La Notte

La Notte  is a 1961 Italian drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau, and Monica Vitti.  The film is about a day in the life of a married couple. The film actually tells the story of the sour marriage between the writer Giovanni (Marcello Mastroianni) and his wife Lydia ( Jeanne Moreau).

They have stayed together for many years but now they aren't in love with each other. Giovanni is a rich and highly lauded novelist ,who also makes a living writing magazine articles. His wife Lydia comes from a wealthy family . She cannot stand him any longer . On the other hand, he is bored with his wife. The film opens when they visit a dying friend, named Tommaso Garani in a hospital.  Tommaso is also a writer but not as good as Giovanni.  He has read most pages of Giovanni's latest book, hoping to finish it before he dies. It seems that Giovanni is more interested in knowing what his friend feels of his work than what will become of his friend.  Later at night,they attend a party of a wealthy businessman.  Giovanni is attracted towards Valentina (Monica VItti). Valentina is daughter of the host.  She flirts with him while Lydia flirts with a male guest. The film so well captures the reasons behind failures of so many marriages. It is clear that Lydia never cared for her husband's talent . She wasn't interested in art. That said, it's also clear that Giovanni never cared deeply for Lydia. They have nothing in common but their memories ,or ,as Giovanni tells his wife "I no longer have inspirations, only recollections."

Jeanne Moreau does a good job of generating the drenched spirit of vagrant moods. Marcello Mastroianni gives a good performance while Monica Vitti steals the show in supporting role as a charming but calm young woman. She seems to know what this couple truely want and what she wants. The camerawork is spectacular in this film. Antonioni presents a cold , cruel, lonely modern world where the old principles of civilization and behavior no longer have a place. It is a highly focused, layered and intensified adult drama about the ennui that occurs in a marriage.