Blow-Up 1966 Criterion Collection
Michelangelo Antonioni's 'Blow Up' is a film that is something of an enigma. It's rich, satisfying and demands much from the viewer. Antonioni's first film in English, and for a major studio, it's come to be acknowledged as a bona fide classic and, rest assured, its status is still well deserved. The plot is fairly simple, a photographer (never named but played by David Hemmings) comes across what he thinks is a murder, buried in the background of some fairly innocuous looking pictures. From this simple, yet intriguing, premise, Antonioni uses the slim narrative framework to pose some pretty profound questions on the nature of art, vision, commerce, power, sex and, ultimately, life itself.

Like the majority of Antonioni's films, however, Blow-Up allows for multiple interpretations, so after repeated viewings you will almost certainly discover a lot more that is worth analyzing and discussing.

BD50 + 2xDVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:51:41 | 46 Gb + 12.7 Gb
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, Jane Birkin
Country: UK, Italy, USA

Extras:

Michelangelo Antonioni - presented here is an excerpt from the documentary Michelangelo Antonioni: The Eye That Changed Cinema, (2001) which contains archival footage from interviews with the Italian director and producer Carlo Ponti that were conducted after Blow-Up won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1967. The entire documentary appears on Criterion's Blu-ray release of L'Eclisse. In French and Italian, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, 1080p).

Blow Up of "Blow Up" (2016) - documentary film directed by Valentina Agostinis that examines the aesthetic and visual style of Blow-Up, Michelangelo Antonioni's working methods, the climate of 'swinging' London and the impact it had on the director, and some of the key locations seen in the film. Included in it are new interviews with photographer David Montgomery, writer Barry Miles (founder of Indica and International Times), Simon Napier-Bell (ex-manager of The Yardbirds), art historian David Alan Mellor, director and scriptwriter Clare Peploe, photography expert Philippe Garner, and writer and literary critic Andrew Sinclair, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (54 min, 1080p).

David Hemmings - presented here are two excerpts from archival interviews with actor David Hemmings.

1. 1968 - David Hemmings discusses the special qualities of 'swinging' London, why some people have compared him to James Dean, and the character he plays in Blow-Up. The interview was conducted during the shooting of Basil Dearden's film Only When I Larf. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

2. 1977 - here the actor recalls some interesting experiences he had with Michelangelo Antonioni after Blow-Up was completed, and discusses the unique structure of the film (and why he initially disliked one of its key sequences), the impact the film had on his career, his first visit to Hollywood, the 1960s and his acting choices, etc. The footage is taken from a filmed conversation with Brian Linehan for the TV program City Lights. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080i).

Vanessa Redgrave - this conversation between actress Vanessa Redgrave and photography historian Philippe Garner was filmed in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Blow-Up. Vanessa Redgrave recalls how she was cast to play Jane in Blow-Up, and discusses Michelangelo Antonioni's working methods (with some great comments about his precise treatment of color and light), the importance of body language in the director's work, her collaborations with other Italian masters such as Elio Petri (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion and the 'rebel' Tinto Brass (Black Angel), new trends in contemporary cinema, etc. The interview was posted by SHOWstudio on June 29, 2016, as part of the series In Conversation. In English, not subtitled. (45 min, 1080p).

Jane Birkin - presented here is an excerpt from an archival interview with Jane Birkin in which the actress recalls how she was cast to play the blonde in Blow-Up, and discusses her interactions with Michelangelo Antonioni and the important role fashion and style have in the film. The interview was conducted in 1989. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080i).

Antonioni's Hypnotic Vision - presented here are two new featurettes that were produced by Criterion in 2016.

1. Modernism - art historian David Alan Mellor discusses the groundbreaking nature of Blow-Up and the modernistic qualities of its visual style, as well as the socio-cultural scene in London during the 1960s. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

2. Photography - historian Philippe Garner and Walter Moser, head of the photographic collection at the Albertina museum in Vienna, discuss the use of still images and fashion photography in Blow-Up, the behavior of David Hemmings' character and the superficiality of his profession, the environment in which the photographer exists, some of the real photographers Michelangelo Antonioni met while preparing to shoot his film, etc. In English and German, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (30 min, 1080p).

Trailer - original trailer for Blow-Up. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

Teaser - original teaser for Blow-Up. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

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