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L'eclisse (1962)
The final segment in Antonioni's informal trilogy is a giant question. He boldly asks "so what?", and directs it both at his audience and at himself. Like the central character, Vittoria, the director goes in and out of the narrative, alternating between disinterest and curiosity; he may point his camera at what he wants us to see, or he may point it at something that steals his attention, a momentary distraction. The important thing to note is that out of the infinite number of conceivable stories about potential lovers, Antonioni chooses this one- but the choice is not only unimportant, it is irrelevant; he shows us the selfishness of the organic human being, the idea that every person foolishly looks at the world as a personal camera, and that their life represents the big picture, when in fact life moves on every day with or without any certain individual. When the picture finishes, there is the revelation that the central characters are not really central at all. This doesn't mean that the movie's two stars are not special, however. Alain Delon plays his part with an ecstatic energy which not only makes him delicately interesting- it allows him to be completely absorbed with himself. And Monica Vitti- illuminating seems an understatement for this woman; she is indescribably attractive, and she approaches this part with an innocence that the story simply could not do without. The film is beautiful; Antonioni may not have any answers to his questions, but the process is so natural and soothing that it just doesn't matter.The final segment in Antonioni's informal trilogy is a giant question mark. He boldly asks the question "so what?", and directs it both at his audience and at himself. Like the central character, Vittoria, the director goes in and out of the narrative, alternating between disinterest and curiosity; he may point his camera at what he wants us to see, or he may point it at something that steals his attention, a momentary distraction. The important thing to note is that out of the infinite number of conceivable stories about potential lovers, Antonioni chooses this one- but the choice is not only unimportant, it is irrelevant; he shows us the selfishness of the organic human being, the idea that every person foolishly looks at the world as a personal camera, and that their life represents the big picture, when in fact life moves on every day with or without any certain individual. When the picture finishes, there is the revelation that the central characters are not really central at all. This doesn't mean that the movie's two stars are not special, however. Alain Delon plays his part with an ecstatic energy which not only makes him delicately interesting- it allows him to be completely absorbed with himself. And Monica Vitti- illuminating seems an understatement for this woman; she is indescribably attractive, and she approaches this part with an innocence that the story simply could not do without. The film is beautiful; Antonioni may not have any answers to his questions, but the process is so natural and soothing that it just doesn't matter.
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