The Empty Canvas

The Empty Canvas
Italian film poster
Directed by	Damiano Damiani
Produced by	Carlo Ponti
Screenplay by	Damiano Damiani Tonino Guerra Ugo Liberatore
Based on	La Noia by Alberto Moravia
Starring	Bette Davis Horst Buchholz Catherine Spaak
Music by	Luis Bacalov
Cinematography	Roberto Gerardi
Edited by	Renzo Lucidi
Production company	Compagnia Cinematografica Champion Les Films Concordia
Distributed by	Embassy Pictures
Release date	4 December 1963
Running time	105 minutes
Country	Italy
Language	Italian English

The Empty Canvas (1963) is an Italian drama film directed by Damiano Damiani. The screenplay by Damiani, Tonino Guerra, and Ugo Liberatore is based on the best-selling novel La Noia by Alberto Moravia. The film stars Horst Buchholz, Catherine Spaak, Isa Miranda and Bette Davis.

Mediocre artist Dino is obsessed with young model Cecilia and distraught that she shares her sexual favors not only with him, but with actor Luciani as well. In an effort to derail her plan to vacation in Capri with his rival, Dino proposes marriage, and when she rejects his offer, he invites Cecilia to join him at the Rome estate of his domineering mother, a wealthy American, in the hope that he can seduce her with his glamorous lifestyle. Despairing that he will never have a monogamous relationship with her, he crashes his sportscar into a wall. While recovering in the hospital, he realizes his feelings will never be reciprocated. When Cecilia returns from her trip assuming their liaison will continue, Dino announces that the affair is over.

The film was released in Italy as La noia (Boredom) and in France as L'ennui et sa diversion, l'érotisme (Boredom and its Diversion, Eroticism).

A dubbed English language version of the film was released in the United States by Embassy Pictures in 1964.