Blow-Up (1966)

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni

Starring David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, and Jane Birkin

From Roger Ebert: “A hypnotic conjuring act, in which a character is awakened briefly from a deep sleep of bored alienation and then drifts away again. This is the arc of the film. Not ‘Swinging London.’ Not existential mystery. Not the parallels between what Hemmings does with his photos and what Antonioni does with Hemmings. But simply the observations that we are happy when we are doing what we do well, and unhappy seeking pleasure elsewhere. I imagine Antonioni was happy when he was making this film.”

From Rotten Tomatoes: “Exquisitely shot and simmering with unease, Michelangelo Antonio’s Blow-Up is an enigma that invites audiences to luxuriate in the sensual atmosphere of 1960s London chic.”

The Conversation (1974)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, and Harrison Ford

From Emanuel Levy: “This is one of Coppola’s masterpieces, a prophetic film about paranoia, the growing role of technology in our daily lives, and the impossibility of privacy even in public spaces.”

From Rotten Tomatoes: “This tense, paranoid thriller presents Francis Ford Coppola at his finest – and makes some remarkably advanced arguments about technology’s role in society that still resonate today.”