The second feature film by cinema master Michelangelo Antonioni, La signora senza camelie (The Lady Without Camelias), expanded the expressive palette of contemporary Italian movies, demonstrating that a personal vision could take an explicitly poetic tack; that "seriousness = neo-realism" was perhaps already turning into something of a truism; and that Antonioni would answer to no-one but himself.
It's the story of a shop clerk named Clara (played by the captivating Lucia Bosé, also of Antonioni's brilliant debut feature, Cronaca di un amore) who finds a chance casting in a small movie role develop into a full-blown career as screen-siren. Tension erupts when her husband can no longer tolerate watching her frivolous cinema escapades, and pushes her into a "serious, artistic" production of the life of Joan of Arc... whereupon she is castigated by the critical establishment.
A riveting 'behind-the-scenes' show-business drama, La signora senza camelie explores themes that would haunt its director from L'avventura through La notte and The Passenger - the tenuous hold of an individual on her identity, and the dangers inherent to performance, in life and on-screen.
Eureka’s The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Antonioni's masterful, highly personal La signora senza camelie in a Dual Format Edition (DVD & Blu-ray). This release has a beautiful new transfer of the film in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, presented in a 1080p AVC encode on the Blu-ray, and is packaged with a lengthy booklet containing newly translated critical pieces about the film, excerpts of interviews with Antonioni, and a lengthy debate between Antonioni and critic Luigi Chiarini on the subject of the film.
Film: La signora senza camelie
Release date: 21st March 2011
Certificate: PG
Running time: 105 mins
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring: Lucia Bosé, Gino Cervi, Andrea Checchi, Ivan Desny, Monica Clay
Genre: Drama
Studio: Eureka!
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Italy/France
DVD Special Features:
• A new and exclusive video introduction to the film with critic and teacher Gabe Klinger
• A new and exclusive video featuring Gabe Klinger discussing Antonioni in the context of the Italian production system of the 1950s
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