“L’Eclisse – the Erosion of Modern Love [Review]

Title: “L’Eclisse”

Release Date: 1962

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

Cast: Monica Vitti, Alain Delon, Fracisco Rabal, Louis Seigner, Lilla Brignone

“L’Eclisse” by Michelangelo Antonioni is the final link in a film trilogy depicting the destruction of love in the modern world. Monica Vitti and Alain Delon play chance lovers whose romance ends for no reason before it even begins. Concrete monoliths, the omnipresent technologization of everyday life, and consumerism create a network in which increasingly lonely people replace love with fleeting sex and empty entertainment. The titular eclipse already encompasses the entire civilization and heralds its end.

“L’Eclisse” – documentary realism instead of plot

“L’Eclisse” which concludes the cycle that also includes “L’Avventura (1960) and “La Notte” (1961), is the least fictional part of the trilogy. The events seem random, and Antonioni’s reportage style fits in with the realistic poetics. The main character of the film is Vittoria (Monica Vitti), a young translator who breaks up with her partner in the opening scenes. Although the man tries to keep her at all costs, she remains true to her feelings, stating that the affection between them has definitely burned out.

Soon, she meets a handsome stockbroker named Pier (Alain Delon). The couple begins an affair, which seems to be turning into a more serious relationship. Pier even thinks about marrying Vittoria, but she has no intention of committing herself so seriously. One evening, they arrange to meet, but neither of them shows up. It is not clear why they cancel the date or whether this is the definitive end of their relationship. All we see is dusk falling and an empty street.

“L’Eclisse” – a man trapped in modernity

As usual, Antonioni tells the story more through images than dialogue, and these images are the main tool of communication with the viewer. The action of “L’Eclisse” like “La Notte” takes place in a large metropolis. This time it is not Milan, but Rome. The space is constructed by overwhelming modern architecture, especially in the EUR district, where the memorable final scene of the film is shot. Here, we see a constant composition of shots based on geometrization, into which the silhouettes of the characters fit. People become, in a sense, part of their artificial creations.

We see Antonioni’s characteristic cuts, which separate the characters with architectural elements, depicting the spiritual isolation between individuals. The inability to establish deep understanding and the loneliness of the characters are also perfectly emphasized by numerous shots in which the lovers kiss through a window pane.

Furthermore, technology in “L’Eclisse” is a kind of web in which people become entangled. This is perfectly illustrated by the scene in Pier’s office, when a multitude of phones ring simultaneously and he becomes trapped in a maze of cables. The sequences filmed on the stock exchange perfectly reflect contemporary consumerism, but also the addiction to strong emotions that break the monotony of everyday life. Spirituality does not penetrate this world, even through the echo of death. Upon hearing the news of the death of a well-known broker, a minute of silence on the stock exchange and the financial losses resulting from each second rise to the rank of heroic sacrifice.

The monochromatic color scheme reflects various shades of black (dominant in interiors) and white, which predominates in outdoor scenes. The bright sun intensifies the impression of heat, boredom, and emptiness in which the characters are drowning. It is a world devoid of any depth, over which the ominous specter of the apocalypse looms. Its harbinger is already present in one of the first scenes, in the form of a bizarre tower resembling an atomic mushroom cloud.

Monica Vitti and Alain Delon, a woman and a man in “L’Eclisse”

“L’Eclisse”, like all Antonioni’s films, presents a significant vision of masculinity and femininity. Vittoria’s character is one of the best roles in Monica Vitti’s career. Phenomenally beautiful, extremely sensual, and at the same time somewhat dreamy, she is the essence of delicate femininity. She is the first actress in Italian cinema to embody feminine thoughtfulness and intelligence, completely different from the famous Italian women promoted as typical sex symbols. Significantly, Vittoria is characterized by honesty towards herself and sensitivity, manifested in her concern for her former fiancé and mother. At the same time, however, she is a strong and independent woman, perfectly capable of coping without a man and unwilling to settle for relationships that offer only a substitute for love. For this reason, Vittoria is also a somewhat lost character, clearly marked by melancholy.

Pier, on the other hand, is the opposite of Vittoria. It must be admitted that Alain Delon was extremely well cast in this role. Interestingly, Antoni initially offered it to Zbigniew Cybulski, but the Polish actor refused. Delon, on the other hand, did a great job of creating the character of a superficial man, well adapted to the rhythm of modern life. Pier kills his boredom and inner emptiness with emotions on the stock market, constant work, and consumption. For him, love is a game not worth the effort. Instead of delving into the complex and fascinating but difficult to win Vittoria, he prefers fleeting erotic relationships. Perhaps that is why the man ultimately gives up on this relationship. He has neither the time nor the energy for it. Satisfying his desire is enough for him.

“L’Eclisse” as an allegory of the spiritual defeat of modernity

“L’Eclisse” especially as the coda to Antonioni’s trilogy, is clearly allegorical in nature. The director seems to offer a rather pessimistic diagnosis of contemporary civilization. While in “La Notte” the characters decide to stay together despite everything, and the specter of meaning can be seen in the very desire for love, here Vittoria and Pier completely give up on their relationship. Spirituality, and above all love, is undergoing a kind of erosion in the modern world. The civilization of prosperity turns out to be a cognitive and intuitive eclipse. It distorts natural human needs and redirects them to insignificant substitutes.

The movie ends with the famous six-minute shot of an empty intersection in the EUR district. The characters did not show up for their appointment, but the camera did, to record the image of the world just before dusk. The geometric shapes of the buildings first dominate the film’s frames, and then completely eliminate anything human. All that remains is an insensitive, ice-cold urban landscape with no point of reference. No one to love.