Antonioni, or, The Surface of the world
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Antonioni, or, The Surface of the world
University of California Press, c1985
- : hbk
- : pbk
- Other Title
-
Antonioni
Surface of the world
Available at / 11 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
Filmography: p. 265-270
Bibliography: p. 271-281
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: hbk ISBN 9780520052055
Description
Michelangelo Antonioni is one of the great visual artists of the cinema. The central and distinguishing strength of Antonioni's mature films, Seymour Chatman argues, is narration by a kind of visual minimalism, by an intense concentration on the sheer appearance of things and a rejection of explanatory dialogue. Though traditional audiences have balked at the 'opacity' of Antonioni's films, it is precisely their rendered surface that is so eloquent once one learns to read it. Not despite, but through, their silences the films show a deep concern with the motives, perceptions and vicissitudes of the emotional life. This study covers films not dealt with in any other book on the great director, including "Il mistero di Obertwald" (1980) and "Identificazione di una donna" (1982), which have not yet been seen in the U.S. Its coverage of the early documentaries and features, when Antonioni was forging his new and original stylistic 'language', is especially full.
In a free-ranging analysis of the evolution of Antonioni's style that quotes liberally from Antonioni's own highly articulate writings and interviews, Chatman shows how difficult it was for the filmmaker to liberate his art from the conventional means of rendering narrative, especially dialogue, conventional sound effects, and commentative music. From his first efforts to his triumphant achievements in the tetralogy of "L'avventura", "L'eclisse", and "Il deserto rosso", Antonioni's acute sensibility struggled to achieve the mastery that has won him a secure place in film history. Chatman's study is the only complete account of Antonioni's work available in English. Its novel visual approach to the films while attract not only film scholars but also readers interested in painting and architecture - both important elements of Antonioni's work.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments A Note on Photographic Reproductions Introduction 1. Early Films 2. Il grido 3. The Great Tetralogy: Plots and Themes 4. The Great Tetralogy: Characters 5. The Great Tetralogy: Settings and the Environments 6. The Great Tetralogy: Cinematic Form 7. "Il provine" and Blow-Up 8. Zabriskie Points and Chung Kuo Cina 9. The Passenger and Il mistero di Oberwald 10. Identificazione di una donne Conclusion Notes Filmography Selected Bibliography Index
- Volume
-
: pbk ISBN 9780520053410
Description
Michelangelo Antonioni is one of the great visual artists of the cinema. The central and distinguishing strength of Antonioni's mature films, Seymour Chatman argues, is narration by a kind of visual minimalism, by an intense concentration on the sheer appearance of things and a rejection of explanatory dialogue. Though traditional audiences have balked at the 'opacity' of Antonioni's films, it is precisely their rendered surface that is so eloquent once one learns to read it. Not despite, but through, their silences the films show a deep concern with the motives, perceptions and vicissitudes of the emotional life. This study covers films not dealt with in any other book on the great director, including "Il mistero di Obertwald" (1980) and "Identificazione di una donna" (1982), which have not yet been seen in the U.S. Its coverage of the early documentaries and features, when Antonioni was forging his new and original stylistic 'language,' is especially full.
In a free-ranging analysis of the evolution of Antonioni's style that quotes liberally from Antonioni's own highly articulate writings and interviews, Chatman shows how difficult it was for the filmmaker to liberate his art from the conventional means of rendering narrative, especially dialogue, conventional sound effects, and commentative music. From his first efforts to his triumphant achievements in the tetralogy of "L'avventura", "L'eclisse", and "Il deserto rosso", Antonioni's acute sensibility struggled to achieve the mastery that has won him a secure place in film history. Chatman's study is the only complete account of Antonioni's work available in English. Its novel visual approach to the films while attract not only film scholars but also readers interested in painting and architecture - both important elements of Antonioni's work.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments A Note on Photographic Reproductions Introduction 1. Early Films 2. Il grido 3. The Great Tetralogy: Plots and Themes 4. The Great Tetralogy: Characters 5. The Great Tetralogy: Settings and the Environments 6. The Great Tetralogy: Cinematic Form 7. "Il provine" and Blow-Up 8. Zabriskie Points and Chung Kuo Cina 9. The Passenger and Il mistero di Oberwald 10. Identificazione di una donne Conclusion Notes Filmography Selected Bibliography Index
by "Nielsen BookData"