There's good news and so-so news. The good news is I found a sterling print of La Notte (The Night), an Italian New Wave classic directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and released in 1961. The film stars Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau and Monica Vitti, and was filmed on location mostly in Milan. The house scenes were shot at a villa in Barlassina, about 25 miles from Milan. The villa, I'm told, is more like a country club than a villa. The movie centers on a day in the life of an unfaithful married couple and their loveless relationship. La Notte is the second part of a trilogy of films by Antonioni, starting with L'Avventura in 1960 and ending with L'Eclisse in 1962. [Photo above of Jeanne Moreau in La Notte]
The so-so news is that the gorgeous print I found is without subtitles, so it's all in Italian. Which is actually fun. The solution is to read the detailed Wiki entry for the movie's plot here and refer to it while you watch. The film doesn't have that much dialogue and you can sort out what's going on from the actors' faces. [Photo above of Jeanne Moreau in La Notte]
A few notes: Most of the shots use fabulous Italian moderne exteriors and interiors as backdrops. I suspect Antonioni employed the minimalism to enhance the emotional sterility of his characters. The scene in the club with the two African dancers is exceptional. Eraldo Volonte is the saxophonist throughout, with leader Giorgio Gaslini on piano, Alceo Guatelli on bass and Ettore Ulivelli on drums. The sports car driven by the man who arrives alone and picks up Moreau at the party is a 1959 Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato. And the scene when Moreau observes her husband's infidelity from above gets me every time. [Photo above of Marcello Mastroianni and Monica Viti in La Notte]
Despite the humorless and somber heaviness of the storyline, the direction remains something to behold. Moreau is a study in Sphinx-like beauty and Mastroianni, despite his good looks, seems to sail through the film with a single expression. I love Moreau's deliberate walk and posture here and only wish the studio had shaved the back of Mastroianni's neck. The jazz score is eerily terrific, hanging in the air like an ethereal question mark.
I received the following yesterday from David Chilver:
I loved your recent post about Jeanne Moreau in Eva. What you say about Venice is sadly so true. Like you I had the great pleasure of first visiting Venice as a student in 1969. Then again in the 1980s when it was still a lovely experience. I was there again a couple of years ago and the change was striking.
On the subject of Jeanne Moreau who had her own special magic quality: I don't know if you've seen the clip below of her in La Notte (1961) but it is a good example of "less is more" and how she could express a lot by doing what appeared to be very little. The clip also shows how she could convey sexiness and eroticism with great subtlety and without resorting to anything explicit. Credit of course is also due to the other actors, especially Mastroianni and director Antonioni. [Photo above of Jeanne Moreau and Marcello Mastroianni in La Notte]
As for the music in this clip, the vocal is by my aunt, Lydia MacDonald, about whom we have previously corresponded. However, I don't think this was actually part of the original soundtrack but may have been from another totally different movie of that era.
Here's the Lydia MacDonald vocal clip...
Here's a link to the superb print of La Notte. I cannot embed the film at JazzWax, so simply click the link, then click white arrow and watch on full screen. And don't forget to have the Wiki entry up in the background while you do as a guide.
