There is hardly another director in the history of Italian cinema as delicate and sensual with the film camera as Michelangelo Antonioni is. Perhaps only Fellini and DeSica managed to achieve the level of cinematic sensuality that Antonioni's films are filled with. While Fellini's films however captured the attention of the viewer with an unparalleled imagination, and DeSicca's camera walked us into a world largely unknown at the time, Antonioni's films showed its viewers the beauty of human passion in a way no other director has been able to capture on film negative.

Cronaca di un Amore (A Story of a Love Affair) is Michelangelo Antonioni's first feature film which he directed in 1950. The film tells the story of a young and strikingly beautiful woman (Lucia Bose) and her lover Guido (Massimo Girotti). The plot of the film is built upon the private investigation of detective Carloni (Gino Rossi) as he is attempting to trace Paola back to her lover. As Paola is married to a wealthy industrialist who becomes exceedingly suspicious of her actions the passion between the two lovers becomes more and more dangerous.

After being recognized by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists in 1951 with a Special Silver Ribbon Award for Cronaca di un Amore Michelangelo Antoinioni went on to create some of his most memorable pictures: Le Amiche (1955), Il Grido (1957), L'Avventura (1960), La Notte (1961), L'Eclisse (1962). Before the completion of his first feature film, however, Antonioni was largely involved with documentary filmmaking. In fact, until 1950 a permanent struggle with the political censorship in Italy made it very difficult for him to explore a film direction that would have allowed the director to follow up his vision.

In 1950 Antonioni finally managed to complete Cronaca di un Amore combining elements of classic film-noir with the depth of a well-structured psychological drama. While the film lacks the emotional intensity of L'Avventura and especially his masterful L'Eclisse it is quite easy to detect the direction which Antonioni's future works will follow. The subtle movement of the camera, the sense of urgency between the main characters, the deliberate pacing, and an environment that evokes a strange, almost mystic sense of reality, are all elements that Antonioni will heavily rely on in his upcoming works.

The experience that Antonioni gained while shooting documentaries served as a natural continuation for his feature films. In his early works it was a rather common occurrence that the camera would remain static often relying on long continuous shots. Later in Antonioni's career, for instance in Il Deserto Rosso (1964), his first color film, the director experimented by allowing the camera to lead the feature rather than meticulously follow the actors' work.

The same documentary experience however that Antonioni used as a foundation for Cronaca di un Amore's composition to a certain degree worked against the film's main characters. It is almost as if the frustration of Antonioni's struggle with the political censorship left a mark on Paola and Guido's ability to fully express their emotions on the screen. A bit too often the viewer is surprised by an erratic move or a sudden shift in mood which certainly at least in my opinion enhances the suggestive character of the film.

The notion of class is another feature that Antonioni heavily relied on in his films and Cronaca di un Amore is not an exception. The division between the wealthy industrialist and his lovely wife and the rest of the characters is perhaps best shown in a scene at a local club where Paola in a burst of bitter jealousy outbids everyone acquiring a simple dress. Here, as it is the case in L'Avventura, Antonioni delicately touches upon the already extremely sensitive for the Italian audience perception of social status. However even in these particular moments, when it is almost as if Antonioni is trying to deliver a political message, the screen remains filled with the elegance and beauty that is so common for the director's later films.

There is no doubt in me that Cronaca di un Amore is one of Antonioni's most unforgettable creations. It is also one of the director's important films marking the beginning of an illustrious career. Style, sense of composition, and vision are undeniably elements that even at this very early stage of his career Antonioni knew how to blend.

Michelangelo Antonioni once said that "Hollywood is like being nowhere and talking to nobody about nothing". More and more during the years I have come to appreciate the validity of this statement. After seeing the passion, the elegance of Antonioni's camera, and his unparalleled cinematic vision, I have to admit that it would indeed be difficult for anyone to argue with the famous maestro. As Cronaca di un Amore appears to be yet another evidence solidifying the legacy of this great Italian director.

The DVD:

How Does the DVD Look?

Cronaca di un Amore is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 and it looks absolutely stunning. The restoration work that has been performed is unparalleled and to be honest could be rivaled by very few studios, including some of the more impressive releases of older classics by Criterion. As it is evident from the comments made in the exclusive interviews a frame-by-frame restoration process has been performed and the results are spectacular. Deep and vibrant blacks, fine film grain, well-balanced contrast, and a print that is virtually free of damage rank this DVD presentation as one of the best packages provided on the US market so far.

With this said I would like to comment on an issue that I personally have with the current presentation of Cronaca di un Amore. I viewed the disc three times before this review to make sure that all technical aspects will be covered and I am slightly disappointed by the fact that there is a minor "ghosting" present in the current DVD print. It appears that NoShame Films have used a mixed approach of transferring the available (Italian) print to DVD without using the proper technology to offset the impact of a PAL-NTSC conversion. This is really a rather small issue with this presentation as the afore-mentioned "ghosting" is detectable in a very few selected scenes. I am also not convinced that there was much that NoShame could have done to minimize the "ghosting" issue, in this particular case, due to the following reason: in the extras to the disc the director of restoration—points out that the original film negative was lost and the print used for the initial restoration of Cronaca di un Amore contained slight "ghosting" around the main characters (which was common for the filming technology at the time). With other words, even the most advanced digital technology could have not cleaned up the minor "ghosting" completely. A progressive conversion would have still inherited a small degree of "ghosting" though certainly less noticeable. Therefore I am willing to give NoShame Films the benefit of the doubt and accept that they "inherited" part of the "ghosting" as present in the original restored print. With all of this said the current 2DVD set looks spectacular.

How Does the Disc Sound? Cronaca di un Amore offers the original Italian mono track with clear and very well-done removable white English subs as well as an optional English dub. Once again a remarkable restoration has been performed and the Italian mono track is free of any hissings or undesired noises. Very impressive.

Extras: Cronaca di un Amore comes in a deluxe double package where the main feature is offered on the first disc and an entire second disc is dedicated to the supplemental materials. All extras to the film offer removable English subtitles. In addition a lovely collectors booklet is included (10 pages) offering "Michelangleo Antonioni's Biography" by Matthew Weisman, "The Words of Antonioni-An Interview with Michelangelo Antonioni on the Milan film set of Story of a Love Affair", "An Interview with Michelangelo Antonioni During the Film's Release", and "Report on the Restoration" by Guiseppe Rotunno.

Disc 1: Restoring a Masterpiece– Interviews with cinematographer Guiseppe Rotuno and production technicians on the restoration process. (8min). Poster Gallery- Still Gallery-

Disc 2: Story of a Peculiar Night- The screening of the restored print in Rome, featuring director Michelangelo Antonioni, interviews with various business people including star Lucia Bose. (29mins).

Identification of a Masterpiece- with assistant director Francesco (Citto) Maselli, film critics Tullio Kezich and Edoardo Bruno. (113min)

Fragments of a Love Affair- on camera visit of the shooting locations with 1st AD Francesco (Citto) Maselli, reconstructing the genesis of the film. (6min).

Final Thoughts: For any serious film connoisseur the double disc of Cronaca di un Amore produced by NoShame Films should be an absolute must-buy. This is indeed a remarkable presentation that has delivered a film print in a condition no one could have imagined a few years ago. It truly is hard to tell how dated this film is simply by looking at the gorgeous DVD presentation. In addition, the extent of supplemental material rivals some of the best DVD sets delivered by Criterion.

I would make a bold prediction that if NoShame Films manage to adjust their transfer process this could very well be the company that will compete with and outperform Criterion in the area of Italian classic cinema (if they choose to limit themselves only to Italian cinema that is).