La Notte

In Michelangelo Antonioni’s follow-up to the epochal L’Avventura actress Monica Vitti – substituting her distinctive blonde coif for a raven black hairdo – smolders as the temptress that further complicates the relationship between a novelist (Marcello Mastroianni) and his frustrated wife (Jeanne Moreau). Over the course of one night, the married couple confronts their alienation from each other and the achingly empty bourgeois Milan circles in which they travel.

One of the masterworks of 1960s cinema, La Notte marked yet another development in the continuous stylistic evolution of its director and showcased Vitti’s ability to captivate the screen even if her role would be minor. Moodily sensual cinematography and subtly expressive performances make La Notte an indelible illustration of romantic and social deterioration.

This film is part of our tribute to Monica Vitti.