Film Review: Red Desert (Remastered) (12A), (Italy/France 1964) (Italian with English Subtitles) (Director: Michelangelo Antonioni), Friday 07.09.2012 20:30, The Filmhouse Screen Three, Edinburgh

I went to see this as I had greatly enjoyed 'Blow Up' which Antonioni had made shortly afterwards, and I knew Red Desert was regarded as his masterpiece.

The film centred around the housewife (Monica Vitti) of an industrialist, and what appeared to me to be her narcissistic neurosis. I say 'what appeared to me' as this is not something I have noted being mentioned in any other review of this film that I have read. The difficulty with these as central characteristics of the main character, is that it makes it very difficult to warm to her. I did not feel any of the other characters to be particularly sympathetic either.

The audio soundscape felt jarring, and the pace plodding. The film felt maddening, though perhaps that was a point of it. Towards the end the central character notes that the smoke coming from the factory/chemical plant is yellow due to being poisonous, and this is why birds do not fly through it. This then leads to questions, are the male characters too close to/occupied by the polluting environment to see the dangers, and  has she got too much spare time on her hands, leading her see dangers as greater than what they are. It did not feel to be a particularly enjoyable film, and I don't view it as being as good as 'Blow Up'.

Rating: 05/10.