Blowup (1966)

A fashion photographer becomes obsessed with a potential murder he may have captured on film in the heart of Swinging London.

The story

Set within the contemporary mod subculture of Swinging London, the film follows a fashion photographer named Thomas who believes he has unwittingly captured a murder on film. After a series of frustrating shoots, Thomas wanders into a park where he takes clandestine photographs of two lovers. When one woman, Jane, pursues him to reclaim the film, a tense interaction ensues. Thomas later returns to his studio and begins to blow up the negatives, discovering unsettling details that suggest a violent crime has occurred. His quest to uncover the truth leads him into a labyrinth of ambiguity as he struggles to distinguish reality from his own perceptions.

First release year

1966

Runtime (minutes)

111

Production countries

United Kingdom; Italy

Original languages

English

Directors

Michelangelo Antonioni

Writers

Michelangelo Antonioni · screenplay; Tonino Guerra · screenplay; Edward Bond · screenplay; Michelangelo Antonioni · story

Cast and characters

Vanessa Redgrave · null; David Hemmings · Thomas; Sarah Miles · null; Veruschka von Lehndorff · herself; Jane Birkin · the blonde girl; Ronan O'Casey · Jane’s lover/victim in park; Susan Brodrick · the antiquarian; Tsai Chin · Thomas's receptionist

Genres

psychological mystery; drama; thriller

Themes

disorientation; reality vs. perception; alienation of mass media; materialism vs. ideals

Tone and mood

hypnotic; vaguely symbolic; vibrantly exciting; ambiguous

Premise and plot tags

fashion photography; murder mystery; counterculture; existentialism

Source material / true-story basis

Julio Cortázar's 1958 short story "Las babas del diablo" (later retitled "Blow-Up")

Content notes

explicit sexual content

Reception

The film was a critical and commercial success, significantly influencing the abandonment of the Hollywood Production Code. It was praised by critics like Andrew Sarris and Ingmar Bergman, though some found it vague. It remains a highly influential work in cinema history.

Reported review scores

Rotten Tomatoes · score: 87% · review count: 54; Metacritic · score: 82 · scale: 100 · review count: 15

Awards and nominations

Palme d'Or · Main Competition · 1967 · Won

Production trivia

The car in the film was owned by DJ and television presenter Jimmy Savile.

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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