Blow-Up

(1966)

Synopsis

Michelangelo Antonioni directs one of the seminal films of the 1960s. Thomas' camera never flinches. Not at love without meaning. Not at the dazzle and madness of youth. Not at a murder revealed in a photographic Blow-Up. Fashion photographer Thomas (David Hemmings) casually takes a somewhat voyeuristic shot of a man and a young woman in each other's arms on a park bench. The young woman (Academy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave) follows Thomas home and makes love to him in exchange for the photograph. But Thomas keeps the negative, and when he enlarges it, what had seemed a carnal moment appears to be murder. Thomas returns to the park, and discovers that the man in the photograph is dead. Yet when Thomas enlarges the photo again, he notices a shadow in the bushes that could be barrel of the gun. Is the woman with whom Thomas made love a murderer? Reality seems to change with each Blow-Up. Based in part on the story Las babas del diablo by Julio Cortázar.

Directors

Michelangelo Antonioni, Herbie Hancock, Frank Clarke, Michelangelo Antonioni

Production year

1966

Rating

Studio

Warner Bros.

Runtime

111 minutes

Cast

David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, John Castle, Jane Birkin