"Il Grido" *** (out of ****)After reviewing the Turkish film "Climates", which owed so much to the work of Mr. Michelangelo Antonioni, I suddenly wanted to revisit the cinematic world of the great Italian filmmaker.
Going over my reviews I see Antonioni is a director I have neglected to review. And since I have stated it is my intention to review more classics and the works of great directors it is a good time to discuss Antonioni.
Like many of his contemporaries Mr. Antonioni got his start in films during the neo-realist movement. Though his work is not identified as being part of the neo-realist movement. He was to become part of a more "modern" group of Italian directors who were looking past the movement.
In Peter Bondanella's valuable book "Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present" we learn Antonioni started out as a scriptwriter (much like Federico Fellini) working for directors such as Rossellini ("A Pilot Returns") and with Giuseppe De Santis ("Tragic Pursuit") . Antonioni's first works were actually documentaries. His first was made in 1942 "People of the Po Valley". He would make five documentary shorts before he released his first feature film, "Story of a Love Affair", which is a wonderful film.
"Il Grido" finds Antonioni just about in the middle of a turning point in his career. The film resembles the work of the neo-realist movement. We are dealing with the working class, it was shot on real locations, it seems to be using natural light in exterior scenes and the acting has a naturalistic quality to it. Yet at the same time Antonioni is presenting his usual theme of alienation which separated him from the proceeding Italian filmmakers. Mr. Bondanella sums it up best in his book when drawing a comparison between the new Italian cinema coming from Antonioni and Fellini stating that both were "concerned with the failure of communication between human beings and the resultant spiritual poverty in life."
After "Il Grido" (1957) Antonioni would go on to make the films most associated with him; "L'Avventura", "La Notte", "Red Desert", "The Passenger" and "Blow-Up". While I would argue those films are a bit more stylized the viewer is still able to see the seeds of what was to come. Again, going back to Mr. Bondanella's book, he considers "Il Grido (The Cry)" " a film which embodies in a pure form for the first time his characteristic method of narrative."
Still despite all this praise for Mr. Antonioni there are those who do not find him to be a brilliant filmmaker. I have found myself many times involved in heated discussions. Many viewers are put off by his slow pacing, long camera shots and to some, illogical, narrative structure. Stories are now legendary about the reception his "L'Avventura" received when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. It is said the audience booed the film. Several in attendance actually walked out. Antonioni has a way of dividing his audience to such extremes.
In "Il Grido" Irma (Alida Valli) finds out her husband has been officially pronounced dead during the war. This is both good and bad news. Bad for the obvious reasons but good because for the past seven years Irma has been living with Aldo (Steve Cochran). Now they can get married. But Irma tells him she loves another. At first the viewer isn't quite sure what is going on here. Is Irma serious? Has the news of her husband given her reason to pause and put her in a more self-reflective mood? Is she worried what the townspeople will say about her getting married so fast? Or does she actually have another lover? In one scene, after Aldo confronts her, she runs to a friend's house and says if she wouldn't have run away she may have married Aldo that minute.
As is usual in an Antonioni film, the movie seems to lead us down one path but takes us somewhere else. Think of the beginning scenes in "L' Eclisse" or "L' Avventura". In "Il Grido" perhaps the film will be about Aldo and Irma getting back together. Perhaps this is Irma's story. The film shifts its focus and is Aldo's story. He leaves the town with his daughter, Rosina (Mirna Girardi). At first he heads to an old friend, one he believes he could have married, Elvia (Betsy Blair) next he travels on and meets a gas station attendant, Virginia (Dorian Gray). While Aldo is on a physical journey he is also on an emotional one. He cannot forget the memory of Irma. Life has lost its meaning. There is no reason to go on. Aldo can't even find a job despite his talking about wanting to.
In some ways "Il Grido" reminded me of De Sica's "Umberto D" in the way the relationship between father and daughter is presented. Aldo actually sends Rosina back to Irma. He tells her it is only temporary. It was Virginia's idea as the child simply got in the way of their love making. But like the dog in "Umberto D", I believe Rosina was his backbone. With her around he has to find a job and succeed. But her presence is a double edged sword. She also reminds him as Irma. She keeps asking when will her mother join them. When Rosina leaves I think Aldo's problems get worst. Now he is all alone with his thoughts. This brings an added emptiness in his life. He is no longer capable to relate to anyone. Even when he returns to his home town he longer is able to identify with the townspeople. He exist merely within his own empty world.
Going over the plot readers should be able to see how this relates to Antonioni's future films. Many of his characters search for something they cannot find within the material world. They have lost their ability to connect with society. What makes "Il Grido" so unusual in my opinion is I have never seen another Antonioni film to have such an ending. It is perfect for this film but when you sit down and think about it, it is ultimately a depressing ending which tells us life is not worth living. You can debate whether or not the ending was intentional or not but the end result is we live in a meaningless world.
Of the actors in the film the only one I am aware of is Aldia Valli. How strange such a star should take on this character. There is little screen time and she is not exactly likable. She is after all, the cause for all of Aldo's problems. She appeared in Visconti's "Senso", a pair of Bertolucci films, "1900" and "The Spider's Stratagem" as well as "The Third Man" and Geroges Franju's masterpiece "Eyes Without A Face".
Because it is an Antonioni film it is hard to say how most movie goers will react. If you've enjoyed previous films you may enjoy this. But because this is made in such a different style than most are used to it could have a cross-over appeal to those who don't normally like his films but like neo-realist films.
Antonioni sadly passed away a few years ago, at the same time the great Ingmar Bergman did. In some ways it was fitting. Both men had made films of a personal nature and had asked the big questions concerning what is life really about. Antonioni though never quite got the acceptance Bergman did in certain film circles. His work was not as celebrated by the Academy for instance. Of all of his great films only one movie ever earned an Oscar nomination. His English language film, "Blow-Up" (1967), which was nominated for its screenplay and Antonioni for his directing. He also received an honorary award from the academy in 1995. "Blow-Up" also won the palme d'or at Cannes. "Il Grido" never received such recognition. But it should be viewed as a missing link into this great filmmakers body of work.
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