Michelangelo Antonioni

Michelangelo Antonioni (born September 29, 1912 in Ferrara, Italy) is widely seen as the greatest Italian film director after Federico Fellini.

Work

Antonioni's first major success was L'Avventura (1960), which was followed by La Notte (1961) and L'Eclisse (1962), which comprised a trilogy on the theme of alienation. His first English-language film, Blowup (1966), was also a major success. Though it dealt with the challenging theme of the impossibility of objective perception, it became popular, partially because it was sexually explicit by the current standards of film, and partially because it featured Vanessa Redgrave. Zabriskie Point (1970), his first film set in America, was much less successful, even though its soundtrack incorporated such popular artists as Pink Floyd (who wrote new music specifically for the film), the Grateful Dead, and the Rolling Stones. The Passenger (1975), which starred Jack Nicholson, was not particularly successful either. Though he continues to direct, Antonioni has never recaptured the wide appeal of his earlier work. In 1995, however, he was awarded an Academy Award for lifetime achievement.

Related Topics:
Vanessa Redgrave - Pink Floyd - Grateful Dead - Rolling Stones - Jack Nicholson - Academy Award

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