For years I’ve been trying to see Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Red Desert to no avail. It’s his first color film where he famously had entire parks of trees and grass, and entire blocks painted to fit his vision. I’ve seen copies selling on ebay for over $100 but am fairly certain that even if I wanted to pay that fee the DVD region code wouldn’t have matched. I’ve seen almost all of Antonioni’s other films and more or less signed up for a Blockbuster online account a few years ago just to get them. (Antonioni’s films, Jean Luc Godard’s and Ingmar Bergman’s were actually all behind my motivations.) About a month ago I read that Criterion had just released a new restored digital transfer and promptly added it to the top of my queue. My account has been on hold because it is summer but I nearly reactivated it just because the anticipation of finally seeing it is causing a general sense of unease. Oh, and there is a heap of extra features, including a booklet with a printed interview of Antonioni by Jean Luc Godard, which actually tempts me to just purchase it.

A review here

I’ll be sort of busy and partially traveling for at least the next two weeks so sporadic posting, if any, is likely.