Maggie Pringle
Film Review of Blow Up
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Blow-Up. The plot had been explained briefly to me beforehand and it sounded like a dull plot to me, but I went into it with no premature judgments. Antonioni seems to have a bit of a reputation for scenes that seem to drag on forever. For example, Bosley Crowther from The New York Times stated, “ It is redundant and long. There are the usual Antonioni passages of seemingly endless wanderings.”[1] There are indeed numerous scenes that progress at a slow rate and with minimal talking or sound. I thought Blow-Up was entertaining but the plot was a bit monotonous and I found myself annoyed that the scenes took so long to make sense and contribute to the plot.
I did not hate the film by any means, watching it was interesting because I like the time period it was set in and there was a factor of suspense. The beginning of the film was a long build-up of the main character, the photographer. It was clear that he was a sort of playboy and that the women he photographed often fell for him only to be disappointed when he kicked them to the curb after he got what he needed from them. “Everything about this feral fellow is footloose, arrogant, fierce, signifying a tiger—or an incongruously baby-faced lone wolf—stalking his prey in a society for which he seems to have no more concern, no more feeling or understanding than he has for the equipment and props he impulsively breaks.” 1 However, it took awhile for the combination of scenes to make sense to me, for it to all add up. I don’t know if it is my personality that affected my opinion of the film, seeing as how I am not a huge fan of anything slow-paced. Thank goodness the plot was not too complex, I feel that the film would have much longer if every aspect of the plot took ten minutes to explain. I will say though, the waiting creates a level of suspense that does keep you watching.
The 1960’s is a time period that I am fascinated with, I think Antonioni did a great job capturing the chaotic feeling of the 60’s in this film. I think that this film is an appropriate account of the 60’s because of its richness in sexuality. Tim Dirks says in a review that some of the most memorable scenes in the movies are: “- the photographer's erotic, photo-shoot crawl - to the point of orgasmic release and satisfaction - over the supine body of model Verushka, while he snaps fashion photos., - the woman from the park's visit to his studio, to again desperately and persistently beg for the undeveloped roll of film by becoming topless. He becomes both intrigued and suspicious. To get her to leave, he gives her a different roll of undeveloped film., - a very sexual, menage a trois romp with two wanna-be teenage models (blonde Jane Birkin and brunette Gillian Hills), who wrestle with him on a large roll of purplish-blue backdrop paper, with quick glimpses of female pubic hair after they have been stripped of their clothes.” 2 But again, the first scene where he is shooting photographs of the thin model, it is a long scene and after a couple snaps I grew tired of what I was watching and was ready for a scene transition.
There was a continuing theme that I picked up on involving Thomas and his camera. It was like in a world where he obviously didn’t love many things or people for that matter, his camera was his baby, he was most comfortable with his camera. “He is in control of himself and situations only when he is armed with his camera; without it, he is at his weakest and most vulnerable.” 3His obsession with photography interested me as he was not shown getting a wink of sleep in the movie, he was like a die-hard artist of some sorts. Of course this obsession escalated when he thought he might have caught a murder on film.
I know there is a deeper meaning to this film, it tests the ideas and limits of illusion and reality. However, even when I’m aware of a movie’s message, it does not necessarily cause me to appreciate it. Blow Up was an enjoyable experience, it had suspense, sex and sixty’s flare, but I can’t say it was great. The fast scene cuts went on and on in the beginning which I wasn’t fond of and much of the scenes in the rest of the movie were dragged out. It shall remain a significant film of the 60’s but it shall also remain as just another film in my mind.
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