LA NOTTE

Italy, 1961, 121 minutes, Black and white.
Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau, Monica Vitti, Bernard Wickhi.
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni.

La Notte is considered one of Michelangelo Antonioni's masterpieces. After establishing himself as a screenwriter, he moved into film direction in the early '50s. By the mid-'50s he had established a fine reputation which was built on with his trilogy: L'Avventura, The Night and The Eclipse. He was to move into colour with The Red Desert, Blow Up and Zabriskie Point. His career during the '70s and '80s was mixed with such films as China and Identification of a woman.

This is a slice of life, a portrait of a broken marriage - tensions, disinterest, fidelity and infidelity, compromise. The film is very stylish in its black and white photography, use of night and day, the atmosphere of Milan as a city, its buildings, its environment. The cast is excellent and responds well to Antonioni's vision. Marcello Mastroianni was at the peak of his career at the time as was Jeanne Moreau. Monica Vitti was to appear in several of Antonion's films..

1. The reputation of Antonioni: content - disillusionment, compromise, hope? A contemporary view of an Italian couple? Its particularity yet its universal insight?

2. Antonioni and style: black and white photography, the city, of Milan, the environment of the modern city, its buildings and streets, society settings? Night and day? People within these locations? Real? Symbolic? The musical score and its moods?

3. The screenplay and the 18-hours in the life of Giovanni and Lidia? The portrait of a married couple? Realism? Stylised treatment?

4. The focus on marriage Giovanni's final letter and the reality of the marriage? Ten years and the brittleness, closeness and distance? The death of love? The goodwill of each of the partners? Giovanni and his writing, career, burn-out? Lidia in herself, relating with Giovanni, coping? The day in the life of their marriage illustrated by the people that they met, situations, moods, infidelity, decisions?

5. The narrative and its importance, as a base for exploration? The milieu for the impact of the meaning of the marriage?

6. Marcello Mastroianni as Giovanni, his writing, marriage, relationship with Lidia? The visit to Tomasso and the atmosphere of the hospital? His sense of the marriage collapse? The encounter with the nymphomaniac patient, his reaction, his succumbing to her? The effect on him? The car ride to the book-signing? His confessing to Lidia? In the middle of the traffic, the traffic jam? The books and the signing of copies? The fans? Lidia absenting herself? His return-home, the phone call and his anxiety?

7. Lidia and the visit to Tomaso, the background of the past relationship and its missed opportunities? The confession in the car, her detached response? Moving from the party? Wandering the city during the day? The attention to details? The street, the men and the jobs, the baby crying, the broken clock, the cracked walls? A landscape for her wandering? The two men fighting? Her intervention? The old environment and home? Upset? Lonely? The phone call?

8. The meeting and its effect, going out, the nightclub and its jaded atmosphere, the strip, the glass and the balance, the jazz atmosphere? Their decision to move on unsatisfied?

9. The synopsis of the story in the middle of the film and its effect?

10. The party and Lydia’s encounter with Robert? The host, Valentina as his daughter? The news of Tomasso's death? The consequences for Lidia? her decision to go for the car ride with Roberto? Her remaining faithful? Giovanni and the entanglement with Valentina?

11. The morning, the move to the golf links, the discussion about the letter, lying on the grass, passion, Lidia yielding to Giovanni? What future?

12. The quality of the cast and the portraits of contemporary Italians? For insight and emotion?

13. Tomaso and his relationship with each? The relationship with Lidia? His presence in the hospital, pain, morphine, champagne; mother?

14. Valentina as the young Italian? The attraction for Giovanni? Her leading him on?

is. The gallery of people, places? Authenticity, hypocrisy, superficiality?

16. A film of the '60s? Impact for later decades?