Red Desert (Italian: Il deserto rosso) is a 1964 psychological drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, written by Antonioni and Tonino Guerra, and starring Monica Vitti and Richard Harris. Set in Northern Italy, the story follows a troubled woman who is unable to adapt to her environment after an automobile accident. This was Antonioni's first color film.
This was the last in a series of four films he made with Vitti between 1959 and 1964, preceded by L'Avventura (1960), La Notte (1961), and L'Eclisse (1962). Red Desert was awarded the Golden Lion at the 25th Venice International Film Festival in 1964. It has received acclaim from critics.
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Plot
In Ravenna, Giuliana is walking with her young son, Valerio, towards the petrochemical plant managed by her husband, Ugo. Passing workers who are on strike, Giuliana nervously and impulsively buys a half-eaten sandwich from one of the workers. They are surrounded by strange industrial structures and debris that create inhuman images and sounds. Inside the plant, Ugo is speaking with a visiting business associate, Corrado, who is looking to recruit workers for an industrial operation in Patagonia, Argentina. Ugo and Corrado converse comfortably in the noisy factory when Giuliana arrives. Ugo introduces Corrado to Giuliana who departs to wait in Ugo's office.
