L'Eclisse

The concluding chapter (following L’avventura and La notte) of Antonioni’s loose trilogy about doomed relationships in the modern world remains a landmark of modern cinema – and now it has been beautifully restored.

Filmed in sumptuous black and white, and full of scenes of lush, strange beauty, it tells the story of Vittoria (Monica Vitti), a young woman who leaves her bookish older lover (Francisco Rabal) and drifts into a relationship with a confident, ambitious stockbroker (Alain Delon). Using Rome’s architecture as a backdrop for the doomed affair, it is incredibly stylish – and the final shot remains one the greatest endings in cinema. Pretty close to perfection.

---