[1][2] In an unnamed middle European state in the nineteenth century, the reigning queen has been in mourning and hides from the public since the assassination of her husband King Frederic ten years ago.

During her stay in the castle of Oberwald, young radical poet Sebastian breaks into her chamber, intending to kill her, but faints due to a wound inflicted during his flight from the police.

[1][2] Although being critical of Cocteau (whom he once called "clever, fanciful, but limited"),[3] and aware of the fact that he had been hired for a commissioned work,[2][4] Antonioni was looking forward to experimenting with a new technical format.

[1] Upon its release, The Mystery of Oberwald received mixed reviews, accusing its director for betraying the tradition of realist Italian cinema or praising his courage for taking new technical challenges.

[8] After the film's Venice premiere, German critic Hans-Christoph Blumenberg's résumé was that of an "arbitrary" playing with colour effects which falls far behind Antonioni's earlier experiments in Red Desert and Blow-Up, and whose only merit was Vitti's outstanding performance.

[10] In 1982, Dave Kehr came to a less negative conclusion, stating that, although Antonioni had ultimately failed to achieve a fully developed aesthetic in the new medium video, the film's exploratory character should be taken into consideration.