L'eclisse (1962)

Director:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (scenario and dialogue) &
Tonino Guerra (scenario and dialogue) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 December 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A young woman meets a vital young man, but the love affair is doomed because of the man's materialistic nature.

Plot Keywords:

Stock Market | Translator | Love | Arena | Politics

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Alain Delon	...	Piero
Monica Vitti	...	Vittoria
Francisco Rabal	...	Riccardo
Louis Seigner	...	Ercoli
Lilla Brignone	...	Vittoria's Mother
Rossana Rory	...	Anita
Mirella Ricciardi	...	Marta
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cyrus Elias	...	Intoxicated Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Michelangelo Antonioni

Writing credits
Michelangelo Antonioni		(scenario and dialogue) &
Tonino Guerra		(scenario and dialogue)
Elio Bartolini		(scenario collaborator) &
Ottiero Ottieri		(scenario collaborator)

Produced by
Raymond Hakim	....	producer
Robert Hakim	....	producer

Original Music by
Giovanni Fusco

Cinematography by
Gianni Di Venanzo

Film Editing by
Eraldo Da Roma

Production Design by
Piero Poletto

Art Direction by
Piero Poletto

Costume Design by
Bice Brichetto
Gitt Magrini

Makeup Department
Franco Freda	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Giorgio Baldi	....	unit manager
Dino Di Salvo	....	assistant unit manager
Danilo Marciani	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gianni Arduini	....	second assistant director
Franco Indovina	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Mario Bramonti	....	sound assistant
Renato Cadueri	....	sound
Claudio Maielli	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Pasqualino De Santis	....	camera operator (as Pasquale De Santis)
Sergio Strizzi	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gitt Magrini	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Marcella Benvenuti	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Franco Ferrara	....	conductor

Other crew
Elvira D'Amico	....	script girl

Production Companies

• Cineriz
• Interopa Film
• Paris Film

Distributors

• Cineriz (1962) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Compagnie Française de Distribution Cinématographique (CFDC) (1962) (France) (theatrical)
• La Société des Films Sirius (1962) (France) (theatrical)
• Times Film Corporation (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Filmes Lusomundo (19??) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Connoisseur / Meridian Films (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Mondo Home Entertainment (2002) (Italy) (DVD)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Westrex System  sound post-production (as Westrex-Poste Parisien)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

126 min | Argentina:97 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:13 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating) | Finland:S | Portugal:17 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1994) | UK:A (original rating) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Rome Stock Exchange, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cineriz

Trivia:

According to Martin Scorsese, this one is 'the boldest film' in the trilogy.

Quotes:

Vittoria:As long as we were in love, we understood each other. There was nothing to understand.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Revolution #9 (2001)

Soundtrack:

L'eclisse Twist

A Haunting and Enigmatic Journey

In many ways, "L'Eclisse" is the quintessential film from Antonioni's vintage period. Less beautiful than "L'Avventura", it compromises nothing in its exploration of human disaffection. The director himself has stated the humans are out of joint with their world, because of a kind of over-civilization, mainly through technology. And sexuality remains a final realm of mystery and contact with natural human physicality. For this reason, many characters in his films move from one sexual liaison to another, with no sense of any deep involvement: the attempt to connect in this way is futile. A real connection to the natural world has been lost. Humans have constructed a cold, efficient surface for the world which is difficult or impossible to penetrate. In an unconscious attempt to penetrate, to understand, characters seem continuously to grope and search.

"L'Eclisse" is especially memorable for its strange juxtaposition of the imagery of modern city life (in particular the Stock Exchange scenes; the car running into the river) with that of natural, or more primitive states (Monica Vitti's African dance; the fossilized plant). And the final sequence is almost overwhelming in its science-fiction-like presentation of a silent eclipsing of mankind in his own environment.

Vitti is the perfect Antonioni actor. She displays just enough emotion to realize the character, but is malleable enough for the director to illustrate his theme through her. Alain Delon never looked more handsome. He conveys the spiritually empty stock broker quite effectively.

Unfortunately, prints of this film are not in the best condition. It is time to restore it, along with "La Notte" to the technical standards they deserve.