Film: “Blow-Up” directed by Antonioni

If there were one movie that could define the 1960s, it just might be “Blow-Up” (1966). Antonioni’s first English-language film presents a virtual punch list of the decade’s trends: from English “birds” in miniskirts, to enfant-terrible photographers, to rock guitarists who smash their instruments on stage.

The protagonist, a photographer named Thomas, is played by David Hemmings, sporting a then-fashionable Beatles haircut. The movie has him literally crouching over the model Verushka, pointing a camera at her and cooing, “Work with me, baby. Work with me.” Meanwhile, pretty young things barely out of their teens (one played by Jane Birkin) throw themselves at him, eager for a chance to model. He arrogantly shoos them away, peeling off in his Rolls Royce Silver Cloid III Drophead Coupe, parked outside his studio.

One day, Thomas decides to stop at London’s Maryon Park where he sees a man and woman snogging. Because he wants to be known as more than a fashion photographer, he starts photographing them. The woman, Jane (played by 29-year-old Vanessa Redgrave), urges him to stop and hand over the photos. He says he will do so but only if she accompanies him back to the studio.

Once Thomas does print the photos, he is horrified to find an ambiguous image lurking on the edge of the frame, which could be a shadow, but looks like a gun. He makes several blow-ups of the shots, which reveal Jane appearing to look worried—and more significantly, a shooting in the making.

Jane meanwhile has left the studio, and Thomas chases her down, at which point the film becomes a murder mystery. But it still maintains a swinging 60s sensibility, as the photographer takes time out to indulges in a three-way with Birkin and another young bird (actually fairly tame by today’s standards). He later finds himself in a dive bar where Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page are performing as part of The Yardbirds. A riot ensues when Beck smashes his guitar in anger and Thomas runs off with a piece of it.

Hemmings is terrific as the egotistical Thomas who reveals his conscience when he believes he’s witnessed a murder. While his and all the other performances are superb, the movie itself is choppy and the script incoherent.

The counterculture sensibility of “Blow-Up” would later inspire moviemakers like Coppola (“The Conversation”) and Brian de Palma (“Blow Out”). Similar movies followed, including “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Easy Rider” and “Five Easy Pieces.”

The score by Herbie Hancock and the cinematography by Carlo di Palma helped the film win the 1967 Palme d’Or at Cannes. Its subsequent critical and commercial success influenced the abandonment of the Hollywood Production Code in 1968 in favor of the MPAA film rating system.

Back in the day, “Blow-Up” was regarded as ahead of its time. Today, you rarely hear it mentioned. But for all its flaws the movie served a significant purpose: defining the 1960s as we of a certain age remember them.

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