Il deserto rosso (Red Desert)
1964
***
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: Monica Vitti, Richard Harris, Carlo Chionetti, Xenia Valderi, Rita Renoir, Aldo Grotti, Valerio Bartoleschi, Giuliano Missirini, Lili Rheims, Emanuela Mino, Carlo Di Palma
Following a car accident, a young wife and mother struggles with anxiety. Surrounded by a bleak landscape of industry and pollution, she feels increasingly alienated from the world and is slowly drawn to her husband's business associate. Michelangelo Antonioni's first colour film, shot by Carlo Di Palma, looks stunning, as does Monica Vitti. However, the story, which explores isolation, loneliness, and the effects of industrialisation, is extremely heavy-going, and I often found myself tuning out during the dialogue.
