“There was, among certain filmgoers in the 1960s, an appetite for difficulty, a conviction that symbolic obscurity and psychological alienation were authentic responses to the state of the world. More than that, the idea that a difficult work had special value — that being challenged was a distinct form of pleasure — enjoyed a prestige, at the time, that is almost unimaginable today. We would rather be teased than troubled, and the measure of artistic sophistication is cleverness rather than seriousness.
“Given all that, it may be hard for someone who wasn√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√¢‚Äû¬¢t there — who never knew a film culture in which La Notte didn√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√¢‚Äû¬¢t already exist — to quite appreciate the heroic status conferred on Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman 40 years ago. I don√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√¢‚Äû¬¢t believe that the art of filmmaking has necessarily declined since then (I√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√¢‚Äû¬¢d quit my job if I did), but it seems clear the cultural climate that made it possible to hail filmmakers as supreme artists has vanished for good. All that√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√¢‚Äû¬¢s left are the films.” — N.Y. Times critic A.O. Scott on the passing of Antonioni and Bergman two days ago.