La Notte

La Notte (1961)

Genres - Drama, Romance  |   Sub-Genres - Psychological Drama, Marriage Drama  |   Run Time - 116 min.  |   Countries - France, Italy  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

La Notte is another of Michelangelo Antonioni's cinematic interrupted journeys. Just as no one solved the central mystery in Antonioni's L'Avventura, neither does anyone truly enjoy the literary party that is La Notte's centerpiece. The party is being thrown to celebrate the publication of author Marcello Mastrioanni's new novel. But before he even reaches the door of the house, Mastrioanni's evening is ruined when his wife Jeanne Moreau announces suddenly she is disgusted with him--this reaction evidently triggered by an earlier visit to a dying friend. Moreau skips out on the party to wander the streets, searching for...for what? Meanwhile, Mastrioanni tries to inaugurate an empty affair with Monica Vitti, the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. The very elements that drive Mastrioanni and Moreau apart at the beginning of the film reunite them at the end. Maybe. L'Avventura and La Notte were the first two chapters in Antonioni's "barreness and alienation" trilogy; the third, L'Eclisse, was released two years later.

Characteristics

Keywords

book, cancer, car, celebration, chase, collapse, couple, daughter, death, emotion, employment, friendship, home, husband, industrialist, life, love, man, marital-problems, marriage, news, party, rekindle, relationship, society, street, visit, wife, woman, youth

Attributes

High Artistic Quality