Second viewing; previously viewed on November 25, 2005; earlier still, I had read the published screenplay in June, 1995
English title: The Adventure
A group of friends are visiting a volcanic island and one of them (Anna) disappears. No one know what happened to her -- accident, suicide, or maybe she left on a boat with smugglers. Anna's boyfriend and Anna's best friend start a relationship which is somewhat troubled by the tragedy at its inception.
In theme and tone, this bears some resemblance to La dolce vita, which came out on the same year. The frivolity of the upper class is the object of critique. The psychological analysis is centered on Anna's best friend who seems to experience survival guilt related to the probable death of Anna. The absence of the death rites lends it a certain air of absurdity. They exist precisely to establish a separation from the dead one; they signal that life must go on. The atmosphere of boredom and luxury reflects a time of prosperity which Europe was going through at last after the horrors of World War II. But I guess every period has its own peculiar horrors. The film's reception seems to mirror its theme; people at first rejected it, and then probably felt guilty about it and overcompensated it by making it into one of the world's most lauded films. It's a slow episodic film with very nice imagery which border on gratuitous aestheticism. The IMDB site has some very funny reviews from users who gave it 1 and 3 stars; I couldn't bring myself to dislike this film that much, but can't deny that there is a grain of truth in them.
Rating: 62 (down from 79)
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