FILM · 1964 · FRANCE
Il deserto rosso
- Directed by
- Michelangelo Antonioni
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Studio
- Federiz, Francoriz Production, Film Duemila
83 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
In an industrializing Italian town, a married woman, rendered mentally unstable after a traffic accident, drifts into an affair with a friend of her husband.
83 Interesting Facts About Il deserto rosso
Interesting Facts (14)
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In an interview with Jean-Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni rejected the general critical consensus that industrialization is partly responsible for Giuliana's mental disintegration. He said his intention was in fact to celebrate the beauty of the industrial environment, something Giuliana cannot appreciate because of her fragile mental state.
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Production Story (25)
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David Hemmings claims in his autobiography that Richard Harris was kicked off the film after he punched Antonioni, and that the scenes that were still to be completed were done with another actor who was photographed from behind. Hemmings was apparently told this when Harris warned him about Antonioni when Hemmings was working on Blow-Up (1966).
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The audio commentary, for the BFI DVD, states that Richard Harris walked off the film after an argument with Michelangelo Antonioni, who had told him to walk diagonally across a yard. Harris asked why, to which Antonioni answered, "You don't ask me why, you're an actor. You just do it." The film was behind schedule at this stage, and Harris was due to start work soon on Major Dundee (1965). This and his argument with Antonioni were probably what led him to walk off the film.
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Richard Harris agreed to star in Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee (1965) in December 1963 while still in the middle of making this film. Harris walked off Michelangelo Antonioni's film, as it went further behind schedule to ensure that he did not miss Major Dundee's start date of February 5, 1964. Harris said that Red Desert (1964) had to be completed without him, and a double was used for his character in some of the long shots.
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Ten years after the director's death, a new 4k restoration was carried out in 2017, starting with the original negatives. The restoration was supervised with great philological care by Director of Photography (DP) Luciano Tovoli, friend and collaborator of Antonioni and above all great expert of the photographic tone made at the time by DP Carlo Di Palma.
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In his autobiography, David Hemmings claims that Richard Harris was fired from the film after punching Antonioni, and that the remaining scenes were completed with another actor shot from behind. Hemmings learned this during the shooting of Blow-Up (1966), when Harris warned him about Antonioni. In the audio commentary on the BFI DVD, it is stated that Harris asked Antonioni why he wanted him to walk diagonally across a courtyard, and when Antonioni replied, "You don't ask me why, you're an actor, you just do it," they argued and Harris left the film.
- #026
The film was already behind schedule, and Harris was due to begin shooting Major Dundee (1965) shortly afterward. In December 1963, while still in the middle of this film, Harris had agreed to appear in Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee. When the film fell even further behind schedule, Harris left the set so as not to miss the February 5, 1964 start date for Major Dundee. Harris said that Red Desert had to be completed without him and that a double was used for his character in some wide shots.
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In an interview with Jean-Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni rejected the widespread critical view that industrialization is partly responsible for Giuliana's mental breakdown. He said his actual intention was to exalt the beauty of the industrial landscape, which Giuliana cannot appreciate because of her fragile state of mind.
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Behind the Scenes (20)
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In December 1963, Richard Harris agreed to appear in Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee (1965) while still in the middle of shooting this film. Harris left Michelangelo Antonioni's film to make sure he did not miss Major Dundee's February 5, 1964 start date. Harris said Red Desert (1964) had to be completed without him, and a double was used for his character in some long shots.
- #048
Ten years after the director's death, in 2017, a new 4K restoration was carried out from the original negatives. The restoration was overseen with great philological care by cinematographer (DP) Luciano Tovoli, a leading expert on the photographic tone achieved at the time by Antonioni's friend and collaborator, and above all cinematographer, Carlo Di Palma.
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In his autobiography, David Hemmings claims that Richard Harris was fired from the film after punching Antonioni, and that the remaining scenes were completed with another actor shot from behind. Hemmings learned this during the shooting of Blow-Up (1966), when Harris warned him about Antonioni. In the audio commentary on the BFI DVD, it is stated that Harris asked Antonioni why he wanted him to walk diagonally across a courtyard, and when Antonioni said, "You don't ask me why, you're an actor, you just do it," they argued and he left the film.
- #051
The film was already behind schedule, and Harris was soon due to begin shooting Major Dundee (1965). In December 1963, while still in the middle of this film, Harris had agreed to appear in Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee. When the film fell even further behind schedule, Harris left the set on February 5, 1964, in order not to miss the Major Dundee start date. Harris said that Red Desert had to be completed without him and that a double was used for his character in some wide shots.
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Ten years after the director's death, in 2017, a new 4K restoration was carried out starting from the original negatives. The restoration was supervised with great meticulousness by cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, a friend and collaborator of Antonioni and a great expert on the photographic tone of Carlo Di Palma, the cinematographer of the period.
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Characters & Cast (7)
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In his autobiography, David Hemmings claims that Richard Harris was fired from the film after punching Antonioni, and that the scenes still to be completed used another actor photographed from behind. Hemmings apparently was told this by Harris while he was working on Blow-Up (1966), when Harris warned him about Antonioni.
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Deeper Meaning (12)
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In an interview with Jean-Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni dismissed the general critical consensus that industrialization was partly responsible for the fragmenting of Giuliana's mind. He said his intention was actually to celebrate the beauty of the industrial landscape, something that Giuliana can't appreciate because of her fragile mental state.
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In an interview with Jean-Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni rejected the widespread critical view that industrialization is partly responsible for Giuliana's mental disintegration. He said his actual intention was to exalt the beauty of the industrial landscape, which Giuliana cannot appreciate because of her fragile state of mind.
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Career & Awards (4)
Life & Family (1)
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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