I saw a tweet a day or two ago that mentioned the social distancing element in Michelangelo Antonioni‘s L’Eclisse (’62). I was strolling around the neighborhood last night — empty streets, silence, desolation — and realizing that we’re all living in an L’Eclisse-like world.

The gnawing sense of isolation that we’re all feeling is about prudence and caution, of course, whereas the atmosphere of existential stillness and solitude in L’Eclisse is a portrait of angst and alienation. The 1962 classic is the climax of Antonioni’s alienation trilogy, the first two films being L’Avventura and La Notte.

It’s nonetheless the same kind of atmosphere.

I watched my Criterion L’Eclisse Bluray last night, and was struck by how well it fits into our current realm. Shot mostly in Rome, some 58 or 59 years ago. Consider this excellent assessment of the film and the Bluray by The Dissolve‘s Scott Tobias.