L’avventura

L’avventura

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni • 1960 • France, Italy
Starring Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti

Michelangelo Antonioni invented a new film grammar with this masterwork. An iconic piece of challenging 1960s cinema and a gripping narrative on its own terms, L’AVVENTURA concerns the enigmatic disappearance of a young woman during a yachting trip off the coast of Sicily, and the search taken up by her disaffected lover (Gabriele Ferzetti) and best friend (Monica Vitti, in her breakout role). Antonioni’s controversial international sensation is a gorgeously shot tale of modern ennui and spiritual isolation.

L’avventura
  • L’avventura

    Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni • 1960 • France, Italy
    Starring Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti

    Michelangelo Antonioni invented a new film grammar with this masterwork. An iconic piece of challenging 1960s cinema and a gripping narrative on its own terms, L’AVVENTURA concerns the enigmatic di...

Extras

  • L’AVVENTURA Commentary

    Recorded in 1989, this audio commentary features film critic Gene Youngblood.

  • Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials

    Produced in collaboration with the Film Board of Canada in 1966, this was the first documentary about Michelangelo Antonioni to receive his approval. Director Gianfranco Mingozzi gives us the opportunity to observe the filmmaker on set and listen to his friends, colleagues, and interpreters talk ...

  • Jack Nicholson Reads “L’AVVENTURA: A Moral Adventure”

    The following essay by Michelangelo Antonioni—part of the original publicity materials for L’AVVENTURA—is read by Jack Nicholson, who worked with the director on THE PASSENGER.

  • Jack Nicholson Reads “Reflections on the Film Actor”

    The following essay by Michelangelo Antonioni—part of the original publicity materials for L’AVVENTURA—is read by Jack Nicholson, who worked with the director on THE PASSENGER.

  • Jack Nicholson on Michelangelo Antonioni

    Actor Jack Nicholson reminisces in 2001 about collaborating with director Michelangelo Antonioni.

  • Olivier Assayas on L’AVVENTURA

    The following piece, produced by Éditions Montparnasse in 2004 and reedited by Criterion, features an analysis in three parts by filmmaker Olivier Assayas.

  • The Restraint of L’AVVENTURA

    Professor David Bordwell applies his analysis of film language to Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’AVVENTURA, illustrating how the director uses careful staging and methodical framing to keep us guessing about his characters’ feelings and motivations.