1. In January and February this year, a number of films
by the Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni are re-released in Hong Kong. This
time, I am going to talk about ‘La Notte’, which is part of a trilogy with
‘L’Avventura’ and ‘L’Eclisse’. I will
present my viewpoints in an episodic manner, as if they are some random
thoughts from my mind.
2. ‘La Notte’ is fascinating in the sense that it can
be qualified for the guideline for classical unities in Aristotle's ‘Poetics’ -
the unity of time. In terms of theme, ‘La Notte’ shares similarity with another
film of the same era, John Cassevetes’s ‘Faces’, though the approaches to the
issue were quite different between the 2 filmmakers. It has also been compared
to Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut'.
3. The story concerned Giovanni and Lidia, a couple
from Milan, and how the experience in an evening would push them to examine
their relationship. While the activities
might sound a bit random and episodic, Antonioni’s intention was probably
deliberate and these activities will lead to meanings if one is willing to look
beyond the banality of the surface.
4. The relationship between the couple was detached,
and soon Lidia felt that she needed some solitude and thus wandered into the
evening lights. When she strolled through the place she once lived, some
solutions seemed to offer to her in the form of her perceptions – aggression (a
fight) or running away (the setting off of some homemade rockets). As one would
see also in the later Antonioni’s films, these are often not the best way to
deal with one’s existential terror, though they might have provided some form
of short-term solace.
5. Memories have been confronting the characters,
especially our 2 protagonists. Antonioni the filmmaker seemed to provide his characters
a lot of things to think back on, say, where they lived in the past, and the
love poem Giovanni has written a long time ago. Giovanni went as far to claim
that all he was left with were recollections of the past, though, ironically,
Lidia caught him off by noting that he even forgot his own poem, where he has written
for Lidia to show his love.
6. It is also worthwhile to see that the mise-en-scene
has also emphasized the detached relationships for the characters. Antonioni deliberately
installed barriers like gates and doors to symbolize the distance between
characters, and the limits that impeded them to get closer to each other in an
emotional way. One of the scenes involved a floor which resembled a chessboard,
as if the characters were players in a game, always keeping safe distance from
what others could offer.
7. Giovanni succinctly stated to Lidia regarding his
existential angst, "I no longer have inspirations, only
recollections". Inspirations are what we need to move on with our lives,
to find out our own meanings throughout the journey of our existence. Giovanni
pinpointed the stalemate in his own life, and probably his relationship with
Lidia. All Lidia could recommend, which was understandable at first glance, was
that "One must do something", and they just dropped in to a lavish
party, to explore any new opportunities for gratifications.
8. The party by the millionaire was fascinating,
because although the activities might appear banal, Giovanni and Lidia were
forced to confront a number of issues – fidelity (in the form of Monica Vitti
and her invented game), fame and wealth, mortality and nature (the sudden
shower). What I have often wondered is to what extent Kubrick has been influenced
by this double-flirting sequence and put it into ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (he did
mention ‘La Notte’ was one of his favorite films). The force of nature also
exposed the carnality of some of these ‘civilized’ guests – they literally
jumped into the pool like kids when rain started to pour.
9. The millionaire, Gherardini, was portrayed rather
neutrally in the film, given the belief Antonioni would likely have regarding
this sort of people. Gherardini indeed gave a few insightful observations about
modern life. Not only he saw through the decadence and wealth-oriented nature
of the modern ago, he also felt that the meaning of life has to be figured out
by the individual himself. Gherardini cared less about his position on the billionaire
list, yet he wanted to create something ‘solid’ – which was a legacy of himself
to be remembered. He also pointed out a nice point regarding writer and or form
of artist – one should create an art work because of necessity, because the
artist had a will to do it – they just wanna do it, period. It could not just be
reward or recognition that one wanted to involve in art work. Gherardini’s
vision also coincided with some key ideas of existentialism, for example his
affirmative insistence that ‘Life is what we make of it through our own
efforts.’, and his concentration on the present rather than the inaccessible
future.
10. After all
that happened throughout the evening, they reflected one last time on their
relationship. Lidia was sad because she felt that she no longer loved Giovanni,
and she felt like dying because there was clearly a relationship she has
cherished all the time, and she saw it as an intense loss. Giovanni could
appreciate the seriousness of the issue and he kept on reassuring her that he
definitely loved her.
11. It should be fair to state that both of them were
experiencing some form of crisis, so we cannot say who should be more
responsible for the marriage failure. Lidia, by noting that Giovanni has
forgotten his own love letter, allowed him to confront his own memories, his
vision of the affair. In a sense, Giovanni would be able to discover new
meanings in these lost memories, and see how they might be inspiring him to
regard his relationship with Lidia, just like he has once written for Lidia,
"Beyond your face I saw a pure, beautiful vision showing us in the
perspective of my whole life...all the year to come, even all the years
past.".
12. Antonioni concluded La Notte with an open ending, by
not giving the answer of whether Giovanni and Lidia reconciled at the end. I
would be optimistic and speculate that they would have a greater chance to be
back with each other. Because throughout the night, they had so many chances to
rediscover themselves and realize where the problems were. Both of them still
treasured the relationship they have sustained, and would feel depressed if
that ended with a nasty note. When Giovanni was forcing himself on Lidia (sort
of), it was almost the dawn, suggesting the beginning of a new day, and a new
chapter of their relationship. That is the idea of ‘lost and found’ – through
the recognition of the the value of what that has been lost, it will then orient
for a new start. After all, that is what I think Antonioni has always wanted us
to be able to do.
by Ed Law
3/2/2018
Film Analysis
