Blow Up; 1966, Michelangelo Antonioni
Blow-Up (1966) is writer/director Michelangelo Antonioni's view of the world of fashion, and an engaging, provocative murder mystery that examines the existential nature of reality interpreted through photography (also painting and pantomime). It was set in mid-60s London, a locale fairly unfamiliar to the director, although well known at the time for its trends including the Beatles, stick-thin fashion model Twiggy, and the mod styles at Carnaby Street. This was Antonioni's first film in English, and it quickly became one of the most important films of its decade, and it was his first international box-office success. It was also a milestone in liberalized attitudes toward film nudity and expressions of sexuality (reportedly the first British film to display full-frontal nudity).
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (with no wins): Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay (Michelangelo Antonioni and Tonino Guerra, and Edward Bond), and it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1967.
The monthly CineForum runs annually from January through June and is organized by the Italian Cultural Center in conjunction with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Movies start at 7:00pm. Doors open at 6:30 PM.
Cost: Free and open to the public; your donation at the door enables the ICC to organize quality programming such as the free monthly CineForum.