Red Desert (film)
| Red Desert | |
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Original Italian film poster
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| Directed by | Michelangelo Antonioni |
| Produced by | Antonio Cervi Angelo Rizzoli |
| Written by |
Michelangelo Antonioni Tonino Guerra |
| Starring |
Monica Vitti Richard Harris |
| Music by |
Giovanni Fusco Vittorio Gelmetti |
| Cinematography | Carlo Di Palma |
| Edited by | Eraldo Da Roma |
| Distributed by | Rizzoli (USA) |
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Release date
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Running time
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120 minutes |
| Country | Italy/France |
| Language | Italian |
Red Desert (Italian: Il deserto rosso) is a 1964 Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Monica Vitti with Richard Harris. Written by Antonioni and Tonino Guerra, the film is about a woman trying to survive in the modern world of cultural neurosis and existential doubt. Antonioni's first color film, Red Desert is renowned for its scenic design; the work largely takes place in industrial landscapes that have been interpreted as a correlative of the unease, alienation, and vivid perceptions of the main character. The working title was Celeste e verde (Sky blue and green).Il deserto rosso was awarded the Golden Lion at the 25th Venice Film Festival in 1964. This was the last in a series of four films he made with Vitti between 1959 and 1964, preceded by L'Avventura (1960), La Notte (1961), and L'Eclisse (1962).
In Ravenna, Italy, Giuliana (Monica Vitti) is walking with her young son, Valerio, towards the petrochemical plant managed by her husband, Ugo. Passing workers who are on strike, Giuliana nervously and impulsively purchases a half-eaten sandwich from one of the workers. They are surrounded by strange industrial structures and debris that create inhuman images and sounds. Inside the plant, Ugo (Carlo Chionetti) is talking with a visiting business associate, Corrado Zeller (Richard Harris), who is looking to recruit workers for an industrial operation in Patagonia, Argentina. Ugo and Corrado converse comfortably in the noisy factory. Ugo tells Corrado that his wife, Giuliana, had a recent auto accident, and though she was physically unhurt, she has not been right mentally. That night in their apartment, Giuliana becomes highly agitated and fearful over a dream she had about sinking in quicksand. Ugo is unable to calm her or understand what she's experiencing.
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