By Tatyana Southerland
Michelangelo Antonioni was renowned internationally for his work in cinema, but many of his films have never been distributed in the United States.
The Museum of Moving Image is showing never-before-seen documentaries made by Antonioni early on in his career as part of a homage to the late filmmaker’s 100th birthday. A series of events celebrating the Italian director and writer will begin at Queens College on Thursday, April 5, with a professorial symposium. Events will continue Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the museum.
The rare documentary screenings will be taking place from Saturday and Sunday at the museum. “These are films you can’t find on DVD anywhere, so it’s a great chance to see them,” said David Schwartz, chief curator at the Museum of Moving Image in Astoria. “They’re really interesting and beautiful films.”
One of his more popular works, “Red Dessert” (Il deserto rosso), will be screened at the museum on April 6 at 7 p.m. “Red Dessert” was Antonioni’s first color film.
“Chung Kuo China,” possibly the most politically controversial documentary made by the filmmaker, will be shown on both Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m. The four-hour film documents the lives of Chinese workers and farmers in China’s cities and villages.
In 1972, Antonioni was invited by the Chinese government to film the documentary, but the film ended up being labeled as anti-Chinese and anti-Communist by the Chinese government and was banned by China for 32 years until the government finally uncensored the documentary in 2008. Although the film is readily available, it is still rarely seen.
“Gente del Po” (People of the Po Valley), a look into the life of fishermen in Porto Tolle on the River Po, and “Seven Reeds, One Suit” (Sette canne, un vestito), which documents the Rayon and textile-making process in Italy during the height of the Italian fashion industry, are among the short films being shown as part of the documentary short series Saturday, April 7 at 2 p.m. and Sunday April 8 at 2 p.m.
Antonioni was highly regarded in the film industry for his unique perspective. “He really emphasized landscape through the physical world. Other filmmakers were very influenced by that,” said Schwartz. “He had a very modern sensibility.” His work was deeply rooted in post-World War II neorealism, popularized by Italian filmmakers from his time.
Antonioni put emphasis on the use of space and locations in his films.
The museum was able to get hold of the undistributed films through a partnership with Cinecitta in Rome, the studio home of Italian cinema and the Italian Cultural Institute. Queens College’s European Languages and Literature department and the college’s film studies program will be hosting “The Gaze Elsewhere: A Michelangelo Antonioni Centenary,” a symposium on his works featuring a panel of professors from universities around the Northeast on Thursday, April 5, at 12:30 p.m.
If You Go
Antonioni Documentaries
April 7 & 8
Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35th Ave.
Astoria
www.movingimage.us
