Blowup

Dir: Michelangelo Antonionioni
Starring: David Hemmings

Some films get reputations bigger than they deserve (see my review of Chinatown). Blow-up is another of those films. I'd heard good things, but ended up being a bit a bored.

In a film largely about photography, a good soundtrack is essential, especially considering the entire dialog from Blowup takes up about 4 minutes of the film (out of a possible 111 minutes).

That's what's wrong with it, but Blowup also has some merits. Although it is very slow, it takes you to a very interesting place where someone accidentally discovers a crime, but shows almost no interest in it except from an artistic point of view.

Most of the near 2-hour running time, though, is spent watching photos being developed, taken, or viewed. The rest of it is spent showing off some of the 60's top birds - never a bad thing.

The lead character is David Hemmings, a name almost unknown to me before this. I later found out that he spent the 80's directing and acting in such classic series as Magnum P.I. and Airwolf. That's why I didn't know him, then.

He is an amazing actor, though. A bizarre looking fellow, short, weird eyes, odd; perfect for this kind of film. He would have been ideal for A Clockwork Orange's Alex (but, then, so was McDowell), or even as a replacement for Michael Caine as Harry Palmer.

Not the most enjoyable film to watch. If you like your story's slow, and your endings open, your birds from the 60's, and dialog that's almost non-existent, then you'll love Blowup. For Narry Borman, Blowup's alllllrrriigght!

Good!