Biography of Michelangelo Antonioni

Antonioni was born in Ferrara, Italy on 29 September 1912.

Antonioni graduated from the University of Bologna and later became film critic for Il Corriere Padano, but was fired as he was regarded as too left-wing by the fascists.

Antonioni gained international attention with L’Avventura in 1960. He directed his first film in English, Blow Up, in 1966.

Before making his first feature film, Cronanca di un Amore, in 1950, Antonioni had been scriptwriter to Rossellini and assistant to Carne.

When L’Avventura came out it was a surprising success as it displayed Antonioni’s dislike of convential narrative.

Sidney Lumet in ‘Making Movies’ wrote: “I’ll never forget my shock at Zabriskie Point, Antonioni’s first picture in English. I had always loved his work. I still loved what he’d done directorially, but the language in the picture was a real problem.”

The point is well made, although I still stick by my earlier statement that Blow Up (and not Zabriskie Point) was Antonioni’s first film in English. If I’m wrong then apologies, Mr Lumet!