---
title: "L'Eclisse: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/leclisse/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/leclisse"
critics_score: 82
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# L'Eclisse (1962): what the critics said

Critics' score 82 from 8 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews are unanimous in their approval, and the praise settles on the same place: what the film looks like. Most critics single out the black-and-white compositions, the handling of light and shadow, and the way the frames are built, and nearly all of them come back to the closing sequence of Rome, which several regard as the film’s high point. Its mood of anxiety and disconnection is generally felt to have kept its force, and a few critics find a dry, mocking comedy in its picture of a life run on money.

Where they part is over pace. Empire and Variety both find long stretches slow to the point of tedium, though each still ends up admiring Antonioni’s control and the ending in particular. Variety also wonders whether the director can push the approach any further. The spread is narrow otherwise, running from warm respect to outright reverence, with Little White Lies the most fervent.

## Little White Lies — David Jenkins

Rating 5/5/5. 28 August 2015. 

Jenkins hails the film as one of cinema’s all-time greats, describing love and human connection as fragile and ultimately impossible. He singles out the cosmic finale as a staggering achievement that makes absence itself the film’s subject.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/leclisse-1962)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2015. 

Bradshaw finds the film gripping, visionary and strange, praising its ability to create an eerie atmosphere of anxiety and alienation. He singles out the image of a crashed car lifted from the water, with its dead joyrider’s hand visible, as unforgettable.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/27/leclisse-review-antonionis-strange-and-brilliant-film-rereleased)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2006. 

Lane regards the film as a lasting treasure whose images grow more compelling with each viewing. He especially praises its black-and-white shadows and the trancelike closing images of Rome.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/06/26/still-uneclipsed)

## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole

Rating 4/5. 5 June 2014. 

The critic calls L’Eclisse the best film in Antonioni’s modernist trilogy and praises the Blu-ray presentation. He singles out the film’s striking compositions and its mordantly funny critique of capital-driven life.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/leclisse/)

## Time Out — Tom Huddleston

Rating 4/5. 23 August 2015. 

Huddleston presents the film as a classic, steeped in postmodern angst and existential strife. The review singles out its satire of modern life as a defining quality.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/leclisse-the-eclipse)

## Empire — David Parkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 March 2006. 

Parkinson finds the film both tedious and wonderful, ultimately praising Antonioni’s controlled, evocative approach. He singles out the ambiguous, meticulously composed ending as its master stroke.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/leclisse-review/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1961. 

The review finds the film’s slow pace exasperating but its silences powerful, calling it an apt conclusion to Antonioni’s trilogy. It praises Antonioni’s mastery of cinematic style and Monica Vitti’s performance, while questioning whether the director can take this approach further.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1961/film/reviews/l-eclisse-1200420154/)

## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2015. 

Wilkinson finds the film’s exploration of alienation and disconnection still resonant. She especially praises its beautifully constructed frames and use of light, shadow and visual framing.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/leclisse-1962-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/leclisse.md