As often with Antonioni, a film riddled with moments of brilliance and scuppered by infuriating pretensions.
Blow-Up (1966)
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Reviews Counted:35
Fresh:30
Rotten:5
Average Rating:8/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Michelangelo Antonioni delivers yet another masterful cinematic expose with BLOW UP, a provocative mystery set in the seamy mod culture of London. The film follows a photographer (David Hemmings)... Michelangelo Antonioni delivers yet another masterful cinematic expose with BLOW UP, a provocative mystery set in the seamy mod culture of London. The film follows a photographer (David Hemmings) who captures evidence of a murder when he takes some innocent snapshots of a couple in the park. As he digs deeper and deeper into the photograph's actual negative in order to unravel the mystery, he also must contend with a seemingly dangerous woman (Vanessa Redgrave) who knows more than she is letting on. Atmospheric, tense, with a refreshing jolt of humor, Antonioni's stylish thriller influenced the work of many of cinema's most celebrated directors, including Francis Ford Coppola's THE CONVERSATION, Brian De Palma's BLOW OUT, and David Lynch's BLUE VELVET. [More]
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, David Hemmings, Sarah Miles, Jill Kennington
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, David Hemmings, Sarah Miles, Jill Kennington, Verushka, Peter Bowles, Jane Birkin, Gillian Hills
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Reviews for Blow-Up
Michelangelo Antonioni's first English language film is as maddening to watch as it is absorbing.
Every generation has a cautionary tale like Blow-Up, but its hypocrisy is special: it peddles what it condemns. Just as tired and offensive today as it was in '66.
There may be some meaning, some commentary about life being a game, beyond what remains locked in the mind of film's creator, Italian director-writer Michelangelo Antonioni. But it is doubtful that the general public will get the 'message' of this film.
The natural world is arrayed against the artificial scene; conscience is deployed against convention. If you’ve never seen Blow-Up, see it now, if only to see what part of the world was like 40 years ago.
This is a fascinating picture, which has something real to say about the matter of personal involvement and emotional commitment in a jazzed-up, media-hooked-in world so cluttered with synthetic stimulations that natural feelings are overwhelmed.
The very last scene poses a profound and beautiful question about movies, the art of storytelling, and Life Itself.
Relying only on our subjective perceptions and personal interpretations, we are asked to find the truth for ourselves.
Blowup daringly suggests that an image without politics isn’t an image at all.
Latest News for Blow-Up
October 27, 2009:
10 Movies That Scared Wes Craven ![]()
Looking for some really scary movies this Halloween season? Wes Craven -- who should know a thing or two about cinematic chills -- has provided Entertainment Weekly with a list... More...
July 31, 2007:
Remembering Michelangelo Antonioni
Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni, who gave the world such influential films as L'Avventura, Blow-Up, and The Passenger, died Monday at the age of 94. More...
October 20, 2005:
RT Critical Consensus: "Doom" Gloom, "Country" Sounds Sweet
This week at the movies brings stories of marines on Mars ("Doom"), iron miners fighting the man ("North Country"), little girls who love horses... More...
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