Swimming in Black-and-White

Monica Vitti, Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau (right to left), from Michelangelo Antonioni’s film, Le Notte, 1962

Excerpt from Antonioni’s ‘Cannes Statement’ at a press conference there following the premiere of L’aventurra’, 1960:

“…and here we witness the crumbling of a myth that proclaims it is enough for us to know, to be critically conscious of ourselves, to analyze ourselves, in all our complexities and in every facet of our personality. The fact of the matter is that such an examination is not enough. It is only a preliminary step. Every day, every emotional encounter gives rise to a new adventure. For even thought we know that the ancient codes of morality are decrepit and no longer tenable, we persist, with a sense of perversity that I would only ironically define as pathetic, in remaining loyal to them. Thus moral man, who has no fear of the scientific unknown, is today afraid of the moral unknown. Starting out from this point of fear and frustration, his adventure can only end in a stalemate.”