Italian Visionary Antonioni Dies at 94

Michelangelo Antonioni, one of the most innovative and distinctive film-makers of the 20th century, has died at the age of 94. The Italian director died in his hometown of Ferrara, in the country's north, on Monday evening, fewer than 24 hours after the death of Ingmar Bergman, that other great giant of European art-house cinema.

Alongside his near contemporary Federico Fellini, Antonioni signaled a break with the "neorealist" style that flourished in Italy at the end of the second world war. In contrast to the working class parables of Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini, his films were cool and stylized, traditionally focusing on the experiences of an alienated bourgeoisie. Antonioni made his film debut with Cronaca di un amore in 1950. International success followed with the release of his classic L'Avventura in 1960.

Away from his native Italy, Antonioni made his English language debut with the epoch-catching London thriller Blowup in 1966. He moved to America to shoot the counter-culture romp Zabriskie Point in 1970 and directed Jack Nicholson in The Passenger in 1975.

In 1985 Antonioni suffered a severe stroke that left him unable to speak. He directed his last film, 1995's Beyond the Clouds, from his wheelchair, with the assistance of director Wim Wenders. The following year he was presented with a lifetime achievement Oscar by his friend and former collaborator Jack Nicholson.

"With Antonioni dies not only one of the greatest directors but also a master of modernity," said Rome mayor Walter Veltroni this morning. A quiet funeral is planned in the town of Ferrara this Thursday.