L'Avventura

Ok, so I have finally watched Michelangelo Antonioni's 1960 film "L'Avventura" from start to finish (I had seen snippets here and there over the years).

In fact, I actually watched the movie twice because I wanted to hear the commentary of a film expert and that requires you to rewatch the film. Not that I minded. He pointed out all sorts of things I had clearly missed the first time!

I loved Monica Vitti (especially in the scene when she sings along with the pop song), and I loved the scenery of Sicily and I loved the clothing the women wore.

But what vile people! The lead character, Claudia, which is played by Vitti, falls in love with her best friend's boyfriend -- after the best friend disappears on a rocky island in the Aeolian Sea! Ahh friendship. And she falls in love with someone who is so shallow! As the narrator says, Sandro just needs to be with a woman all the time. He can't stand on his own, even for one minute. So as the Bee Gees would say, how deep is your love? With Sandro, it ain't too deep.

The narrator described the film almost as though it were a series of paintings or photos. He describes shots as "compositions." I am sure that's old hat for film aficionados, but it was a new one on me!

I can recommend it because it's part of the Italian canon of film. Afterall, it won the Jury Prize at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, for changing the language of film.

But it gives you that uncomfortable feeling that people are incredibly selfish.