- I've only seen three films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, and I found La Notte paradoxically to be the most narratively straightforward and least engaging of the three of them. I say "paradoxically" because I don't think of myself as someone who likes intentional obfuscation, despite loving both L'Avventura and Blow-Up. In the case of La Notte, I always knew precisely what was happening and just didn't find it all that interesting.
- The story, such as it is, revolves around writer Giovanni Pontano (Marcello Mastroianni) and his wife Lidia (Jeanne Moreau) who find themselves in a conspicuously unhappy marriage. Giovanni can't understand why Lidia is always so upset, nevermind the fact that he is the sort of guy who drops in on a hospitalized nymphomaniac (Maria Pia Luzi) just down the hall from their dying friend (Bernhard Wicki). Although Giovanni's infidelity is admittedly the major problem in their relationship, Lidia complicates matters further by being completely uncommunicative, preferring instead to wander aimlessly through the streets of Milan. I have never seen a leading woman filmed from the back as often as in this film, and those rare frontal shots of Moreau's face inevitably reveal a cartoonish frown.
- Somehow, Pontano and Lidia arrange to spend an evening together, which involves an excursion to a risqué nightclub followed by a party at the home of a rich patron (Vincenzo Corbella). Doubtless the man's attractive daughter Valentina (Monica Vitti) is hardly going to have a stabilizing effect on Pontano's marriage. As he pursues Valentina and Lidia watches on, a tremendous storm erupts to douse the partygoers. The storm is easily the most compelling part of the film, particularly when it leads to some terrific shots of Lidia in a rain-soaked car, trying to have a good time with a man (Giorgio Negro) other than Pontano. But it is the curse of Italian films from the 1960s that nobody really ever has a good time, no matter how hard they try, and the characters in La Notte are no exception to that rule.
- While Antonioni's skill behind the camera is undeniable, I think my primary complaint about La Notte is that several of its scenes were simply too prolonged to remain interesting. Is it really fascinating to watch Lidia wander past model rocket enthusiasts on her way to nowhere in particular? Did we really need to see a 10-minute strip tease, no matter how impressive it may have been that the performer didn't spill her drink?? Apparently my enjoyment of such scenes in Antonioni films is predicated upon there being some sort of unexplained mystery, but this film featured no such puzzle. The only real mystery was why the audience should care about such a miserable couple, but that's exactly the sort of puzzle that the audience shouldn't have to solve.
