L'avventura (1960)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (story)
Michelangelo Antonioni (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 March 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A woman disappears during a Mediterranean boating trip. But during the search, her lover and her best friend become attracted to each other.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Island | Search | Italy | Yacht

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Sandro
Monica Vitti	...	Claudia
Lea Massari	...	Anna
Dominique Blanchar	...	Giulia
Renzo Ricci	...	Anna's Father
James Addams	...	Corrado
Dorothy De Poliolo	...	Gloria Perkins
Lelio Luttazzi	...	Raimondo
Giovanni Petrucci	...	Prince Goffredo
Esmeralda Ruspoli	...	Patrizia
Jack O'Connell	...	Old man on the island
Angela Tommasi Di Lampedusa	...	The Princess
Franco Cimino
Prof. Cucco	...	Ettore
Giovanni Danesi
Rita Mole
Renato Pinciroli
Enrico Bologna
Vincenzo Tranchina

Directed by
Michelangelo Antonioni

Writing credits
Michelangelo Antonioni		(story)
Michelangelo Antonioni		(screenplay) and
Elio Bartolini		(screenplay) and
Tonino Guerra		(screenplay)

Produced by
Amato Pennasilico	....	producer

Original Music by
Giovanni Fusco

Cinematography by
Aldo Scavarda

Film Editing by
Eraldo Da Roma

Production Design by
Piero Poletto

Costume Design by
Adriana Berselli

Makeup Department
Mario Mandini	....	hair stylist
Ultimo Peruzzi	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Enrico Bologna	....	production supervisor
Fernando Cinquini	....	production supervisor
Angelo Corso	....	general manager
Luciano Perugia	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gianni Arduini	....	assistant director
Franco Indovina	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Fausto Ancillai	....	sound mixer
Claudio Maielli	....	sound
Nino Renda	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Enrico Appetito	....	still photographer
Luigi Kuveiller	....	camera operator

Music Department
Giovanni Fusco	....	conductor

Other crew
Elvira D'Amico	....	script supervisor
Jack O'Connell	....	special assistant to director
Isa Bellini	....	voice dubbing: Dominique Blanchar (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cino del Duca (co-production)
• Produzioni Cinematografiche Europee (P.C.E.)
• Societé Cinématographique Lyre

Distributors

• Cino del Duca (1960) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Janus Films (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Athos Films (1960) (France) (theatrical)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Kinokuniya (2008) (Japan) (DVD) (digital new master)
• Mediaset (2003) (worldwide) (all media)
• Medusa Home Entertainment (2003) (Italy) (DVD)
• Mr Bongo Films (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• National Educational Television (NET) (1966) (USA) (TV)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Éditions Montparnasse (2005) (France) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Dupont  negative
• Compass Films  restoration production
• Fono Lux  sound re-recording
• Istituto Nazionale Luce  titles and opticals
• Mediaset  restoration production
• Scuola Nazionale di Cinema  restoration production
• Societé Cinématographique Lyre  restoration production

Also Known As:

L'isola (Italy) (working title)
The Adventure (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (re-rating) (1995) | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Aeolian Islands, Messina, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Cino del Duca

Trivia:

The company financing the film went bankrupt during production, forcing a strike by the unpaid crew.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the sequence in which Sandro and the newspaper reporter cross a street, the shadows of the camera and the crew are clearly and prolongedly visible on the actors and on the street surface.

Quotes:

Corrado: Giulia is like Oscar Wilde. Give her all the luxuries and she will manage without the little necessities.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Allemaal film: Tussen kunst en kassa (#1.5)" (2007)

One of the truly great works of cinema

"L'avventura"--"The Adventure", an adventure into the void of the modern world.

Antonioni's first international success is a subtle masterpiece focusing on the disappearance of an unhappy woman on an island and her friends' subsequent search. This is one of my favorite films of all-time. The composition and camerawork is aesthetically perfect; every frame is beautiful. The film's subtle psychological exploration is masterful, dealing with isolation and the protagonist's passive lifestyle forced to change under new circumstances. The sparse score perfectly fits the mysterious tone of the picture. Monica Vitti is nothing short of magnificent in the lead role. Constricting and excess plot details have been cut away, and the pace is slowed to allow the viewer to take in the wonderful images and actually think about the meanings and ideas contained within them. For viewers seeking serious, artful, intelligent, subtle, visually-stunning 'pure' cinema, this is the epitome.