R.I.P Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007)

**MulletProof** · 31-07-2007

from bbcnews.com

Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni, renowned for his 1966 release Blow-Up, has died aged 94.

He gained two Oscar nominations for the iconic release, and was awarded an honorary Academy Award for his life's work in 1995.
He was also nominated for the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d'Or, five times between 1960 and 1982.
The director died peacefully at home on Monday night, his wife, actress Enrica Fico, told La Repubblica newspaper. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano paid tribute, saying the country had "lost one of cinema's greatest protagonists and one of the greatest explorers of expression in the 20th Century".

Anohter great Italian director, Mario Monicelli, said Antonioni was "one of the masters of Italian and international cinema".

"He found out how to tell things, emotions, that before him nobody think could ever be told through this mean of expression which is cinema," he said.
Actress Sarah Miles, who appeared in Blow Up, told the BBC World Service's Europe Today that Antonioni was "a rogue and a tyrant and a brilliant man". "He was all things, as everybody is who has got any great talent. He had his dark side and his light side," she said.

Richard Mowe, a film writer and co-director of the Italian Film Festival UK, said Antonioni made productions "that were out of the conventional modes of expression".

"He invented his own language of cinema - that's what made him very, very inventive," he said. "He didn't owe anything to anybody else. He was a total original." Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, the author of a book on Antonioni's film L'Avventura (The Adventure), described his works as being productions that "invite you to concentrate on them, like great music".

"It's extraordinary that he should die within a day of Ingmar Bergman - that's two greats in two days," said Mr Nowell-Smith, who also curated a season of his work at London's BFI Southbank.

"It's the last link with the great days of European art cinema."
Fans will be able to pay their respects when Antonioni's body lies in state in the Sala della Protomoteca at Rome's city hall, the Campidoglio, on Wednesday morning.
The funeral will then take place in the director's home town of Ferrara, north-eastern Italy, on Thursday.
Antonioni was born in Ferrara in 1912 and released his debut feature, Story of A Love Affair, at the age of 38.
But he did not achieve international recognition until the mystery L'Avventura 10 years later in 1960.
In 1966, he signed a deal to make a trilogy of films for the English market with legendary Italian film producer Carlo Ponti. The first was Blow-Up, in which a photographer appears to have uncovered a murder in his photos.
Shot in London, and starring David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave, it was his biggest international hit.

Antonioni captured the "flower power" era in 1970, filming Zabriskie Point in California, while Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson starred as a journalist in 1974 in Professione: Reporter (The Passenger).
In 1985, the director suffered a stroke that left him partially paralysed, but he continued to work behind the camera. "Filming for me is living," he said. His last cinematic release was 2004's The Dangerous Thread of Things, one part of a trilogy of short films released under the title Eros.
[image from erin.utoronto.ca]

Sweet rus · 31-07-2007

RIP

**MissMagAddict** · 31-07-2007

Blow Up...one of the best movies ever
RIP

papa_levante · 31-07-2007

Whoa, 94! That's really great.

PollyM · 31-07-2007

My thesis was focused on Blow-UP. I literally feel that a small part of me has gone.

Jane Birkin about him (interview extrait from marielosier.net)
"...He is an architect, and just more delicate than sweety you could never guess, much later in the Venice film Festival I got a sweet note from him saying he had voted for me for the Rivette film Love On the Ground (L’Amour par terre), with Geraldine Chaplin, and I though “how kind of him to taking the time to see where my career went, it is very touching when grand and great directors do that when you had really a cameo part in a film (she laughs).
He was a darling..."

novella · 31-07-2007

I'm glad that a thread has been made to mourn & remember such an amazing director.

Rest in peace.

beltedmaude · 31-07-2007

Oh man... two legends gone.

And only a couple of weeks ago I was stunned by the deaths of Regine Crespin and Beverly Sills!

Diamond Star · 31-07-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by beltedmaude

Oh man... two legends gone.

Its terribly sad

~Fashionista~ · 31-07-2007

RIP

nanker_phledge · 31-07-2007

I don't know if this is some kind of a curse. I mean that's one hell of a tough week for the history of cinema.Two legends gone, and Ulrich Muhe and Michel Serrault died.

Anyway, I guess I have to salute the man for making 'L'Avventura' 'The Eclipse' (one of my favourite films ever) , I really like 'La Notte' as well.

nanker_phledge · 31-07-2007

Actually that reminds me that Cervantes and Shakespeare nearly died the same day.

So who's next now ? Godard ?

semolinapilchard · 31-07-2007

****.

PollyM · 01-08-2007

from Youtube

La bordélique · 01-08-2007

Very sad indeed....

I have recently had an Antonioni movie marathon of the trilogy followed by Blow-Up, all movies that I really enjoy watching more than once.

RIP

**MulletProof** · 02-08-2007

some images from the funeral at Rome's City Hall yesterday.

[italian directors Mario Monicelli and Citto Maselli]

..Today at Saint Giorgio's cathedral in Ferrara, Italy. Where Antonioni was babtised 94 years ago.

(Wim Wenders, Italian script writer Tonino Guerra and Antonioni's widow Enrica Fico)

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31-07-2007	11
nanker_phledge trendsetter Join Date: Sep 2005 Gender: femme Posts: 1,312	Actually that reminds me that Cervantes and Shakespeare nearly died the same day. So who's next now ? Godard ?
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PollyM front row Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: North East of Italy Gender: femme Posts: 342	The eyes of love from Youtube __________________ Tutto quello che mi manca è un'assurda specie di preghiera / Che sembra quasi amore

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MulletProof Take me drunk, I'm home Mod Squad Leader Join Date: Apr 2004 Gender: femme Posts: 24,427	some images from the funeral at Rome's City Hall yesterday. [italian directors Mario Monicelli and Citto Maselli] ..Today at Saint Giorgio's cathedral in Ferrara, Italy. Where Antonioni was babtised 94 years ago. (Wim Wenders, Italian script writer Tonino Guerra and Antonioni's widow Enrica Fico) __________________ Metal teeth of carousels.

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MulletProof Take me drunk, I'm home Mod Squad Leader Join Date: Apr 2004 Gender: femme Posts: 24,427	R.I.P Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007) from bbcnews.com Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni, renowned for his 1966 release Blow-Up, has died aged 94. He gained two Oscar nominations for the iconic release, and was awarded an honorary Academy Award for his life's work in 1995. He was also nominated for the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d'Or, five times between 1960 and 1982. The director died peacefully at home on Monday night, his wife, actress Enrica Fico, told La Repubblica newspaper. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano paid tribute, saying the country had "lost one of cinema's greatest protagonists and one of the greatest explorers of expression in the 20th Century". Anohter great Italian director, Mario Monicelli, said Antonioni was "one of the masters of Italian and international cinema". "He found out how to tell things, emotions, that before him nobody think could ever be told through this mean of expression which is cinema," he said. Actress Sarah Miles, who appeared in Blow Up, told the BBC World Service's Europe Today that Antonioni was "a rogue and a tyrant and a brilliant man". "He was all things, as everybody is who has got any great talent. He had his dark side and his light side," she said. Richard Mowe, a film writer and co-director of the Italian Film Festival UK, said Antonioni made productions "that were out of the conventional modes of expression". "He invented his own language of cinema - that's what made him very, very inventive," he said. "He didn't owe anything to anybody else. He was a total original." Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, the author of a book on Antonioni's film L'Avventura (The Adventure), described his works as being productions that "invite you to concentrate on them, like great music". "It's extraordinary that he should die within a day of Ingmar Bergman - that's two greats in two days," said Mr Nowell-Smith, who also curated a season of his work at London's BFI Southbank. "It's the last link with the great days of European art cinema." Fans will be able to pay their respects when Antonioni's body lies in state in the Sala della Protomoteca at Rome's city hall, the Campidoglio, on Wednesday morning. The funeral will then take place in the director's home town of Ferrara, north-eastern Italy, on Thursday. Antonioni was born in Ferrara in 1912 and released his debut feature, Story of A Love Affair, at the age of 38. But he did not achieve international recognition until the mystery L'Avventura 10 years later in 1960. In 1966, he signed a deal to make a trilogy of films for the English market with legendary Italian film producer Carlo Ponti. The first was Blow-Up, in which a photographer appears to have uncovered a murder in his photos. Shot in London, and starring David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave, it was his biggest international hit. Antonioni captured the "flower power" era in 1970, filming Zabriskie Point in California, while Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson starred as a journalist in 1974 in Professione: Reporter (The Passenger). In 1985, the director suffered a stroke that left him partially paralysed, but he continued to work behind the camera. "Filming for me is living," he said. His last cinematic release was 2004's The Dangerous Thread of Things, one part of a trilogy of short films released under the title Eros. [image from erin.utoronto.ca] __________________ Metal teeth of carousels.

31-07-2007	2
Sweet rus <3 Happy <3 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Moscow Gender: femme Posts: 18,666	RIP __________________ *Eugenia Volodina site* visit: my tumblr; livejournal (rus) archieves:* Eugenia Volodina blog**rutube myfashionmag** * Ekat* Pivovarova

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MissMagAddict The future is stupid Mod Squad Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Gender: femme Posts: 25,200	Blow Up...one of the best movies ever RIP __________________ Love is what you want.

31-07-2007	4
papa_levante oh! darling Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: at the bottom of everything Gender: femme Posts: 18,374	Whoa, 94! That's really great. __________________ i'd rather live it 'cause dreamers always chase but never get it...............................♥ sam ypma

31-07-2007	6
novella breakfast time Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chicago Gender: femme Posts: 5,858	I'm glad that a thread has been made to mourn & remember such an amazing director. Rest in peace. __________________ I need no reason for the first time in my life I just need to be on my way

31-07-2007	7
beltedmaude backstage pass Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ys Gender: femme Posts: 621	Oh man... two legends gone. And only a couple of weeks ago I was stunned by the deaths of Regine Crespin and Beverly Sills! __________________ I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That's deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas?

31-07-2007	9
~Fashionista~ backstage pass Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Europe Gender: femme Posts: 791	RIP

31-07-2007	12
semolinapilchard front row Join Date: Jan 2006 Gender: femme Posts: 231	****.

01-08-2007	14
La bordélique earthbound Join Date: Mar 2006 Gender: femme Posts: 4,837	Very sad indeed.... I have recently had an Antonioni movie marathon of the trilogy followed by Blow-Up, all movies that I really enjoy watching more than once. RIP