436. GREAT CINEMA ADAPTATIONS: BLOW-UP

Peter Josyph via Zoom

Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 Blow-Up is freely adapted from a 1959 short story by the Argentine-French writer Julio Cortázar, and is also partly based on the life of London photographer David Bailey. Shot in English on location in London at the height of the Swingin

Sixties, with music by Herbie Hancock and a live performance by the rock group The Yardbirds, the film features iconic performances by David Hemmings as a cool photographer who discovers that he might have photographed a murder, and Vanessa Redgrave as one of the—possibly—guilty parties who wants that roll of film. Condemned by the Legion of Decency and denied approval by the U.S. Production Code, this mysterious and controversial film won the Grand Prix at Cannes and has continued to be written about for decades. Andrew Sarris called it "a Mod masterpiece." Roger Ebert called it "a hypnotic conjuring act." Our discussions will enter cinema history by figuring out, together, what Antonioni meant in saying that the film explores "man's relationship to reality." A link to the short story will be provided.

1:00-2:00 p.m. / 1:00-2:30 p.m.                                                                                  2 Sessions Thursdays, Feb. 6 and Feb. 13                                                                              Fee:  $50

 [A Zoom link will be sent to you prior to each session, typically on the day before your class and the morning of your class.  If you have any questions or need help getting online, feel free to call us at 516-480-5733 and we’ll get right back to you with assistance.]

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Peter Josyph is an author, actor, director, and filmmaker whose films include: Liberty Street: Alive at Ground Zero; Acting Cormac McCarthy: The Making of Billy Bob Thorton’s All the Pretty Horses; Shakespeare In New York: The Sonnets; and A Few Things Basquiat Did in School. His books include: Adventures in Reading Cormac McCarthy; What One Man Said to Another, Talks with Richard Seltzer; and, The Wounded River, which was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book. He also excels in literary and film criticism.