This is why you always triple-check your itinerary when planning a long trip. I was looking forward to Blow-Up, not only as my first Antonioni, but as my film from Italy for Berken's challenge. Well, needless to say, I think it's stretching my already-loose rules a bit too far to consider an English-language film set in London as my film from Italy, so consider this a temporary stopover, along with a mistake I'd happily make again.

I'll admit I went into Blow-Up with a vague sense of apprehension, planning on being inundated with mod shenanigans and trippy dance sequences, but was thankfully presented with a thrilling murder mystery instead. David Hemmings is magnificent here as a somewhat-sleazy photographer who accidentally…

Film #6 of the June Challenge

Is the exploration of reality vs. perception ever boring? For me, it's always been a compelling theme to explore in film. On the surface, Blow-up is a day-in-the-life character study about Thomas (David Hemmings), a playboy fashion photographer who gets wrapped up in a possible murder mystery after he takes some pictures at a park. Even though that's a description of the film that works for people who haven't seen it, there's a lot more going on here. There are many dots to connect and surrealist imagery to decode, but once some thought is put into it, Blow-up is quite the rewarding intellectual exercise.

Early on, it is established that we shouldn't admire Thomas…

Widely regarded as an essential classic of 60s cinema, Antonioni's Blowup comes highly anticipated and whenever I delve into a director's work for the first time I'm slightly nervous about whether or not I'd like it. Without having any idea what to expect other than a rough plot outline since I had already seen De Palma's Blow Out, I was relieved to find that not only is it very accessible, it is also gripping through and through. With very down-to-earth and largely conventional methods, spiced up with excellent cinematography, Antonioni crafted a compelling thriller that is paced brilliantly and delivers big time. Despite the crucial plot point of the suspicious snapshot being introduced fairly late into the film it kept…

The June Challenge - Film #9

Whenever a watch a film that is directed by someone that I'm not familiar with, I get nervous, wondering if I will like their style of direction. And with Blow-Up, I liked Antonioni's camerawork and most of the shots. He certainly knows what he's doing and he's very good at what he does, but the film just didn't do it for me.

The premise is very intriguing: a photographer accidentally captures the commission of a murder. Great. I'm interested. But the biggest problem with Blow-Up for me is the first act. It's very heavy on exposition and just felt like it dragged on and on. Even with Antonioni's excellent direction throughout the whole film,…

Hemmings plays a character who likes to think he's seen everything. When discussing the placement of a photo he deems peaceful in the midst of a magazine whose images are generally violent, he is unfazed by the violence and merely thinks of it as a given and something whose effect can be neutralized. He is so accustomed to documenting action that he is almost unable to believe it when he unwittingly becomes a participant in it. After he thinks he's uncovered an attempted murder, his first instinct is to self-aggrandizingly assume he foiled the plot; later, doubting his instincts, the man accustomed to being a documenter and witness of other lives can't for the life of him get anyone to…

Film #6 of the June Challenge

Is the exploration of reality vs. perception ever boring? For me, it's always been a compelling theme to explore in film. On the surface, Blow-up is a day-in-the-life character study about Thomas (David Hemmings), a playboy fashion photographer who gets wrapped up in a possible murder mystery after he takes some pictures at a park. Even though that's a description of the film that works for people who haven't seen it, there's a lot more going on here. There are many dots to connect and surrealist imagery to decode, but once some thought is put into it, Blow-up is quite the rewarding intellectual exercise.

Early on, it is established that we shouldn't admire Thomas…

The June Challenge - Film #9

Whenever a watch a film that is directed by someone that I'm not familiar with, I get nervous, wondering if I will like their style of direction. And with Blow-Up, I liked Antonioni's camerawork and most of the shots. He certainly knows what he's doing and he's very good at what he does, but the film just didn't do it for me.

The premise is very intriguing: a photographer accidentally captures the commission of a murder. Great. I'm interested. But the biggest problem with Blow-Up for me is the first act. It's very heavy on exposition and just felt like it dragged on and on. Even with Antonioni's excellent direction throughout the whole film,…