Review of Blow-Up (1966) by Joshua W — 06 Apr 2009

Wow fuck this formatting.

The first 45 minutes of Blowup feel like garbage. They seem misdirectedâflat-out directionless. Then-unknown actor David Hemmings plays a British photographer in 1960s London. He goes to the park one day and thinks heâs stopped a murder thatâs taking place, but it turns out to be much more complicated than it seems. Vanessa Redgrave plays the woman he disrupts in the park, before the now-70 year old Redgrave was even 30.

A major reveal around the hour mark gives Blowup some trace of plot. It begins to pose the question: What Is real and what is imaginary. Directed by Italian Director Michelangelo Antonioni, master of Italian cinema, took on the English language for the first time with this venture. It was at a time of experimentation in filmâas it always in. The film is the epitome of avant-garde filmmaking. Off the beaten path and new techniques characterize avant-garde filmmaking. That lack of plot material in the first act of the film could be defined as anti-plot. But it just intensifies the aura of uncertainty around the film. Blowup was never a hit financiallyâthough it did pick up two Oscar nominations, both for Antonioni. Itâs that kind of off the beaten path filmmaking that you have a love/hate relationship with. Not making sense at times is overshadowed by the careful artistic skill. The artistic qualities far surpass most anything of the 21st century, save a handful of gems.

Blowup is a new experience for many film watchers. Itâs unlike many other films, and as they say, everything should be tried at least once. If you do enjoy it, you might want to try films by such directors as Frederico Fellini and Jean-Luc Goddard, who are a few other European directors.

Much like British and American English speakersâwe speak the same language, but through different dialects, American film and European film can be very different from each other.

Blowup is definitely worth a watch. You wonât find it at your rental chain; in fact, Blockbuster has so few copies that they sent me the wrong film in the mail. You might be able to try Casa Video. I give Blowup 4 cameras out of 5 possible.