Set #3 takes us to the year 1964. Antonioni strides onto the court like a peacock, literally. He has not only moved to color for his next film, Il Deserto Rosso (Red Desert), he’s redefined the term. And wait a minute, we know the grass courts here at Perhapses are a little worn but does Antonioni have to spray paint the court green? That might be taking this color thing a bit too far.

Lumet remains his conservative self in traditional white. He pulls out a rather heavy looking, dark piece called The Pawnbroker. This and his previous film, Fail Safe (1964), represent his personal Nouvelle Lumet movement by incorporating a few flashes of style here and there. Will it be enough to sustain him against the powerhouse Antonioni, who has firmly established his reputation with La Notte (1961) and L’Eclisse (1962) since set #2?

Antonioni serves with intensity and purpose. His visual flair compels the spectator to watch closely. His foray into color is so exacting and precise that you have to wonder if they painted every item at every location specifically for the film. Yet even the scenes that don’t burst with reds, blues, and yellows seem as lively in their own neutral way. Primary to the bleak industrial landscape is the focus on Giuliana (Monica Vitti), who weaves in and out of neurosis as she wanders the terrain.

Lumet’s counter is sluggish at first, starting with a slow motion flashback sequence that is too pat and melodramatic. He picks up the pace as Sol Nazerman (Rod Steiger) performs his daily ritual at his pawnshop. As the flow of customers enter to borrow money against cherished personal items, Sol remains emotionless behind his cage. Even his assistant Jesus (Jaime Sánchez), bursting with energy and idealism, cannot break through Sol’s icy countenance. Point goes to Antonioni for color and landscape, which dive into the world of the characters better than Lumet’s reliance on flashbacks.

Lumet returns with a volley of forceful, soul-crushing scenes as Sol destroys each and every person he encounters. This is not an overstatement. Every interesting person who reaches out to talk to Sol is met with nothing but disdain and contempt. One of the most vivid encounters occurs outside where Sol is met by good-natured Marilyn Birchfield (Geraldine Fitzgerald) who talked Sol into a lunch date, which he, of course, never remembered. She finds him in a nearby park and attempts to make conversation. She senses his loneliness and, having lost a husband, empathizes with Sol. He, however, scolds and ridicules her for naively believing that she understands him. He ends the scene by telling her to please stay out of his life.

Antonioni returns with three couples in a small red room in a shack by the water, the famous orgy-without-sex sequence. Antonioni maintains the tension until it is finally burst by Corrado (Richard Harris), who breaks through the red wall with his foot. He later tears out the same wall with his hands and feeds the wood to the others to place in the fire. Their moment of fun is interrupted by the arrival of a ship and then a medic. Concerns over a possible outbreak force them to flee into the fog, where Giuliana, having forgotten her purse, suffers a breakdown and almost drives into the sea. While Antonioni’s scenes intrigue, the point goes to Lumet for the crushing of souls.

Lumet finishes with the near destruction of Sol. After a verbal beat down of Sol by his boss Rodriguez (Brock Peters in a noteworthy but brief performance), Sol wanders the streets all night, ending at Marilyn’s apartment (the woman he earlier told to stay out of his life) in the morning. He finally spills his story to her but is still unable to let her reach out to him. Sol returns to his pawnshop, telling his concerned assistant that he means nothing to him. Jesus, rightfully angered, returns later with some street toughs he used to run with. Sol’s words come back to haunt him after the action is over. Seeing blood on his own hands is enough to finally allow Sol to feel everything he has kept bottled inside himself.

Antonioni breaks off into a fantasy before coming back with a steamy release of pressure between Giuliana and Corrado. The chemistry between Harris and Vitti was lacking, perhaps purposefully. It was enough to allow Giuliana to move on, still searching for a connection in a world that offers few. It ends as it begins with Giuliana wandering the landscape with her son, the colors washing out before our eyes. The second time I watched Red Desert, I watched it without the subtitles (even though I don’t speak Italian). I wanted to focus on the cinematography but still found I was able to follow the story, which speaks to its simplicity.

Both films end by leaving their main characters to continue with life in their same situations. We can’t be sure how they are changed by what they have just gone through but Giuliana seems to have more hope. While Red Desert carries stronger artistic value, the story in The Pawnbroker is more compelling. It’s a Holocaust survivor’s story that refuses sentimentality. Rod Steiger’s performance rightfully netted him an Oscar nomination. Monica Vitti played the neurotic type a bit too heavily at times, especially with her hands. The match was close but I have to give the point and set to Lumet based on the story being the stronger of the two, even as much as I enjoyed watching Red Desert. (Lumet now leads the match 2-1.)

Next up: Set #3, Blowup and The Deadly Affair