Clark Kent.
07-31-2007, 03:08 PM
From http://www.imdb.com/news/flash/
Michelangelo Antonioni (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000774/), the Italian film director whose modernist style created such haunting, enigmatic films as L'Avventura (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053619/) and Blow Up (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/), died Monday at his home in Italy; he was 94. Antonioni had suffered a debilitating stroke in 1985 which gave him limited speech capabilities and curtailed his directing abilities, though he continued to work, most notably on 1995's Beyond the Clouds (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114086/), after his stroke. Born in Ferrara, Italy, Antonioni graduated from the University of Bologna with a degree in economics but went to work for a local newspaper as a film writer and critic. Moving to Rome during World War II, he collaborated with Roberto Rossellini (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744023/) on A Pilot Returns (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035191/) and began making short documentaries. His first full-length film, Story of a Love Affair (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042355/), was released in 1950, and he found his breakthrough with 1957's The Outcry (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050458/), where he met actress Monica Vitti (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0900143/), who would go on to star in his famed film trilogy of emotional alienation: L'Avventura (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053619/), La Notte (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054130/), and L'Eclisse (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056736/), released from 1960-1962. With these austere black-and-white films, seductive and amazing to some and puzzling and mysterious to others (L'Avventura (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053619/) and L'Eclisse (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056736/) both won the Jury prizes at Cannes), Antonioni established himself as one of the premier international filmmakers of the time, alongside fellow countryman Federico Fellini (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000019/) and other emerging directors of the '60s such as Roman Polanski (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000591/) and Ingmar Bergman (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000005/); he was considered such a fixture of the time that he was even mentioned in lyrics (alongside Fellini and Polanski) in the seminal musical of the '60s, Hair (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079261/).
In 1966, Antonioni found box office as well as critical success with Blow Up (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/), the story of a London photographer (David Hemmings (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376101/)) who believes he may have accidentally captured a murder on film. The quintessential portait of the swinging '60s, the film featured a luminous Vanessa Redgrave (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000603/) and, most notoriously, an imaginary, silent tennis game played between two sets of white-faced mimes. While some shrugged, others continued to celebrate his success, and Antonioni received two Academy Award nominations for writing and directing Blow Up (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/). That film was followed by the notorious flop Zabriskie Point (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066601/), an existentialist rumination in Death Valley featuring amateur actors, but Antonioni then rebounded with The Passenger (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073580/), starring Jack Nicholson (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000197/) as a journalist researching a documentary in the Sahara, now considered one of his best films. Antonioni made only a handful of films following The Passenger (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073580/), and worked only in a limited fashion after his stroke, though he surprised critics and audiences with 1995's Beyond the Clouds (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114086/), which producers would only back with the stipulation that director Wim Wenders (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000694/) follow the filming in case Antonioni faltered. Though he was only able to speak a few words, the director was able to communicate effectively with his crew and actors; the same year Beyond the Clouds was released, he received an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement. Antonioni is survived by his wife, Enrica, whom he married in 1986. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff
Michelangelo Antonioni (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000774/), the Italian film director whose modernist style created such haunting, enigmatic films as L'Avventura (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053619/) and Blow Up (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/), died Monday at his home in Italy; he was 94. Antonioni had suffered a debilitating stroke in 1985 which gave him limited speech capabilities and curtailed his directing abilities, though he continued to work, most notably on 1995's Beyond the Clouds (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114086/), after his stroke. Born in Ferrara, Italy, Antonioni graduated from the University of Bologna with a degree in economics but went to work for a local newspaper as a film writer and critic. Moving to Rome during World War II, he collaborated with Roberto Rossellini (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744023/) on A Pilot Returns (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035191/) and began making short documentaries. His first full-length film, Story of a Love Affair (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042355/), was released in 1950, and he found his breakthrough with 1957's The Outcry (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050458/), where he met actress Monica Vitti (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0900143/), who would go on to star in his famed film trilogy of emotional alienation: L'Avventura (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053619/), La Notte (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054130/), and L'Eclisse (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056736/), released from 1960-1962. With these austere black-and-white films, seductive and amazing to some and puzzling and mysterious to others (L'Avventura (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053619/) and L'Eclisse (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056736/) both won the Jury prizes at Cannes), Antonioni established himself as one of the premier international filmmakers of the time, alongside fellow countryman Federico Fellini (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000019/) and other emerging directors of the '60s such as Roman Polanski (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000591/) and Ingmar Bergman (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000005/); he was considered such a fixture of the time that he was even mentioned in lyrics (alongside Fellini and Polanski) in the seminal musical of the '60s, Hair (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079261/).
In 1966, Antonioni found box office as well as critical success with Blow Up (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/), the story of a London photographer (David Hemmings (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376101/)) who believes he may have accidentally captured a murder on film. The quintessential portait of the swinging '60s, the film featured a luminous Vanessa Redgrave (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000603/) and, most notoriously, an imaginary, silent tennis game played between two sets of white-faced mimes. While some shrugged, others continued to celebrate his success, and Antonioni received two Academy Award nominations for writing and directing Blow Up (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/). That film was followed by the notorious flop Zabriskie Point (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066601/), an existentialist rumination in Death Valley featuring amateur actors, but Antonioni then rebounded with The Passenger (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073580/), starring Jack Nicholson (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000197/) as a journalist researching a documentary in the Sahara, now considered one of his best films. Antonioni made only a handful of films following The Passenger (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073580/), and worked only in a limited fashion after his stroke, though he surprised critics and audiences with 1995's Beyond the Clouds (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114086/), which producers would only back with the stipulation that director Wim Wenders (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000694/) follow the filming in case Antonioni faltered. Though he was only able to speak a few words, the director was able to communicate effectively with his crew and actors; the same year Beyond the Clouds was released, he received an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement. Antonioni is survived by his wife, Enrica, whom he married in 1986. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff