Red Desert
Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni
Written by: Michelangelo Antonioni and Tonino Guerra
Starring: Monica Vitti, Richard Harris, Carlo Chionetti

Normally the idea of technique overshadowing character and story might be a bad thing, but Michelangelo Antonioni’s Red Desert is probably better described as an ‘environment piece’ rather than ‘character piece’. The characters are directly influenced and defined by their surroundings. Antonioni makes great use of colour — this was his first step away from black and white — and composition to create drab yet breathtaking landscapes in which to set his colourful characters against.

The opening titles of Red Desert promises a pretty unique experience. Beautiful shots of factories are underscored by a strange electronic soundtrack, immediately establishing a thematic ambiguity. Is the film criticizing industry? If so, why present these factories in such an aesthetically pleasing nature? Normally it’d be safe to assume that a film with so many shots of industrial landscapes might be commenting on the dystopian nature of the modern world, but Antonioni seems fascinated by it. There’s a great extended sequence of one of these factories letting off a giant cloud of steam as two of the main characters take a moment to stand and watch. Outside of this factory we meet Giuliana and her young son working their way past a crowd of strikers. She stops to buy a half eaten sandwich off of one of the picketing workmen; an act that isn’t really explained until about half way through the film when we learn that Giuliana has recently been released from the hospital after a car accident. Her husband Ugo, the factory manager, is unaware of the resulting mental problems she’s been dealing with, including a failed suicide attempt. Corrado Zeller, an engineer and co-worker of Ugo’s, slowly attempts to get closer to Giuliana, providing her with a much needed outlet for her emotional problems. A series of scenarios — including an unusual sexual encounter with a group of friends — bring the two closer, eventually leading to an act of infidelity that sends Giuliana deeper into her psychosis.

I suppose I could write about the ideas of industry versus nature or the inability to adapt to scientific or industrial progress, but there’s not really much I can add that isn’t already summarized on the commentary track or inside of the booklet included with this disc. Instead, I’ll speak on the characters of Red Desert and my inability to connect with any of them. Antonioni uses composition, environment and sound design to express Giuliana’s disillusionment, but I found myself somewhat alienated by these characters. I never really felt that any of them were grounded in any sort of reality, but I guess it sort of makes sense within the context of the film. Red Desert plays like a fever dream, exploiting the alien landscapes and disorienting leaps in time — Antonioni had decided to abandon the dissolve, insisting he would only use modern style cuts — to create a sense that Giuliana’s neurosis is somehow affecting the film — sort of like Roman Polanski’s ‘Repulsion’. Once we understand Giuliana’s condition, her actions definitely make more sense (or as much sense as the actions of a crazy person), but I still found her extremely hard to connect with. Maybe Monica Vitti’s performance, which felt a little inconsistent, might be to blame. On the other hand, I thought Richard Harris was great — outside of the fact that he’s dubbed by an Italian actor — and his character’s intentions added an element of mystery.

I was a little disappointed in the direction the film took with Giuliana’s underlying neurosis. The fact that her mental problems can be traced back to a singular event — her car accident — sort of undercut the power of her inability to adjust to the world around her. I suppose you could assume that her accident was simply a trigger, setting off years of suppressed mental anguish that previously laid dormant, but I never felt that. I suppose her husband is unusually distant — especially considering he is completely unaware of her attempts to open up to him about her issues — but I still think the accident steals his thunder a bit. The fact that her infidelity with Zeller can be written off as merely a bit of temporary insanity takes a bit of steam out of that relationship as well. That lapse of judgement would’ve resonated a bit more if she was in her right mind at the time. Although I guess it does say something for Zeller’s intentions and his ability to take advantage of his boss’ mentally disturbed wife.

Red Desert is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is washed with a fairly thick but appropriate layer of grain. Antonioni’s wonderful use of colour benefits from this blu ray presentation as all of the little bits of red spread throughout the otherwise monochromatic landscapes really pop with a natural vibrancy. It’s interesting to note that Antonioni and his cinematographer Carlo Di Palma actually went to the trouble of painting the ground, trees and buildings to maintain a monochromatic look to the film. The supplemental materials include an informative commentary track by Italian film scholar David Forgacs, archival interviews with Antonioni and actress Monica Vitti, and two short documentaries — Gente del Po and N.U. — both directed by Antonioni. I have to say I really love when Criterion throws in some short films on these discs that you wouldn’t see otherwise.

While I can’t say that I loved Red Desert, there’s definitely something to be said about the technique on display throughout the film. I found the characters generally hard to relate to but as a cinematic experience, Antonioni’s use of editing, colour and composition makes for a remarkably modern cinematic experience.

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