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Blow-Up

Blow-Up

Drama · Mystery · Thriller · 1966

A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he unknowingly captures a death on film.

Movie details

Blow-Up

“Sometimes, reality is the strangest fantasy of all.”

1966 Drama · Mystery · Thriller 1h 51m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he unknowingly captures a death on film.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Blow-Up?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Michelangelo Antonioni

Written by

Michelangelo Antonioni · Tonino Guerra

David Hemmings

David Hemmings

Thomas

Vanessa Redgrave

Vanessa Redgrave

Jane

Sarah Miles

Sarah Miles

Patricia

John Castle

John Castle

Bill

Veruschka von Lehndorff

Veruschka von Lehndorff

Veruschka

Jane Birkin

Jane Birkin

The Blonde

Gillian Hills

Gillian Hills

The Brunette

Court is in session

Put Blow-Up on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.