Rating of
3.5/4
Life in Death Valley
Bribaba - wrote on 05/05/11
Antonioni's masterpiece is still in DVD limbo, causing poor quality VHS versions to go for $100 in the US. Ironic, because when it was released in theatres you practically had to pay people to and see it - it cost $7m to make and took only $800,000 at the box office. Some of this can be attributed to scathing reviews from Amer critics who didn't take kindly to an Italian taking their country's social and economic values to task. Much blame was attributed also to the casting of two non actors in the lead roles, and it's true they come across as stiff and awkward but they also appear incredibly naive, making them a perfect representation of the period. Indeed, there are few films that capture the socio/political zeitgiest as this does. This isn't to say that it's dour and didactical, though the student speeches come close.
Vittorio Storaro's cinematography is outstanding, whether in LA or in the Death Valley desert, while the ending suggesting that American materialism will go up in flames is truly spectacular. The soundtrack also helps things along with tracks from Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead and The Youngbloods.
Space is the Place
