Cover Art

Credits

Director: Dario Argento Starring: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Meril, Eros Pagani Screenplay: Dario Argento, Bernadino Zapponi Country: Italy AKA: Profondo Rosso

One of Argento's best thrillers, Deep Red is a classic of the Giallo genre. Like much of the Italian maestro's work, this is a thriller that works with an almost dreamlike logic. Filled with disturbing, memorable imagery (the nightmarish mechanical doll is a standout), gruesome murders and bravura camerawork, Deep Red works best on an emotional level. The actual mystery is not as tight as it could be and some of the dialogue is a touch stilted (a casualty of translation, no doubt) but that can be overlooked as the film is so incredibly stylish and well-crafted. David Hemmings of Blow-Up notoriety is terrific as the pianist and has a great chemistry with Daria Nicolodi (who in real life became the director's partner for many years). While most of the supporting Italian cast are dubbed (and with American accents, despite playing Italians) they still make a strong impression, particularly Gabriele Lavia as the boozy Carlo.

Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror (56.49, 4x3 Letterbox) - This is an excellent British-made documentary covering Argento's life and career, which is included on all of Umbrella's Argento DVDs. Every one of Argento's films is covered right up to the production of Sleepless. Argento's daughters Fiore and Asia give some insight into Dario's personality, whilst John Carpenter and George A Romero are among the filmmakers who offer some critique on his creative methodologies. The concluding anecdote by Michael Brandon (star of Four Flies on Grey Velvet) is worth the price of admission alone. Great stuff.

Dario Argento Interview (12.59, 4x3 Full Frame) - Not so much an interview as a promotional video for Argento's Profondo Rosso store and museum. A dubbed (and very badly translated) Argento speaks a bit about his career (with the titles of his early films mistranslated into The Cat With Nine Tails and Four Grey Velvet Flies!) then goes on to plug his little shop of horrors. We also get brief interviews with Goblin front man Claudio Simmonetti and the store's co-owner, director/FX man Luigi Cozzi. Mostly, we get footage of the shop, which is located in Rome, its wares and an appearance by Tim Burton. The address and details of the shop turn up on screen frequently and the whole thing becomes very dull.

25th Anniversary Featurette. (10.50, 4X3 Windowboxed) - Now this is the business. Assembled in 2000 by Anchor Bay, this is an extremely interesting retrospective on the film. Argento, co-writer Bernardino Zapponi and the members of Goblin weigh in with their memories of the films development, production and reception. There are many fascinating stories to be had here. An enjoyable and very worthwhile featurette.

American Trailer (2.43 16:9) and Italian Trailer (1.51 4x3 Letterbox): If you ever wanted a textbook comparison between how Americans and Italians market their movies, look no further. The American Trailer is all sound, fury and spoilers (do not watch this before you see the film!), and sells the film as pure schlock. The Italian trailer is another matter entirely. There is no dialogue, just eerie sounds and lingering images as the cast names silently appear on screen. Subtle, elegant and very unsettling.