Antonioni R.I.P.

If I can point to any film that has changed my life in terms of understanding and creatively as well, it is Blow Up.

There's far too much for me to attribute to this film. Far too much. But it has continued to pop into my life over and over in many forms. When I first watched it, I didn't get it. It moved so slowly and was confusing - certain scenes inclusion's seemed to make no sense at all. Then after it ended, my mom asked me what i thought it meant. I hadn't thought about it because I didn't think it could mean anything, but then she started asking a couple more questions and I began to grasp the genius of the film. Before I had wanted to pursue the cinema for it's entertainment value. After watching Blow Up, I wanted to pursue it for what it could mean.
She first saw it at 15 because the Yardbirds were in it. Here's their scene:

I love it! Funny in a subtle way - the fight over the guitar and then it's careless disposal.

Anyway, rent and watch this movie if you haven't then let's discuss it! Seriously! Every scene has it's place.
It has influenced my intended output quite a bit. I've had an indie film in my mind for a while titled Frietag Freundin. I'm not ready to tackle it yet, but in time and the idea of it wouldn't exist without Blow Up.
A couple years ago I shot portraits of the Kills and oh how I wanted to have Hotel and VV emulate the scene in which he shoots one of the many skinny mod girls that flock around his studio - a still of which graces the video cover.

But seriously, Michelangelo Antonioni was so cool! Having the Yardbirds appear in Blow Up, and having Pink Floyd soundtrack another of his films.

He died the same day as Bergman, yet his death barely made the news by even the next day.

NPR does his death and a life recap

BBC does his funeral

Blow Up on Wikipedia

Comments

[Young Elz]

I too saw it for the Yardbirds scene (Jeff Beck AND Jimmy Page both were in the band at that time, how rad is that?!) I heard the Velvet Underground were offered the gig first, but it was too costly to fly them over.

Great post.

Elz

[patcollins]

Wasn't a big fan of this, but my girlfriend loved it. She couldn't tell me why.
I did enjoy the last scene, it summed up the whole 'wtf' thoughts I had towards it.
Not that it was bad, just not my thing. It left me with a similar feeling that Gummo did actually.

[Nilina]

I know Pat! Seriously - that final scene really had me going WTF!?! as if I hadn't been asking that with every scene before it, but the imaginary tennis and what not really made me go "WTF"
But then my mom was like "was it real?" "what was real and what wasn't?" "was anything ever really real?" It's such a visual movie and I started asking that about every scene and it all started coming together as if the question of anything being real was actually the plot - a reflection on life (and also better explaing the almost-mystery going on) - and that final scene then became so brilliant.
And then that even has you asking, 'well, am I reading too much into it? Is that explanation even real? Or is the film an "it what it is" - just a series of non-sensical scenes?'
For being as slow and having as little dialogue as it did and a strange storyline if it could even be called a storyline, the film seems to be so utterly profound. . . while frighteningly stylish at the same time :)

Okay, dissertation done hahahahahaha