Beyond the CloudsAl di là delle nuvoleCo-written with Tonino Guerra and Wim Wenders.2004ErosAnthology film consisting of three short segments: The Hand directed by Wong Kar-wai in Mandarin, Equilibrium by Steven Soderbergh in English, and The Dangerous Thread of Things by Antonioni in Italian.
Short films
Year English title Original title Notes 1947 People of the Po Valley Gente del Po Filmed in 1943; released in 1947; 10 minutes 1948 Dustmen N.U. (Nettezza urbana) 11 minutes 1948 Beyond Oblivion Oltre l'oblio 1948 Roma-Montevideo 1949 Lies of Love L'amorosa menzogna 10 minutes 1949 Seven Reeds, One Suit Sette canne, un vestito 10 minutes 1949 Bomarzo 1949 Girls in White Ragazze in bianco 1949 Superstition Superstizione 9 minutes 1950 The House of Monsters La villa dei mostri 10 minutes 1950 The Funicular of Mount Faloria La funivia del Faloria 10 minutes 1953 When Love Fails Tentato suicidio Segment from L'amore in città (Love in the City) 1962 Il delitto Segment from Il fiore e la violenza (The Flower and the Violence); released April 20, 1962 1965 Il provino Segment from I tre volti 1983 Inserto girato a Lisca Bianca 8 minutes 1989 Kumbha Mela 18 minutes 1989 Rome Roma Segment from 12 registi per 12 città; produced for the 1990 FIFA World Cup 1993 Volcanoes and Carnival Noto, Mandorli, Vulcano, Stromboli, Carnevale 8 minutes 1997 Sicilia 9 minutes 2004 The Gaze of Michelangelo Lo sguardo di Michelangelo 15 minutes 2004 The Dangerous Thread of Things Il filo pericoloso delle cose Segment from Eros Television YearEnglish titleOriginal titleDirectorWriterEditorNotes1972Chung Kuo, CinaTelevision documentary1983Return to Lisca Bianca IslandRitorno a Lisca BiancaTelevision short
References
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External links
Michelangelo Antonioni filmography at IMDb