La Notte [Masters of Cinema] [1961] [1962]

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Editorial reviews

Product Description
One of the masterworks of 1960s cinema, La notte (The Night) marked yet another development in the continuous stylistic evolution of its director, Michelangelo Antonioni even as it solidified his reputation as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. La notte is Antonioni's 'Twilight of the Gods' but composed in cinematic terms. Examined from a crane-shot, it's a sprawling study of Italy's upper middle-class; seen in close-up, it's an x-ray of modern man's psychic desolation. Two of the giants of film-acting come together as a married couple living in crisis: Marcello Mastroianni (La dolce vita, 8 1/2) and Jeanne Moreau (Jules et Jim, Bay of Angels). He is a renowned author and 'public intellectual'; she is 'the wife.' Over the course of one day and the night into which it inevitably bleeds, the pair will come to re-examine their emotional bonds, and grapple with the question of whether love and communication are even possible in a world built out of profligate idylls and sexual hysteria. Photographed in rapturous black-and-white by the great Gianni di Venanzo (8 1/2, Giulietta degli spiriti), La notte presents the beauty of seduction, then asks:'When did this occur this seduction of Beauty?' The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Michelangelo Antonioni's haunted odyssey in a new digital restoration, uncut for the first time ever on home video. SPECIAL FEATURES: New restoration of the film in its original 1.75:1 aspect ratio with previously-censored sequences restored for the first time - New and improved English subtitles - Original Italian theatrical trailer - Includes a 40-page booklet with a new essay by film-critic and scholar Brad Stevens, and the transcript of a lengthy Q&A conducted in 1961 with Antonioni upon the film's release.

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Synopsis
LA NOTTE, one of a trilogy of films by Michaelangelo Antonioni that also includes L'AVVENTURA and L'ECLISSE, is a stand-out classic in the New Wave genre. Exploring the ennui of the Italian aristocracy, through a story of failing marriage and the rise of industrialization, LA NOTTE draws a parallel between the growing absence of architectural aesthetics and the lack of human emotion in our modern, industrialized world.


Wandering through dilapidated streets of Milan, stopping and staring aimlessly out at the world, seemingly in deep thought, is strikingly beautiful Lydia (Jeanne Moreau). Her husband, Giovanni (Marcello Mastroianni), is a handsome man and a popular author whose newest publication is being celebrated with a signing. Later that night, when Lydia finally decides to come home, she is unresponsive to Giovanni, and acts bored and aloof. Some of the friction between the couple is attributed to concern for their dear friend, Tomasso, who they visit in the hospital where he is dying, but it's unclear what he signifies to either of them. Giovanni takes Lydia out on the town--to a nightclub where they watch African dancers perform acrobatic cabaret acts with full wine glasses--but still she is bored, so he takes her on to a friend's elegant cocktail party, where they both stay all night, drifting from one flirtation to the next, uninterested in each other. An emotional and inconclusive conversation between the couple ends out the night as the sun rises, leaving viewers with a strange, vacant, longing feeling.

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Customer reviews

review by: Markus Gossas date: 2008-06-26 rating:
La Notte
Nice film and a really nice transfer. Though it would have been nice to have a commentary or more extras (as Criterions Antonioni-DVDs. But the value for money is good anyway, and this rich film can be watched several times. Recommended.

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review by: date: 2008-05-15 rating:
Not the Best of Antonioni's Trilogy about loneliness
When I say "about loneliness" what I mean is that our western civilization has imposed individualism over solidariry. Of the French Revolution's motto "Liberté , Egalité, Fraternité" only the first one remains and not with the best results.

Antinioni was a very pessimistic man. It shows here too much. His earlier films like "Il Grido" and some of the later like L'Eclisse are superior.

I have the Fox Lorber American version of La Notte and that also compares badly with Crtiterion's "L'Avventura" and "L'Eclisse".

To me the Best of all is "L'Avventura".

As far as concerns "Jeanne Moreau" she made a great mistake. I do not know if, at that time, she spoke Italian. My opinion is she did not and was dubbed, but I may be wrong.... She should have asked "Luis Bunuel" beforehand. She took her own revenge by playing "Journal d'une Femme de Chambre" with Bunuel two years later... and that, my friends, is a Masterpiece.

Antonioni is a particular case of "dawnfall evolution". Almost every one of his movies is not as good as the preceeding one...



review by: guldema date: 2006-03-15 rating:
Striking...
How simple and truthful Antonioni managed to tell about a souring marriage relationship. How love was once and becomes after, yet still indispensable... So realistic, so direct that it hurts sometimes. Yet, an experience that must be faced. And of course Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau... Just watching their floating throughout the film, their faces, moves... Fascinating...Especialy from Antonioni's perspective with great camera angles.

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Similar categories

Video . DVD & VHS . Substores . Regular Stores . World Cinema
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Drama
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Classics . Drama
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . DVD
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 12
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1960 - 1969
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Region(feature_browse-bin) . Region 2
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition

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