Red Desert
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Year Released: 1964
Rating: 1.0
While I was receptive to every other Antonioni film I've seen to date, this one out and out irritated me with its extreme pretentiousness and droning (non-existent?) narrative. He goes overboard with all the symbols and metaphors and it grows tiresome, especially when the story and drama and level of interest are sacrificed. I enjoy angst and existentialism as much as the next philosophy buff, but this simply lost me. Had I rated it on the color scheme and shot composition (the lack of extras or people wandering around reflects Antonioni's interest in alienation) it would rank a lot higher - a fantasy sequence involving a young girl on a beach is dazzling - but when two actors (Vitti and a dubbed Richard Harris) are used as mere sign posts and things drone on without a genuine purpose (I don't need a plot, but the picture should be about something), I'm already walking away.
