Michelangelo Antonioni
Italian director of enigmatic, visually striking alienation films.
Michelangelo Antonioni was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor, best known for his enigmatic and intricately composed films that explore modern alienation. His work, including the 'alienation trilogy' and the English-language film 'Blowup', substantially influenced world art cinema and the slow cinema movement.
- born
- 29 September 1912
- died
- 30 July 2007
- field
- Film director, screenwriter, editor
- nationality
- Italian
- known_for
- Alienation trilogy (L'Avventura, La Notte, L'Eclisse), Blowup, The Passenger
Lore & Background
Antonioni was born into a prosperous family in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna. He described a happy childhood, preferring the company of working-class friends. A precocious violinist, he gave his first concert at age nine but abandoned the violin after discovering cinema in his teens. He studied economics at the University of Bologna, then began writing as a film journalist in 1935. In 1940, he moved to Rome, worked briefly for the Fascist film magazine 'Cinema', and studied film technique at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia for three months. He was drafted into the army and survived being condemned to death as a member of the Italian Resistance.
Reader's Guide
Antonioni's early feature 'Cronaca di un amore' (1950) broke from neorealism by depicting the middle classes. He gained international recognition with 'L'avventura' (1960), which won a Jury Prize at Cannes despite mixed reactions. This film, along with 'La notte' (1961) and 'L'Eclisse' (1962), forms his 'alienation trilogy'. His first color film, 'Il deserto rosso' (1964), is sometimes considered a fourth part. 'Blowup' (1966) won the Palme d'Or and earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Later works include 'Zabriskie Point' (1970), a critical and commercial failure, and 'The Passenger' (1975), which received critical praise. In 1972, his documentary 'Chung Kuo, Cina' was condemned by Chinese authorities as 'anti-Chinese' and 'anti-communist'. After a 1985 stroke that left him aphasic and partly paralyzed, he continued to direct. Antonioni was the first of two directors to win the Palme d'Or, Golden Lion, Golden Bear, and Golden Leopard. He received an Honorary Oscar in 1995.
Did You Know?
- Antonioni was a precocious violinist who gave his first concert at age nine.
- He survived being condemned to death as a member of the Italian Resistance.
- His documentary 'Chung Kuo, Cina' was condemned by Chinese authorities as 'anti-Chinese' and 'anti-communist'.
- He was the first director to win the Palme d'Or, Golden Lion, Golden Bear, and Golden Leopard.
More in Film Directors: Masters Of World Cinema 1-18
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