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| THE STENDHAL SYNDROME MEDUSA FILM; ITALY dvd specification |
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| [video][sound][extras][conclusion] |
| Anna Manni (Asia Argento) is a police detective on the trail of serial killer-Rapist (Krectchmann). After arriving in Florence, Anna visits the famed Uffizi Museum where she finds herself struck by a bizarre psychological reaction to the paintings on display called 'The Stendhall Syndrome', which sucks the viewer into the worlds of the artist's imagination. This leaves her vulnerable to her quarry who eventually rapes her before she eventually escapes. With the knowledge that she may be struck down at any moment and fall unconscious, leaving her vulnerable to her prey. Anna is forced to try and overcome her affliction before the depraved killer hunts her down... |
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| video |
| Wishy-washy comes to mind when you look at the print, which seems to have been lifted straight off a bargain basement video. The colours are dull and lifeless; the shadows look like they have been filled in with a felt tip pen. There is a wee bit of ghosting as well for good measure. |
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| sound |
| This is an English dubbed version. No subtitles for those wanting to watch the film in Italian or Swahili. Maybe I am going deaf in my old age but the sound seemed a tad low pitched. |
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| extras |
| None. Not sure if Arrow are being tight fisted or they just could not be arsed to purchase some trailers, posters or documentaries so I will leave it at that. |
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| conclusion |
| This is the darkest and most disturbing of Argento's Giallo's for many reasons. A lot has been made of the sadistic rape scenes but it is the disturbing tone that makes this one of his more interesting and cruel pictures. Many of the devices Argento has used in the past and his future films have been dispensed with. Instead what we have is a killer on full display, the air of mystery jettisoned so that the viewer's concentration is aimed squarely at the psychological effects and role-reversal of the two main characters. |
| reviewed by bizarre hands |
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