Suspiria (Limited Edition)
Picture: B Sound: B+ Extras: A Film: B-
Italian cult horror
director Dario Argento’s 1977 film Suspiria was perhaps the directors
last decent film of the 1970’s, as well as his most stylish. Although the film is in some ways overrated,
there are some great qualities to the film, despite its drawbacks. Pretentious? Yes. Artsy? Yes.
Above all else though the films strongest points are the atmosphere it
creates and the mood that fills that atmosphere. Where it lacks on the other hand is the people, places, and
script that also inhabit this area.
As mentioned, the film
does have some good qualities such as the soundtrack provided by the group
Goblin, which was ahead of its time looking back now. The band is along the similar lines of groups such as the
Misfits, but incorporate more synthesizers into their routine. Their music, however, gives this film a
particular edge since it is creepy, even when it is over-the-top. Argento also uses many lighting schemes to
incorporate a level of mystery that is uncommon in most films since the
lighting is very unnatural, but it does remain a character on its own.
Our story begins as a
young girl (Jessica Harper) arrives at a prestigious European dance academy for
ballet. Two unusual individuals, Madame
Blanc and Miss Tanner, who are both equally creepy, run the academy. Next we have a series of bizarre accidents
and mysterious deaths, which have the entire academy in an uproar (I suppose a
girl being stabbed and hung from the ceiling with her entrails on the floor
will do that). The rest of the story
most can figure out without even seeing this film because it’s so common. The young girl must try to figure out what
is causing these events instead of just…leaving!
While the film might not
be as great as other horror films this 3-Disc limited edition courtesy of
Anchor Bay is a really nice item. First
the technical qualities. The film is
presented in a beautiful 2.35 X 1 scope aspect ration preserving the films original
scope Technovision ratio shot by Luciano Tovoli. Tovoli would work with Argento on a few more films later in his
career and also move into some more American-type of films including Julie
Taymor’s Titus (1999) and 2002’s under appreciated Murder By Numbers. If nothing else Tovoli works well with
extreme setups and unusual color schemes.
His camera work is nothing overly impressive, but he manages to capture
the essence of the film well, no matter what the subject matter.
This is indeed a beautiful
transfer demonstrating some of the better looking films on DVD that were filmed
in the 70’s. Not that this print
doesn’t have problems. There are
certain levels of detail that are lacking and colors tend to be over saturated
at times, but nothing that makes this presentation look horrible. In fact the cleanness of the print is the
most distinguishing factor.
Absorbing the viewer even
more than the picture quality though is the soundtrack. This is one of the best-remixed soundtracks
from a film of this age. It does not
rank up as high perhaps as Paramount’s Apocalypse Now Redux, but the
sound here is still quite nice. There
are a few choices for the audio to begin with anyway. First there is the pleasant 5.1 Dolby Digital EX track, which is
good, but not great. Then there is the
much-preferred DTS ES Discrete track, which is just astonishing. While the film does not have some of the
sonic advancements of newer films, the remix for this DVD truly makes this film
more watchable. There is a constant
amount of activity circling the room, whether it is sound effects, the
soundtrack, or directional noises.
There is also a Dolby 2.0 Italian and French soundtrack.
To further point out the
soundtrack differences between the 5.1 Dolby Digital EX and the DTS ES Discrete
we must consider what each is doing with this film. Since Dolby uses a smaller bit-rate than the DTS the results are
quite different and distinguishable.
The Dolby track never captures the fullness or richness offered by the
DTS track. Nor does it have the high
end or low-end range. The rear
soundstage also seems emptier as the left and right surround channels become
subtler in nature. On just the opposite
end though is the DTS ES track, which pushes much of the sound towards the rear
allowing for a more encompassing effect.
The middle rear channel (ES channel) allows for a counterpart to the
front three speakers. Now there is more balance as the front soundstage and
rear soundstage both carry a more equal amount of sound. The front manages more of the dialogue and
on-set effects, while the music builds out of the front left and right and
carries into the split surrounds, plus the middle rear. Considering that this film was never
released with surround in mind, this is quite impressive.
For a quick comparison to
what has been done to enhance the soundtrack there is also in this set a third
disc, which contains the soundtrack provided by Goblin. Since the soundtrack on this 16-bit CD,
which plays in ProLogic, there is a remarkable difference when comparing both
side by side. The soundtrack on the
film is more spacious, but still direct, while the CD soundtrack is more on the
direct side, but not spacious.
Now for the extras, which
reside on Disc Two. First there is a
very extensive, nearly one-hour, documentary entitled Suspiria 25th Anniversary. This was designed strictly for this DVD
release and contains footage with Argento, Co-writer Daria Nicolodi,
Cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, as well as members from Goblin and many of the
stars including Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, and Udo Kier. Perhaps the best thing about this
retrospective is the fact that it focuses more on the making of this film and
what it is like to think back to that period.
Many of these individuals have not become much since, but still remember
the impact this film had on their careers.
There are so many films
that deal with mystery and the horror genre takes that mystery and puts it into
a different context. The context now
becomes more associated with scaring the viewer either by what you see or what
you do not see, and even sometimes what you hear. The entire experience becomes a struggle between what think and
what you feel. Your mind wants to
experience the thrill, but your heart tries to escape the feelings of
fear. Human emotions are quite
strange. It’s like a roller coaster
that we are afraid of, yet love the experience of the ride. While Suspiria might not rank up with
the scariest movie ever made, or even one of the best horror films, but it
stirs up some emotions even during its weakest moments. Surely a film for the fans of the artsy,
stylish, and cheesy. Luckily this
3-Disc set brings together all the goodies anyone could want, but it’s limited
to a 60,000 copy pressing, so get your copy now.
- Nate Goss
