Finally watched Antonioni's l'Avventura. Again I am struck by the singularity of his vision. He is one of the few directors to whom the term "caméra-stylo" seems truly apt, by which I mean the evocative quality of what we are shown ... 1/

(and of course what is off screen). But this is achieved with a deceptive unshowiness - long takes and unfussy editing. Antonioni's power seems more in the consistency of his vision: his ability to make the world both strikingly mysterious ... 2/

... and, yes, beautiful, but also lonely and alienating. I can see why Antonioni's style would test some people's patience: the succession of seemingly inconclusive "longeurs" etc. but the reward for me is cumulative. 3/

What seems like unflinching exposition is in the end quite mysterious: the more we see the world through Antonioni's eyes the more dreamlike and enigmatic it becomes 4/