Blow Up (1966)

Blow Up: Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. With Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, David Hemmings, John Castle. A fashion photographer unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park.

“Unfortunately, many people simply donu0026#39;t understand u0026#39;Blowupu0026#39;, and thus they disregard it as a dated and pretentious piece of kitsch. I didnu0026#39;t find u0026#39;Blowupu0026#39; irritating in the least. Perhaps I could go with u0026#39;pretentiousu0026#39; on some scale, but I think brilliant would take precedence over that description. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film is in no way a failure because of its seemingly plodding and unconventional pace. Antonioni decided to throw every Hollywood convention down the toilet and TRUTHFULLY depict the serene yet insidious world in which its protagonist dwelled, with a psychedelic edge. The viewer who cannot or is not willing to accept this fact will simply not appreciate the film as a whole.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTake note of the subtleties within u0026#39;Blowupu0026#39;. The concert scene, for one, is of primal importance. The inhabitants of the club listen to the band as if theyu0026#39;re mindless drones, bored and weary with their lives. They do not react until the guitarist unleashes a violent paroxysm, smashing his guitar against the amp. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for Thomasu0026#39;s state of mind.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is truly the first film that Iu0026#39;ve seen that explained so much of its meaning just within its soundtrack. Try to notice the subliminal subtleties in it such as:u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e1) The sound of wind rustling in the trees as Thomas analyzes his infamous park photographs. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e2) The distinctive sound of a tennis game being played during the mimicry scene at the end.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn what other film has the simple sound of breezing wind been so memorable? The photography scene within the park is also done during the day, not the night, yet it manages to be completely chilling. During that scene, there is no ridiculous music on the soundtrack, trying to stress the importance of the scene. Instead, Antonioni conveys the voyeuristic feeling as if weu0026#39;re right there, in the London park with Thomas.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHOWEVER, my favorite subtlety in u0026quot;Blowupu0026quot; is, by far, the scene in which Thomas turns around in his car after parking next to the club and notices Jane standing there, and by some virtuoso editing (especially for the 1960s) we can see her body suddenly vanish out of thin air as she walks away, if watched closely.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe ultimate message of the film is a subjective one and Antonioni refuses to just lay it all out for the less patient viewer, however, the explanations are there. Love it or hate it, u0026quot;Blowupu0026quot;, in my opinion, deserves to be watched with an open mind.”