MovieChat Forums > Zabriskie Point (1970) Discussion > Just venting via vacuous observations......

Just venting via vacuous observations... ;)

posted 17 years ago by BlueGreen
1 reply | jump to latest

Is anyone else positively happy and grateful for NOT having been a part of the "generation" that is supposed to be depicted in this film?

What a pretentious, vapid bore...!

And I suspect Antonioni's rendition of the reigning atmosphere of the time - among "the young and the restless", that is - is actually rather accurate (hence my initial, not at all rhetoric question).

Give me "La Dolce Vita" anytime... Yes, I know it's not the same era (not even the same decade, strictly speaking), but there are more truly "revolutionary" elements in a single vacant stare of Mastroianni & Co. than in this manifesto of... whatever it is that it pretends to be "manifesting".

"Darling" is another good film from the 60s.
And to think that "Death in Venice" was practically contemporary to this film...

Frankly, it's no wonder that the "flower power" never resulted in anything substantial - or that most of its members exchanged their incense sticks for attache suitcases long before the decade was over...

(Yes, now I am being obnoxious on purpose. ;))

[–] lancekoz 17 years ago

Similar is the sad waste of energy depicted in "Easy Rider." A lot went on in that "generation" that is not shown in these films. Which is the danger in generalising about any broad group that is defined by an era. Hippies was a media/cultural name for some of those populating an era where, for whatever reasons, civil rights for women, blacks, Indians and gays came to the front of society's attention. Also, concern for the environment, natural foods, and journalism that questioned seriously the intentions and actions of governments. We enjoy a lot of rights and information that were not so easily obtained back then partially becasue of the 60's. The state of the characters in this film have a lot more to say about the pomposity of Antonioni than the broad conciousness evolution that took place at the time.