Weaving hope: Tonino Guerra, fables and utopian holism in Red Desert

This article examines the interrelationship of the kite fable and island fable, both written by Tonino Guerra, in the film Red Desert. It highlights how both fables showcase Guerrian issues and motifs, such as holism and collectivity. In the first part of the article, I trace the genesis and transformation of Guerra's tale L'aquilone ('The kite') in Red Desert. I show that Guerra's utopic tone contrasts with the dystopian aura of Antonioni's Ravenna. Then, I demonstrate that, although the kite tale was discarded from the filmed version of Red Desert, visual remnants are still present, and thus the story can be read as central to the film. In the final section, I draw connections between Guerra's kite fable and island fable demonstrating that, in the latter, Guerra's utopian world-view is distinctly 'Antonionized'.