La Notte 4K 1961 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

A day in the life of a successful Milanese writer and his wife who, despite appearances of well-being, are growing increasingly estranged from each other. Giovanni, frustrated by his talent but adept at manipulating words, and Lidia, desperate to escape her anxiety and loneliness, wander through parties, nightclubs and social gatherings, running away from each other in fear of being alone.

Review 4K Movie

Continuing to explore the theme of human relationships, Michelangelo Antonioni descends to their lowest point. In the director's previous film (L'Avventura), eros, although painful, still left hope for recovery by the end. La Notte illustrates the living corpse of love, which is also presented here visually in the form of Tommaso, whose figure frames the narrative.

The film's running time stretches out in perception, which, of course, makes it difficult to watch at times, but this creates a vacuum in the soul that Lydia experiences in her relationship, the boundaries of which are erased after the rain, releasing itself in the couple's last conversation. “Today I want to die because I don't love you anymore,” says Lydia, because love was her support. "I wasted my life, taking and giving nothing in return... How could I not have understood before that if you give something to others, it benefits you too," echoes Giovanni, a character who seems to have escaped from Fellini's La Dolce Vita to settle down, hiding behind the mask of a respectable husband, but his selfish nature still takes its toll. For him, the problem of marriage does not even arise until the first rays of the sun. Before Giovanni, the possibility of a new life glimmers in the distance. With a good and stable salary. Together with the mysterious Valentina, played by the beautiful Monica Vitti. Far from high society, she is like a shadow — dressed all in black — and no matter how hard Giovanni tries, Valentina slips out of his embrace.

And so this broken line emerges: Tommaso loved Lydia unrequitedly and died, without him she lost all support, Giovanni turned his love to himself and confirmed his status as a hero lover with the help of his wife (it is worth remembering his response to Lydia's above quote: “It means you still love me”) and tried to do the same with Valentina, having already proven his success and competence in life.

The film is filled with comparisons and contrasts, starting with the vivid interplay of black and white, day and night, masculine and feminine, and ending with the dominant narrative style. The second half of the film is more devoted to the character of Marcello Mastroianni, a writer by profession, which is why there is more dialogue here than in the daytime scenes with the silent Jeanne Moreau, where visual language prevails, symbols such as abandoned houses (the house as a sign of the family hearth), the sounds of departing planes (and likewise of life or feelings), the overgrown railroad that the couple sees together, and the passing train that Lydia sees with her possible lover.

In addition, many shots have their own geometry. In some scenes (for example, in the hospital, in the powder room, in Valentina's room), the camera captures the characters, like chess pieces, moving from one artfully constructed cell to another in order to get closer, but at the same time pushing them into the next cell.

In the end, Antonioni's La Notte poses the question: will such love give birth to a “new day”? Will the sacrifice of Tommaso and Lidia have any effect? Let the viewer decide for themselves in their own lives.