Red Desert (1964)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Red Desert (1964) – M. Antonioni

Antonioni goes “no holds barred” and “pulls out all the stops” to create a color film of such crazy artistic intensity that every shot is a perfect composition.  I provided my own voiceover commentary, a commentary of continual astonishment (which still did not take away from the electronic psychotronic noise soundtrack).  Let’s put it this way:  not only are the costumes, props, and sets perfectly selected (or painted) to have the ideal complementary colors, but there is often motion in the shot (such as a billowing cloud of steam that expands above two characters who are made tiny at the bottom of the screen, apparently oppressed and inconsequential as the frame is taken over).  Geometric shapes abound (squares, triangles, circles), often as part of giant still life shots focused on industrial landscapes, into which a character’s head will sometimes protrude moments later.  In other words, this is an event picture where incredible set-ups are the norm.  At the time, Red Desert was criticized for having a negligible plot and truly it is easy to lose track, as the characters basically do nothing for most of the film (Monica Vitti has post-traumatic stress from an auto accident and feels detached from her husband and child and life itself but may be open to advances from dubbed Richard Harris).  You could make the case that the visuals help to enhance the themes of alienation and insignificance.  The environment can easily overwhelm the characters and this is even more problematic due to the industrial waste and pollution that poisons it – in color.  Another masterpiece from Antonioni.