Less insightful

Antonioni and Bergman both left behind impressive bodies of work, and, being the film junkie I am, I thought I'd take a minute to say something about both of them.
First, Antononi.
The first Antonioni film I saw was Blowup. I liked its swingin' sixties vibe and getting to see a youthful Vanessa Redgrave was a delight. The irreverence for structure in the piece was what I really enjoyed--and of course the beautiful visuals.
I wasn't aware, however, that Antonioni really was a technician and a formidable auteur until I saw L'Avventura. Every shot is framed so perfectly--the tableaux, tracking shots, all of it is near-perfect. People in the background crawl mysteriously out of the person in the foreground's head. He quite literally implies that our desires and wishes are formed from our own minds, and he also questions how easily we can lose and forget those desires. The scenes on the volcanic island are unforgettable, and this was the first film that made me aware of architecture as texture and symbolism. L'Avventura is an incredible film that I highly recommend.


Bergman, for many of my generation, is an acquired taste. I know I only show my hillbilly sensibilities when I say that I've seen The Seventh Seal twice and it still has yet to make an impact on me. Cries and Whispers and Fanny and Alexander are more my speed. They tell specific tales with universal themes and even though Bergman is asking the big questions, you get a believability and realism that just isn't around in his earlier works. Richard Corliss of Time magazine recently interviewed Woody Allen about Bergman (and Antonioni). [article]
Still, Bergman's influence will be felt for a long time. I hope it leads to more parodies like this French and Saunders piece.


Finally, I wanted to send my condolences to the friends and family of Jeremy Blake. Chances are you are familiar with Blake's work but don't know it. He was an artist for Rockstar Games, but more importantly, he was well-respected video artist. He did the video for Beck's Round the Bend which is consistent with his style of "time-based paintings". He also did the beautiful transitions in Punch Drunk Love. He was starting to show an interest in more narrative, documentary style productions before he took his own life. His girlfriend killed herself on July 7th. Ten days later, he went missing. His naked body washed ashore in New Jersey on Monday. There are some lingering mysteries surrounding his death. [blog post]
We will never know what kind of work he would have produced if he had lived as long as Antonioni and Bergman.
Here's a couple clips to give you an idea of his work--