Review of Red Desert (1964) by Stefanie C — 11 Jul 2010

There is a very strong chance I did not â??getâ?? this movie to the best it could be gotten. Itâ??s kind of like reading a 300-page novel and then getting to the end and realizing youâ??ve actually been reading a cookbook.

Part of this was due to me being distracted by the vast expanses of machinery and factories making the empty landscape feel crowded (which makes no sense but trust me, it will if you see this) and part of it was probably due to me having no compassion for our lead gal (more on that in a minute).

But this was Antonioniâ??s first color film and he went gangbusters on it, establishing some elaborate shots of ships and buildings, catching the beauty of an incredible beach scene and even going so far as to paint actual parts of the scenery and settings (the fruit stand painted a muted tone immediately jumps to mind).

It is a strikingly captivating film on a visual level which is good because the story of a psychologically abused woman having an affair with her husbandâ??s co-worker is not going to be anyoneâ??s idea of a brilliant plot structure to hang these images upon.

And again, part of this comes from my own distaste with Monica Vittiâ??s Giuliana, the woman this whole thing revolves around. Vitti is a wonderful actress and brings sorrow and despair to the character but my patience wore thin pretty quickly with her emotional struggles and behavior.

Iâ??m not trying to say Iâ??m cold and uncaring (completely), but youâ??d think her husband would have taken more of a vested interest in her â??condition,â?? which Iâ??m convinced was nothing some therapy and counseling could whip into shape.

But now weâ??re divulging into therapy and Iâ??m not at all mentally equipped to handle that stuff so back to the movie: itâ??s visually stunning, itâ??s entertaining even when it isnâ??t trying to be (though the most entertaining moments have to be the random couples retreat that results in dismantling said retreat shack and the story sequence of a young girl on a beach) and for not putting a lot of â??storyâ?? out there for the audience, it is an amazingly fast and engrossing two hours.