Review of L'Avventura (1960) by Blake P — 17 Aug 2011

"L'Avventura" is a very unique Italian movie. Anna (Massari) invites her friend Claudia (Vitti) to come with her, her fiancee Sandro (Ferzetti), and some other pals to go boating. Anna and Sandro are bickering, and she is moody and unpleasant.

When they land on an island, Anna disappears, leaving no traces at all. No one can find her, and no matter if she likes it, it seems Claudia is assuming the role of Anna with Sandro. Will she give in? "L'Avventura" is widely considered the breakthroughs of both actress Monica Vitti and director Michelangelo Antonioni.

This movie was presented at Cannes at first, and at one time was booed(?), but people began to realize how brilliant of a film this was after it was released into theaters. This is, as well, the first of a supposed trilogy with Vitti and Antonioni, and continued with "La Notte" and "L'Eclisse".

Though this considered the most boring, (which I agree, it isn't too exciting) I found it very artistic and well-acted. This movie was filmed on location in Italy and the beautiful, rocky island shown during the first half is gorgeous.

Antonioni luckily shows you a lot. Then, when the film switches to Italy, you get to travel to rustic houses and cathedrals. That's definitely a plus, but still, the acting is spectacular. Vitti is wonderful as Claudia, and it's very easy to see why this movie made her a star.

She handles every scene perfectly, and looks beautiful while doing it. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her movies, because she's definitely up there with Sophia Loren. Ferzetti is also great, and holds his known next to Vitti.

You can feel how tortured he is not having Anna, but at the same time, you can tell is needs something. Both of these actors performances could be melodramatic, but they are natural. "L'Avventura" isn't the most exciting movie, but it really is beautiful, and could be liked by anyone that loved "La Dolce Vita".