L'avventura

Criterion | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

A yacht trip to a volcanic island has turned into a search for a missing person, who disappeared without a trace. The lost person is Anna (Lea Massari) and while the search is continued, no one has a clue where she could be, not a single idea. Anna was out on a sea voyage with her boyfriend Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti) and her best friend Claudia (Monica Vitti), with the destination being the island on which they're now located. The three come from the upper class of Italy's social stratus and while they live comfortable lives, there is no true adventure and in truth, little action in the least. As the group was ready to leave the island, Anna came up missing and that's where we are now, as Claudia and Sandro attempt to track her down. As the searches pushes on, the two begin to grow closer and soon enough, real sparks can be found between them. But what will become of this newly realized romance and of course, where is Anna while all this is happening and will she ever be found?

I found this to be an excellent picture, but I can see why some would dislike it, as it strays from the normal path, to be sure. I have begun to like it more with each new viewing, as it seems to grow on me and also, I am able to take in more subtle notions, which add to the experience. This is a mystery that never turns into a thriller or even really offers a solution to most issues and as such, I doubt casual film fans will find much to like here. L'Avventura moves at a very slow pace and has little in terms of kinetic motion, but I don't think it ever grinds to halt, not even close. I know the pace will throw some off from the film, but if you have a decent attention span, I think you'll be glad you took the time to see this film and in truth, you might want to watch it again and see if you can glean any more insight from within it. I think director Michelangelo Antonioni created a most rewarding film with L'Avventura and perhaps with this excellent treatment from The Criterion Collection, it can find a wider audience, which it more than deserves. I give this film a very high recommendation and while first timers should rent, fans will want to own this double disc edition, to be sure.

With L'Avventura, director Michelangelo Antonioni challenges his audience in many ways, from open mindedness to patience to beyond. But is this approach overdone and Antonioni expecting too much? I don't think so and since he also delivers lush visuals and some terrific writing, the slow pace never becomes too much handle. It comes close at times and seems a little long at over one-hundred and forty minutes, but I think it all levels out in the end. Of course, you have to be able to remain focused in that time and soak it all in, so if you have a short attention span or need action to like a picture, then L'Avventura is not one you'll want to explore. An excellent example of film as art, L'Avventura is one of Antonioni's finest works and I think still stands up very well, impressive indeed. Other films directed by Antonioni include La Notte, Red Desert, Sign of the Gladiator, Blowup, Beyond the Clouds, and The Oberwald Mystery.

L'Avventura is presented in a 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. As the included restoration demonstration illustrates, Criterion's work here is very impressive and as such, fans will be most delighted indeed. The image looks quite sharp and very clean, which allows the visuals to shine and believe me, that's just what happens here. The black & white image looks well balanced and never murky or overly bright, a perfect medium of contrast, to be sure. I do think the film shows some age at times, but that is to expected and in the end, Criterion has issued a wonderful transfer here, excellent work all around.

The audio hasn't been neglected either, as the included mono option is cleaner than expected, though still mono, no matter how you shake it. Even so, this film doesn't need bells & whistles to succeed in the audio department and in truth, I found this track to be more than sufficient. A couple small errors surface, but on the whole, the track was free from distortion and hiss, as well as other age related issues. The dialogue is presented in the original Italian language and sounds good, no real complaints to report on that end. This disc also includes optional English subtitles, should you decide to make use of them.

This is a two disc release from the fine folks at Criterion, so I'll discuss the discs in order, to keep it simple to organize. The first disc contains the film itself, as well as an audio commentary from film historian Gene Youngblood. I often like these film historian sessions and this was no exception, although as usual, the speaker might be a little dull for some folks. I found Youngblood's comments to be very insightful however and since he kept the session moving, I was never bored with the track at all. The second disc holds most of the extras however, such as Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials, an almost hour long documentary on the filmmaker. This is in depth look at the man and his pictures and as such, fans will not want to miss it, especially when included with a film as great as L'Avventura. This release also includes a restoration demonstration, the film's American theatrical trailer, and some of Antonioni's writings read by Jack Nicholson, as well as Nicholson's own reflections on the filmmaker.