| THE STENDHAL SYNDROME DUTCH FILM WORKS; HOLLAND dvd extra |
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| [video][sound][conclusion] |
| A workmanlike, though eminently watchable, at times innovative 1985 documentary look at gialli magician Dario Argento; his films, techniques and equipment, giving an insider's view as seen by Argento protégé Michele Soavi. Dario Argento's World of Horror/ Il Mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento comprises a series behind the scenes glimpses of such films as Suspiria, Phenomena/Creepers, Tenebre and Inferno, an extended interview with Dario himself in which he muses on himself and his work and of-course clips from his oeuvre including his masterpiece Profondo Rosso. It may be rendered a tad dated now, by dint of a lack of later clips (Opera, Trauma, La Syndrome di Stendhal, Nonhosonno), but the behind the scenes sequences are superb; Argento at work, the making of Phenomena and Suspiria and Keith Emerson's scoring sessions for Inferno, whilst the running interview with Argento gives some perceptive glimpses into the man's wonderfully unbalanced psyche and the finished clips are terrific, although unfortunately not letterboxed as is the case with the shallower, also dated and far more violent Luigi Cozzi helmed follow-up Il Mondo di Dario Argento 2/Dario Argento: Master of Horror. Il Mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento als features unedited sequences from Dawn of the Dead and familiar to most though it may be by now, remains an absolute must-buy for any admirer of Argento's work and an even more absolute must-see for anyone who's edification is so lacking [you know who you are]. Featuring also are interviews with Luciano Tovoli, Stilvetti, snatches of Bill Wyman and Terry Taylor's haunting piece "Valley" which opens Phenomena and classic Argento iconography encompassing dream imagery, beautiful women being graphically murdered and the crystallised gialli image of the "black gloved killer"- all touched upon and explored in varying degrees of detail, Il Mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento is simply unmissable. |
| video |
| Since this film was originally created for the purpose of television broadcast, it is presented in the full screen (1.33:1) format. The fullscreen non-anamorphic picture is no better than VHS. The print shows damage, there is excessive grain, blacks are murky and colour delineation is mediocre. It's particularly painful to watch clips from films such as Profondo Rossoand Suspiria full frame and overall this is a poor visual experience. |
| sound |
| Presented in mono, the audio gives you a taste of the various scores from the different films, enough to ensure you want to hear them presented better than this. Dialogue is clear during the interviews, at least one can say that. |
| conclusion |
| With continuing Dario Argento releases on DVD, current releases such as Anchor Bay’s Profondo Rosso and Inferno and upcoming the US R1 debut of Suspiria, plus Opera and Nonhosonno to appear soon, this is a great time to invest in this DVD and this DFW edition is less than 2/3 the price of the overpriced R1 Synapse disc. An essential companion for any self-respecting Argento collection and should be in every DVD library. Rush out and get a copy without delay! |
| reviewed by Peter Lynch |
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