Blow-Up! Antonioni's masterpiece at Athens Technopolis is a screening you can't miss

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, John Castle, Veruschka von Lehndorff, Jane Birkin 
Duration: 111’

In his English-speaking debut, Michelangelo Antonioni found inspiration in Julio Cortázar’s novel “Las babas del diablo” to create a mystery thriller which appealed to a wider audience than his previous work and which earned him both the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival as well as two Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. David Hemmings plays Thomas, a successful photographer in London who feels that he is gradually getting sucked into a stagnant life of easy sex, drugs, fame and fortune. Following an intense photo shoot, the young man takes a walk in a park where he randomly takes a picture of a couple. Annoyed by this, Jane (Vanessa Redgrave) approaches him to ask for the film but leaves empty-handed though Thomas is enthralled by the rarity of a woman resisting his lens. Once the film is developed, Thomas is surprised to discover that he may have captured the murder of Jane’s lover and so he blows up the photos using the negatives to discover just what really is there.

The sexual revolution of the 60s, the shift in music and fashion, the sounds and visuals of the Swinging London era are all featured in “Blow-Up” as Antonioni captures an emerging social phenomenon and presents a true gem for what may be the most adventurous decade of the last century. But below this pop exterior he stays true to a vision which breaks free from cinematic conventions in favour of a more restrained narrative style and a philosophical quest which has its roots in existentialism and the relationship between the subject and reality. Featuring the story of a man and his struggle to break free from superficial exteriors to get to the heart of the matter, the now legendary “Blow-Up” is to this day a prime -and rare- example of  both artistic and commercial success as well as a masterful analysis of the fragile relationship between truth and illusion. Kostis Theodosopoulos

“SOTTO LE STELLE” Tribute. In collaboration with the Italian Embassy and the Italian Culture Institute Athens