Blow-Up (1966)

A London photographer's routine is upended by a mysterious photo, perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and mod culture.

Genres: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Cast

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Blow-Up(1966)

NR
Movie1h 51mEnglishDrama, Mystery, Thriller
7.5
User Score
85%
Critic Score
IMDb

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Overview

In swinging 1960s London, a successful fashion photographer drifts through parties, drugs, and casual relationships, increasingly bored with his own life. After snapping photos of a couple in a park, he enlarges the images and begins to suspect he captured something far more troubling than a private moment.

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Review Summary

Pros: vivid Swinging London vibe; intriguing photo mystery; memorable lead performance | Cons: slow, meandering pace; emotionally distant characters; ambiguous, unsatisfying payoff

Will You Like This?

Youโ€™ll likely enjoy this if youโ€™re into slow-burn, idea-driven mysteries and the uneasy feeling of not knowing whatโ€™s real, in the vein of L'Avventura or Mulholland Drive; Not for you if you need clear answers and brisk pacing.

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Featured Comments/Tips

Nope, nothing to see here...move along.

that what we call some stylish films.

Loved the 60s fashion and his flat. Probably should have made a phone call earlier. Whatโ€™s with the mimes? Needs more detective vibes.

I finally got the chance to see this one, but it wasn't as good as I've heard. I thought that the film looked beautiful, especially in the context of the time it came out. For me, I preferred the sort-of remake: Blow Out from 1981.

Sometimes I miss that era of pure art, when actions were fresh and in the moment, not for a reason but just for art. And things looked like art too, with color and style.

I truly cannot anymore with Antonioni who I find to be just relentlessly insipid. The most fun part of this experience is the validation I get reading frustrating Letterboxd reviews. Half a star for the fun Yardbirds performance.

I guess I didn't get it? Adding this to a new list called "Revisit this movie in a decade and see if it clicks"

I've heard so many good things about this movie but it's bad, bad. I didn't like it at all. Makes no sense whatsoever and most of it is just cheap erotica for the spectator. To have a good story and to not be able to do nothing with it is the lei motiv of this movie. It was a real waste of time for me, plus the main character is an ass****

I like the David Hemmings look, very hard to read / figure out, makes for good suspense.

Featured User Reviews

Judging by his Rolls Royce coupรฉ that he tours London in, the young "Thomas" (David Hemmings) is a successful man. He makes his living as a photographer amongst the great and the good of the vacuous world of fame and celebrity. Drink, drugs and sex are wherever he wants them, whenever he wants them - and though fun, that's not really enough. He is in a park one evening when he espies a couple and takes some snaps. "Jane" (Vanessa redgrave) is not impressed and wants the negatives. He sees the chance to have some fun and so teases her, discovering not just that she is truly desperate to obtain them but also, on inspection of the images, that he has accidentally photographed a murder! Who did what to whom, why, and what he can get from a scenario that now has him tingling? Just what did happen and what does "Jane" have to do with anything? It's got a very vibrant, Bohemian, 1960s feel to it from start to finish and Hemmings is in his element as the rather unlikable, manipulative, playboy. Redgrave also comes across well as her character's vulnerability - though to what we don't yet know - is also well captured as the mystery deepens. The X rating is all about tits and bums. There's nothing gruesome or graphic here to terrorise the viewer, instead we get a thriller set amidst a world of hedonism and profligacy and whilst Redgrave comes across as a more reluctant visitor to this territory, Hemmings looks a natural. Yes, it's dated a little but the story itself still stands up to a watch.

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