Il deserto rosso
Encyclopedia
Red Desert is a 1964
Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
, written by Antonioni and Tonino Guerra
and starring Monica Vitti
with Richard Harris
. This was Antonioni's first color film. The working title was Celeste e verde (Sky blue and green). Il deserto rosso was awarded the Golden Lion
at the 25th Venice Film Festival
in 1964. It is also sometimes noted as the last in a series of four films he made with Vitti over five years beginning in 1959 and ending in 1964, the three before being L'Avventura
(1960), La Notte
(1961) and L'Eclisse (1962).
. She lives with her husband Ugo (Carlo Chionetti), director of a nationalized
plant which is going through a strike
, along with their young son. Giuliana feels estranged from her family and disconnected from the world. Ugo's friend Zeller (Richard Harris
) comes to Ravenna to make a business deal and is drawn to her. Zeller may understand her troubles more than Ugo does, but this is not enough to sway Giuliana from her worries.
The film is set in the industrial area of 1960s Ravenna
with sprawling new post World War Two factories, industrial machinery and a much polluted river valley. The cinematography is highlighted by pastel colors with flowing white smoke and fog. The sound design
blends a foley
of industrial and urban sounds with ghostly ship horns and an electronic music
score. This was Antonioni's first colour film, which the director said he wanted to shoot like a painting on a canvas:
As he would do in later film productions, Antonioni went to great lengths in reaching this goal, such as having trees and grass painted white or grey to fit his take on an urban landscape. Andrew Sarris
called the red hued pipes and railings "the architecture of anxiety: the reds and blues exclaim as much as they explain".
Although on one level Red Desert might be taken as a story about a harsh modern industrial culture to which only the neurotic Giuliana has awakened, Antonioni later said he wanted to show that industrial technology has a beauty of its own and that he had filmed a story about human adaptability, in that Giuliana
1964 in film
The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
, written by Antonioni and Tonino Guerra
Tonino Guerra
Tonino Guerra is an Italian poet, writer and screenwriter who has collaborated with some of the most prominent film directors of the world.-Biography:Guerra was born in Santarcangelo di Romagna....
and starring Monica Vitti
Monica Vitti
Monica Vitti is an Italian actress best known for her starring roles in films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, her lover at that time, during the early 1960s...
with Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
. This was Antonioni's first color film. The working title was Celeste e verde (Sky blue and green). Il deserto rosso was awarded the Golden Lion
Golden Lion
Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
at the 25th Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
in 1964. It is also sometimes noted as the last in a series of four films he made with Vitti over five years beginning in 1959 and ending in 1964, the three before being L'Avventura
L'avventura
L'Avventura is a 1960 Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and developed from a story he created. Monica Vitti and Gabriele Ferzetti star. It is noted for its careful pacing, which puts a focus on visual composition and character development, as well as for its unusual narrative structure...
(1960), La Notte
La Notte
La Notte is a 1961 Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. It is considered the central film of a trilogy beginning with L'avventura and ending with L'Eclisse.- Plot :...
(1961) and L'Eclisse (1962).
Plot
As the film opens, Giuliana (Vitti) has been released from the hospital after having attempted suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. She lives with her husband Ugo (Carlo Chionetti), director of a nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
plant which is going through a strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, along with their young son. Giuliana feels estranged from her family and disconnected from the world. Ugo's friend Zeller (Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
) comes to Ravenna to make a business deal and is drawn to her. Zeller may understand her troubles more than Ugo does, but this is not enough to sway Giuliana from her worries.
Cinematography
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
with sprawling new post World War Two factories, industrial machinery and a much polluted river valley. The cinematography is highlighted by pastel colors with flowing white smoke and fog. The sound design
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
blends a foley
Foley (filmmaking)
Foley is a term that describes the process of live recording of sound effects that are created by a Foley artist, which are added in post production to enhance the quality of audio for films, television, video, video games and radio....
of industrial and urban sounds with ghostly ship horns and an electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
score. This was Antonioni's first colour film, which the director said he wanted to shoot like a painting on a canvas:
As he would do in later film productions, Antonioni went to great lengths in reaching this goal, such as having trees and grass painted white or grey to fit his take on an urban landscape. Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris is an American film critic and a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism.-Career:Sarris is generally credited with popularizing the auteur theory in the U.S...
called the red hued pipes and railings "the architecture of anxiety: the reds and blues exclaim as much as they explain".
Meaning