L'avventura

( 1 )

Overview

The Criterion Collection's DVD of the film is excellent in all ways. Separated onto two discs, the film has been given a major uplift and some rather nice extras as well. Disc one includes the film, which has been beautifully and painstakingly restored to its luminous glory, and also a fascinating and worthwhile audio commentary track with film historian Gene Youngblood. The picture is offered in its original theatrical ratio of 1.77:1 and is enhanced for widescreen TVs. The digital transfer was taken from a 35 ...
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DVD (Wide Screen / Black & White / Dolby 5.1 / Mono)
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Overview

The Criterion Collection's DVD of the film is excellent in all ways. Separated onto two discs, the film has been given a major uplift and some rather nice extras as well. Disc one includes the film, which has been beautifully and painstakingly restored to its luminous glory, and also a fascinating and worthwhile audio commentary track with film historian Gene Youngblood. The picture is offered in its original theatrical ratio of 1.77:1 and is enhanced for widescreen TVs. The digital transfer was taken from a 35 mm composite fine-grain master positive. Further restoration was bestowed upon the film by cleaning the film of dirt, scratches, and other artifacts that had, over the years, taken a toll on it. The time-consuming process was well worth it -- the film has really never looked as striking on home video as it does on this disc. The picture is always balanced and sharp, with the blacks always given the density they deserve and the whites as clean and luminous as they should be. The high contrast is superb throughout and never becomes too glaring or bright. The Italian language mono sound, which has also been given an uplift, is very good and seems balanced as well. The film is subtitled in English and they are always clear and easy to read. As stated earlier, L'Avventura has been given a commentary track and it is more than any fan of this film could possibly want. Youngblood does not hide his enthusiasm for the film or for Antonioni, and frankly his track is the better for it. Precariously balanced between a scholarly analysis of the film and an open love letter to it, Youngblood offers up ample background anecdotes pertaining to the sometimes difficult on-location filming, as well as a scene-by-scene examination of some of the film's more groundbreaking storytelling techniques and narrative preoccupations. He also sheds plenty of light upon Antonioni himself and the film's star, Monica Vitti. Disc two contains a fabulous 58-minute documentary called "Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials," which was originally made for French Canadian television back in the 1960s. The short film is notable for its numerous interviews with some of the actors and artists the director has worked with, as well as some of his friends and family. The film contains some great footage of the director at work and offers up the most candid view of him and his films up to that point. Disc two also contains actor Jack Nicholson reading two short essays that the director wrote, as well as offering up some telling anecdotes about working with Antonioni on the film, Professione: Reporter from 1975. Nicholson's reminiscence of his friendship with the director is engaging and filled with an obvious warmth. The disc also contains the original theatrical trailer and a restoration demonstration. Reprints of the director's Cannes statement and the critic's "open letter" have been included, as well as an essay by author Geoffrey Nowell-Smith.
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Special Features

Disc one: New digital transfer with restored picture and sound, enhanced for 16x9 televisions; audio commentary by film historian Gene Youngblood; new, improved English subtitles; RSDL dual layer edition
Disc two: A documentary feature by Gianfranco Mingozzi, Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials; Antonioni's writings, read by Jack Nicholson, along with Nicholson's personal recollections of the director; original theatrical trailer; restoration demonstration
Plus: A reprint of Antonioni's statements about L'avventura, circulated after the film's Cannes premiere in 1960, with a new essay by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola
Catcalls greeted its Cannes Film Festival premiere, but filmmakers and critics recognized the artistic importance of Michelangelo Antonioni's experiments with psychologizing film narrative, and L'avventura (1960) was awarded a special Jury Prize. Abandoning the kind of cause-and-effect plot line that might be expected in a film about the search for a missing woman, Antonioni instead sought to examine the barren inner lives of the postwar rich; the "adventure" is in the encounters between characters as they attempt and fail to make emotional connections. Limiting the audience's knowledge of Anna's disappearance to what Sandro and Claudia learn, and depicting screen actions in real time, Antonioni turns viewing the film into a direct experience of the initial excitement over the search and the waning of involvement as the effort becomes fruitless. Antonioni's carefully controlled deep focus widescreen compositions further communicate the characters' existential ennui and psychic disconnection from each other in evocatively barren environments. Bolstered by the Cannes experience, L'avventura became Antonioni's first worldwide success; released within a year of Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) and Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1959), L'avventura helped announce a vital new era in international art cinema.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 6/5/2001
  • UPC: 037429156025
  • Original Release: 1960

    • Rating:

  • Source: Criterion
  • Region Code: 1
  • Aspect Ratio: Alternate Wide Screen (1.77:1)
  • Presentation: Wide Screen / Black & White / Dolby 5.1 / Mono
  • Sound: Dolby Digital, monaural
  • Language: Italiano
  • Time: 2:23:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 27,563

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Gabriele Ferzetti Sandro
Monica Vitti Claudia
Lea Massari Anna
Dominique Blanchar Giulia
Renzo Ricci Anna's Father
Dorothy de Poliolo Gloria Perkins
James Addams Corrado
Lelio Luttazzi Raimondo
Giovanni Petrucci Young Prince
Renato Pinciroli
Esmeralda Ruspoli Patrizia
Technical Credits
Michelangelo Antonioni Director, Screenwriter
Gianni Arduini Asst. Director
Elio Bartolini Screenwriter
Adrianna Berselli Costumes/Costume Designer
Giovanni Fusco Score Composer
Tonino Guerra Screenwriter
Franco Indovina Asst. Director
Luciano Perugia Producer
Piero Poletto Production Designer, Set Decoration/Design
Eraldo Da Roma Editor
Aldo Scavarda Cinematographer
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Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Avventura
1. Opening Credits [:19]
2. The Old and the New World [2:13]
3. "Goodbye Cruise" [2:09]
4. "Let Her Wait" [1:34]
5. "Shall We Swim?" [4:14]
6. "Shark!" [4:38]
7. "Which Shall I Wear?" [3:07]
8. "There's No Spark" [2:33]
9. "I Don't Feel You Anymore" [2:03]
10. "And Anna?" [3:19]
11. The Storm [11:49]
12. "You Love Anna" [4:16]
13. " An Ancient Vase" [6:49]
14. "Here's Anna's Father" [4:05]
15. "I'll Join You at the Montaldos" [3:40]
16. "And the Other Boat?" [3:02]
17. "When Will I See You Then?" [3:00]
18. "Come Away With Me" [3:15]
19. "My Name is Gloria Perkins" [5:15]
20. "A Lovely Clinic For Nervous Disorders" [4:11]
21. "How Does it Look?" [2:05]
22. "I'd Make a Beautiful Portrait" [2:38]
23. "I'm Not Coming" [4:51]
24. "Picture of Martial Bliss" [2:11]
25. "It's Not a Town, it's a Cemetary" [4:12]
26. "A Can of Paint" [6:33]
27. "Shall We Get Married?" [4:25]
28. "I've Been 23 Too" [4:22]
29. "I Feel as Though I Don't Know You" [6:17]
30. "A Sensible Childhood" [3:41]
31. "I'm too Sleepy" [4:15]
32. "One...Two...Three..." [5:45]
33. "I'm Afraid Anna's Back" [5:59]
34. "A Small Souvenir" [3:07]
35. Conclusion [2:24]
1. Intros [:19]
2. Imagery [2:13]
3. Interior Monologues [2:09]
4. Lady Montague's Apartment [1:34]
5. Cameo Roles [4:14]
6. Staying Afloat [4:38]
7. Exchanging Identities [3:07]
8. Caricature and Pathos [2:33]
9. Non-Communication [2:03]
10. Dead Times/Music [3:19]
11. Romance as Delusion [11:49]
12. Camera Work [4:16]
13. Antonioni's Background [6:49]
14. Interior Realism [4:05]
15. An Almost Silent Cinema [3:40]
16. Traditional Expectations [3:02]
17. Vitti and Antonioni [3:00]
18. Fall From Grace [3:15]
19. Caricature Scenes [5:15]
20. Princess Lampedusa [4:11]
21. The Question of Identity [2:05]
22. Claudia's Witness Role [2:38]
23. Emotional Withdrawal [4:51]
24. Film Novel [2:11]
25. Composition [4:12]
26. Theatrical Device [6:33]
27. Exteriors and Characters [4:25]
28. Architectural Subtext [4:22]
29. Objective Correlative [6:17]
30. Women in Film [3:41]
31. The Trilogy [4:15]
32. Internal Deliberations [5:45]
33. The Mystery [5:59]
34. Empty Spaces [3:07]
35. A Dormant Volcano [2:24]
Disc #2 -- Avventura
1. Introduction/Titles [5:49]
2. Friends and Ferrara [3:46]
3. Cronaca di un Amore [4:49]
4. Francesco Rosi and I Vinti [1:38]
5. La Signora Senza Camelie [4:18]
6. Cesare Zavattini [3:36]
7. Le Amiche, Valentina Cortese [3:08]
8. Fellini [1:59]
9. Music [3:11]
10. L'Avventura With Monica [6:45]
11. Cannes [2:01]
12. La Notte [2:22]
13. The Color of Emotions [4:03]
14. Hiding Behind the Camera [5:32]
15. Antonioni and the Actor [2:00]
16. L'Eclisse [3:09]
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Menu

Disc #1 -- Avventura
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Commentary
      Play
      Index
   Subtitles
      On
      Off
   Color Bars
Disc #2 -- Avventura
   Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials
      Play
      Index
   Jack Nicholson Reads Essays by Antonioni
      "L'Avventura: A Moral Adventure"
      "Reflections on the Film Actor"
      Working With Antonioni
   Theatrical Trailer
   Restoration Demonstration
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Customer Reviews

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