Gente del Po

Michelangelo Antonioni's directorial debut is this short film (shot before WWII, but edited and released after the war) documenting the lives of fisherman along the Po river. It's a beautifully shot, somewhat poetic little film.

This early Antonioni short recalls the work of Robert Flaherty. Semi-documentary look at a people who exist in a very specific environment and how they interact with it. The film doesn't really tell us much (it's under 12 minutes) but the compositions are very striking.

Glimpse at a way of life that has presumably completely disappeared in the decades since. Insights are few, and the filmmaker seems more interested in the poverty of his subjects than discovering any ethnographic wealth, but the imagery is pleasant to watch pass by.

Michelangelo Antonioni #1

A ho-hum documentary that doesn't get me interested about a subject matter that didn't interest me anyway.

Not big deal, but a beautiful photography.