Review of Blow-Up (1966) by Christopher U — 21 Jul 2010

David Hemmings plays a mod London photographer who is utterly bored with all the people in his work. One day he photographs a couple in a park. The woman he photographs becomes upset and demands the roll of film immediately as the man she's with is someone pretty important. But the photographer does not want to give her the film yet as it has not been developed yet. Later, it turns out that he may have unknowingly photographed a murder. The rest of the film is him trying to figure it all out but in the end he just can't and starts to question whether it was all real or was it just fantasy.

Blow-Up is arguably Antonioni's best photographed film, the only other competitor being his earlier L'Avventura. It is a masterpiece of film, and one that was actually quite famous and successful at the time of release although it's now become somewhat of a cult classic. Antonioni, as he had previously done with L'Avventura, La Notte, L'Eclisse and to some degree, Red Desert, he explores the ennui. He also brings up the question of what is real and what is fantasy. It is a mystery thriller but the mystery behind whether the man was murdered or not isn't the point of the film. It is about a man who's distaste and boredom with his work is eventually overcome by a passion for something else. David Hemmings is perfect in the lead role and Vanessa Redgrave is just as good as the woman who was photographed with the murdered man. The cinematography by master cameraman Carlo Di Palma is beautifully shot.

The film was a box office hit, something most existential films about boredom hardly are but the swinging London backdrop and music played a huge part in making it a smash hit. It is best to see this film after having seen Antonioni's earlier films as it deals with many of the same themes and it is also a film one must watch at least a second time to appreciate. It is probably THE quintessential '60s films and features a cameo by the legendary band, The Yardbirds. The photo shoot in the beginning, the menage-a-trois and the pantomime tennis match at the end are only a few of the reasons why one must watch it. It was also a heavily influential film on the young American filmmakers coming out at the time and would obviously influence Francis Ford Coppola to tackle some of the same themes in his Oscar nominated chamber piece The Conversation. It was also remade by Brian De Palma as Blow Out which is about the same thing only it uses audio instead of visual as the mystery behind the plot. It's a film all serious film lovers must see. Highly recommended. 10/10.