Nice review. Although my thoughts here seem to disagree with you, in the case of Antonioni I believe that there is plenty of room for common ground even if the ratings drastically differ.
Antonioni has been know to divide opinion. Anybody with even a modicum of film knowldge will note Antonioni's interest in the breakdown of communication in relationships. I think the appropriate phrase is...easy to understand, difficult to appreciate. His images just seem to resonate with me; they compel me, exhaust me, entertain me, enchant me. The beginning of L'Avventura accounts for forty of the most breathtaking minutes i've ever experienced in film.
Your comments on the ending of L'Eclisse are very interesting. Likewise, I thought Antonioni was merely departing into a pretentious, ambiguous for the sake of being ambiguous ending. However, Antonioni continued to enchant me despite my immediate reservations. Looking back, the ending was overly artful; it probably does debase the viewer from the action. This is something which usually bothers me but to be honest, I just cant get past the beauty of it all.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaah.