Michelangelo Antonioni, the iconic Italian auteur, has been immortalized in cinema history thanks to his acclaimed classics “L’Avventura,” “Blow-Up,” and “The Passenger,” which redefined film grammar.
Yet three years prior to his international breakthrough with “L’Avventura,” which won the Cannes Jury
Prize, Antonioni directed his lesser-known feature “Il Grido.” The 1957 drama is relatively obscure and has rarely been screened stateside; however, the film is an early look at the themes of loneliness and fractured relationships that Antonioni later became synonymous with.
The official synopsis for “Il Grido” reads: “Michelangelo Antonioni crafted his first masterpiece with ‘Il Grido,’ a raw expression of anguish that remains one of Italian cinema’s great under-appreciated gems. Bridging Antonioni’s early, neorealism-inspired work and his hallmark stories of existential rootlessness, ‘Il Grido’ centers on Aldo (Steve Cochran), a sugar-refinery worker in the Po Valley. When Irma (Alida Valli), his lover of seven years, learns that her estranged husband has died abroad, Aldo hopes they can finally marry. These plans are ruined, however, when Irma declares she’s fallen in love with another man. Shocked and demoralized, Aldo leaves town with his daughter, Rosina (Mirna Girardi), and attempts to woo an old girlfriend (Betsy Blair), only to find himself rebuffed. As Aldo continues to drift through the Po’s small villages, his prospects dwindle and his connections with other women — including a gas-station owner (Dorian Gray) and a sex worker (Lyn Shaw) — fizzle out into alienation and despair.”
Gianni Di Venanzo is the cinematographer, with Franco Cancellieri producing.
Antonioni co-wrote “Il Grido” with Ennio De Concini and Elio Bartolini, who later worked with Antonioni
on the scripts for “L’avventura” and “L’eclisse.” “Il Grido” was inspired by the end of Antonioni’s first marriage. He later went on to direct “La Notte” (1961), “L’Eclisse” (1962), “Red Desert” (1964), and “Blow-Up” (1966), among other titles. Antonioni’s final feature was “Beyond the Clouds” (1995), with Wim Wenders serving as his directorial assistant.
Antonioni died on the same day as Ingmar Bergman on July 30, 2007.
“Il Grido” is restored by The Film Foundation and Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with Compass Film. The restoration was funded by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
“Il Grido” in a 4K restoration premieres at Film Forum in New York City on November 18 from Janus Films. Check out the trailer below.
