FILM

REVIEW: SUSPIRIA (1977) Dir. Dario Argento

Fig 1 Cast/Crew Directed by Dario Argento Produced by Claudio Argento Written by Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi Starring Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bos, Alida Valli, Joan Bennett Music by Goblin, Dario Argento Cinematography Luciano Tovoli Synopsis Suspiria is an Italian horror film directed by Dario Argento and co-written by Argento and Daria Nicolodi. The film follows an American ballet student who transfers to a prestigious dance academy in Germany, only to discover that it is controlled by a coven of witches. The film's score was performed by Goblin. It was one of the final feature films to be processed in the Italian processing plant of Technicolor before it was closed. The film has become one of Argento's most successful feature films, receiving critical acclaim for its visual and stylistic performance, outstanding colours, and soundtrack. It has been nominated for two Saturn Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Joan Bennett in 1978 and Best DVD Classic Film Release in 2002. The film has since become a cult classic. [Wikipedia]

 Fig 2 The consensus view on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes is that "The blood pours freely in Argento's classic 'Suspiria, a giallo horror as grandiose and glossy as it is gory, although Rotten Tomatoes also notes that some reviewers have criticized it for its lack of sense and puzzling storyline. In actuality it could be described as having an incredibly simple storyline. An American ballet student gets a place at a dance school where the tutors are involved in witchcraft and are murdering the students. The puzzle for the viewer is finding the line between what is real and what is in the students imagination (and even this becomes apparent at the end). Interestingly, a remake of Suspiria is in production with Natalie Portman expected to play the lead role. Portman played a similar character in Black Swan, a ballet dancer with mental health issues exacerbated by the behaviour of those around her. Feminists have branded the film as misogynistic but it could be argued that ballet itself somewhat misogynistic. Dancers have a punishing schedule and their working life is short. Argento suggested in various interviews that it was easier to make a beautiful death scene with a beautiful woman!

Fig 3 The film was made with anamorphic lenses, which stretch the image to fit the frame but cause it to appear strangely distorted. The production design has lots of sharp angles and heights reminiscent of Dr Caligari, and although this film is not monochrome it often uses so few colours that it almost retains the contrasted black and white appearance of Caligari as well. The cinematography emphasises vivid primary colours, and their garishness enhances the viewers anticipation of the horrors to come. Its theatrical Cropping means that characters are often low on the screen, the buildings seem tall and gothic, and the audience has to peer up, look through windows and (especially with the language barrier)

generally feel like an outsider. Keith Breese of FilmCritic.com awarded the film a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars, calling it "a wild feast of imagery that has never since been duplicated" (2005), and some of the scenes are so lush in colour that this is an apt description.

Fig 4 Phelim ONeill, reviewing for the Guardian, describes the production and its influences, using an outmoded Technicolor film printing process, and inspired by such moody and atmospheric non-horror films as Disney's Snow White and Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes, Argento let the pictures do the talking. Actually, it's more like they're screaming (2010).

Fig 5 The film is scored by Italian Progressive Rock band Goblin. The audio works particularly well in some scenes, for example during the death of the blind man, even with eyes closed the viewer experiences the scene through the music. Panic scenes are accompanied by a bass sound that causes ringing in the ears, much like the heightened senses in a panic attack. TV Guide noted the directors ability to know when to kill the sound: "Throughout this nerve-wracking journey, Argento's sly gift is to strike when you least expect it, often when the soundtrack grows silent. ONeill sums up Suspiria, it's soaked in colour and atmosphere, with a remarkable score by Italian prog-rockers Goblin. It's a film to experience rather than simply observe.

Illustrations Fig 1 original Italian poster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspiria Fig 2 http://moviemoxie.blogspot.com Fig 3 & 4 http://www.dvdbeaver.com/comparisons/comparisons/s/suspiria/Default.htm Fig 5 - http://www.best-horror-movies.com/suspiria.html References Breese, K (2005) Suspiria online at http://www.filmcritic.com/reviews/1977/suspiria/ [accessed on 28/12/11] ONeill, P (2010) The Guardian: New Releases online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jan/09/dvd-blu-ray-reviews-the-guide [accessed on 28/12/11] TV Guide (date unknown) Suspiria Review online at http://movies.tvguide.com/suspiria/review/119515 [accessed on 28/12/11]