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Blow-Up

Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni

Starring: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles

The film: The first English-language movie by Italian art house director Michelangelo Antonioni  (particularly acclaimed for 1961's L'Avventura), Blow-Up is probably also his best-known work.

Although  pretentious  at times in character, personality and cinematography, this is a completely accessible film - much to the disgust of a handful of Antonioni fans - and something of a time capsule for 'swinging London' in the 1960s.

This film caused a big stir in its  day for reflecting the era's experimentation, with no-strings  bed-hopping and recreational drug use - often at the same time. While 60s social behaviour is a constant, character development is minimal.

The plot revolves around a superstar photographer, Thomas, played by opera singer David Hemmings (right) in his feature  debut. He is normally confined to his  cool and large studio, in which he refers to models as 'birds' and 'bitches', and shoots mostly fashion. Despite his disdain for the mostly pouty waifs - and his fashion work - many are happy to throw themselves at him.  For relief from all this,  Thomas shoots all sorts of outdoor subjects, which he considers  'fine art'.

While pursing the latter, he captures two lovers in a discreet tryst at a park; he openly shoots away until confronted by the woman,  Jane, played by Vanessa Redgrave in one of her earliest screen roles. She  tries in vain to retrieve the film. When printing it, Thomas becomes convinced the shots tell a sequential story of a crime being committed. From here, Antonioni  plays with the viewer, making us question what is real and what exists only in the photographer's imagination.

Look out for one of the sexually liberated models, a bit part played by a youthful and blonde Jane Birkin who, soon after, launched a successful career as a French-language chanteuse (and staged two concerts at this year's Hong Kong Arts Festival).

The extras: This new Warner Brothers edition - 'authorised for sale or rental in the USA and Canada only', but widely available in Hong Kong - includes a knowledgeable audio commentary  by American film critic Peter Brunette, author of The Films of Michelangelo Antonioni.

An additional music track would make a good party DVD, had the Herbie Hancock score been extended.  There are also two  movie trailers.



FROM THE VAULT: 1966