Film 1B03 - T08

Michelangelo Antonioni was an acclaimed Italian film director, revered for his contributions to the discipline of cinema. In many ways, Michelangelo Antonioni has revolutionized the realm of art cinema and is responsible for the foundations that the style now rests upon. One of his most influential films was titled Blow Up. In his first English language film, Antonioni examines themes of perception and reality, especially in regard to society and the individual. This film has continuous markings of an art film from the opening sequence to the final credits. In order to analyze the film’s style we must be aware of the criteria that define and differentiate the art and narrative models. In many art films narrative …show more content…

As a result all his evidence, the blow ups and body were taken and vanished. This is characteristic of an art film because in contrast a ‘Hollywood’ protagonist faced with such a dilemma would always choose the morally correct, selfless and ‘perfect’ choice, at the cost of realism. This differs from art cinemas tendency towards creating realism through the portrayal of human weakness, even in the main character, and how easily one can be overcome by the temptation of ignorance and bliss. In the final scene of the film we are shown once again the group of student-mimes. However, on this occasion they are no longer driving in the city, but in the country. There are several different camera distances used in this sequence, specifically extreme long and long shots, which primarily capture the magnificent beauty of the English countryside. Such focus on landscape and background is a common component of art cinema. This is especially true in the final frames of the film as they depict the protagonist venture through a seemingly endless grass field, eventually fading out of sight and out of reality. The constant visuals of Hemmings’ character as a minor component against various backdrops defines the film clearly distinct from classic narrative style. This film is a perfect example of the power of the director in his ability to control what we see and