Synopses & Reviews
Michelangelo Antonioni, who died in 2007, was one of cinemaand#8217;s greatest modernist filmmakers. The films in his black and white trilogy of the early 1960sand#151;Land#8217;avventura, La Notte, Land#145;eclisseand#151;are justly celebrated for their influential, gorgeously austere style. But in this book, Murray Pomerance demonstrates why the color films that followed are, in fact, Antonioniand#8217;s greatest works. Writing in an accessible style that evokes Antonioniand#8217;s expansive use of space, Pomerance discusses The Red Desert, Blow-Up, Professione: Reporter (The Passenger), Zabriskie Point, Identification of a Woman, The Mystery of Oberwald, Beyond the Clouds, and The Dangerous Thread of Things to analyze the directorand#8217;s subtle and complex use of color. Infusing his open-ended inquiry with both scholarly and personal reflection, Pomerance evokes the full range of sensation, nuance, and equivocation that became Antonioniand#8217;s signature.
Review
“Superb, one-of-a-kind volume. . . . required reading for anyone interested in Antonionis life and work.” W. W. Dixon
Review
and#8220;Superb, one-of-a-kind volume. . . . required reading for anyone interested in Antonioniand#8217;s life and work.and#8221;
Synopsis
Michelangelo Antonioni, who died in 2007, was one of cinema's greatest modernist filmmakers. The films in his black and white trilogy of the early 1960s--L'avventura, La Notte, L'eclisse--are justly celebrated for their influential, gorgeously austere style. But in this book, Murray Pomerance demonstrates why the color films that followed are, in fact, Antonioni's greatest works. Writing in an accessible style that evokes Antonioni's expansive use of space, Pomerance discusses The Red Desert, Blow-Up, Professione: Reporter (The Passenger), Zabriskie Point, Identification of a Woman, The Mystery of Oberwald, Beyond the Clouds, and The Dangerous Thread of Things to analyze the director's subtle and complex use of color. Infusing his open-ended inquiry with both scholarly and personal reflection, Pomerance evokes the full range of sensation, nuance, and equivocation that became Antonioni's signature.
Synopsis
and#147;Murray Pomeranceand#8217;s close readings of selected Antonioni works offer surprising and rich insights at every turn. With a critical approach deeply informed by appropriate invocations of modern thinkers, writers, and artists, Pomerance situates the films in their cultural moment, even as his sharp, illuminating attention to detail and nuance expresses his admiration for the monumental accomplishments of one of postwar cinemaand#8217;s most engaging if enigmatic directors. Pomerance is unsurpassed as an appreciative guide to one of the masters of the medium.and#8221;
R. Barton Palmer, author of Hollywoodand#8217;s Tennessee: The Williams Films and Postwar America
About the Author
Murray Pomerance is Professor of Sociology and Media Studies at Ryerson University. He is the author of Johnny Depp Starts Here, An Eye for Hitchcock, and Film Experience Beyond Narrative and Theory, among many books.
Table of Contents
List of Plates
Acknowledgments
Note on Images
Introduction
Beyond the Clouds
Identification of a Woman
The Red Desert
The Dangerous Thread of Things
The Mystery of Oberwald
Zabriskie Point
The Passenger
Blow-Up
Works Cited and Consulted
Index