Oh, boy! Tonight, I finally got to see Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1970 feature Zabriskie Point. I generally like Antonioni’s films and I have been wanting to see this one for ages. It was his first film made in the United States (MGM payed the bill). While I liked the look of some of it, the film as a whole left me cold. I’m not sure exactly what Antonioni was getting at (it seemed to be a criticism of American consumerism–yawn) but as far as I’m concerned the film can be summed up with a quote from a black revolutionary character in the opening scene: a mix of jive and bullshit.
Anyway, the production stills were taken by photographer Bruce Davidson. Here are some scans. I might add more if I can find some.
It seems as though shooting in the States wasn’t exactly a picnic for Antonioni:
Here is the final scene of Zabriskie Point. It is by far the most exciting bit of the film.
Along with Zabriskie Point, I also received Antonioni’s Red Desert, which I will hopefully watch later this week. Expect a post on it sooner or later. Also, I should mention that even though I didn’t quite know what to make of Zabriskie Point, it is still not my least favorite Antonioni film. That distinction goes to one of his supposed “masterpieces,” The Blow Up. I hated that one on every level.
chained and perfumed 