I began taking liberties a long time ago; now it is standard practice for most directors to ignore the rules.

In 1994 he was given the Honorary Academy Award "in recognition of his place as one of the cinema's master visual stylists. Although it dealt with the challenging theme of the impossibility of objective standards and the ever-doubtable truth of memory it was a successful and popular hit with audiences no doubt helped by its sex scenes which were explicit for the time.

He produced "enigmatic and intricate mood pieces" and rejected action in favor of contemplation focusing on image and design over character and story. Michelangelo Antonioni Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director screenwriter editor and short story writer.