Suspiria
Suspiria | |
---|---|
Directed by | Dario Argento |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | Suspiria de Profundis by Thomas De Quincey |
Produced by | Claudio Argento |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Luciano Tovoli |
Edited by | Franco Fraticelli |
Music by |
|
Production company | Seda Spettacoli |
Distributed by | Produzioni Atlas Consorziate |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes[1] |
Country | Italy |
Languages |
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Box office |
Suspiria is a 1977 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Dario Argento, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daria Nicolodi, partially based on Thomas De Quincey's 1845 essay Suspiria de Profundis. The film stars Jessica Harper as an American ballet student who transfers to a prestigious dance academy but realizes, after a series of murders, that the academy is a front for a coven of witches. It also features Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé, Alida Valli, Udo Kier, and Joan Bennett, in her final film role.
The film is the first of the trilogy Argento refers to as
Suspiria was nominated for two Saturn Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Bennett in 1978, and Best DVD Classic Film Release, in 2002. It is recognised as one of the most influential films in the horror genre and has received acclaim from critics in retrospective reviews. It served as the inspiration for a 2018 film of the same title, directed by Luca Guadagnino.
Plot
Suzy Bannion, a young American ballet student, arrives in
Suzy returns to the school the next morning, where she meets Miss Tanner, the head instructor, and Madame Blanc, the deputy headmistress. Tanner introduces Suzy to Pavlos, one of the school's servants. She also meets classmates Sara and Olga, her new roommate. Suzy experiences an unsettling encounter with one of the school's matrons and Blanc's nephew, Albert, before passing out during a dance class. When she regains consciousness, Suzy learns that Olga has thrown her out of her apartment, forcing her to live at the school with Sara in the room next door.
While the students are preparing for supper one night, maggots rain down from the ceilings of their rooms due to a shipment of spoiled food in the attic, forcing them to sleep in one of the dance studios. During the night, a woman enters the room but is obscured by a curtain hung around the room's perimeter. Sara, frightened by her hoarse and labored breathing, recognizes her as the school's headmistress, who is supposedly out of town. The next day, the school's blind pianist, Daniel, is abruptly fired by Miss Tanner when his German Shepherd bites Albert. Daniel is stalked by an unseen force while walking through a plaza that night; his dog turns on him and viciously rips out his throat.
Sara tells Suzy that she was the one on the intercom who refused her entry the night Pat was murdered. She reveals that Pat was behaving strangely before her death and promises to show Suzy the notes that she left behind. Sara finds that Pat's notes are missing and is forced to flee when an unseen assailant enters the room. They pursue her through the school before cornering her in the attic. She escapes through a small window before falling into a pit of
Suzy investigates Sara's disappearance the next morning. Tanner tells her that Sara has fled the school. Suspicious, Suzy contacts Sara's friend and former psychiatrist, Frank Mandel. He reveals that the school was established by Greek
of witches perishes without their leader, from whom they draw power.When Suzy returns to the school, she finds that everyone has left to attend the Bolshoi Ballet. After being attacked by a bat and recalling a conversation with Sara about footsteps, she follows the sound of them carefully, leading her to Madame Blanc's office. Remembering that Pat uttered the words secret and iris the night that she was killed, Suzy discovers a hidden door that opens by turning a blue iris on a mural in Blanc's office. Suzy enters the corridor and finds the academy's instructors, led by Madame Blanc, plotting her demise in the form of a human sacrifice. Albert alerts Pavlos to Suzy's presence. Suzy hides in an alcove, where she finds Sara's disfigured corpse.
Pursued by Pavlos, Suzy retreats to Helena Markos's bedroom. Suzy finds Markos sleeping, recognizing her as the headmistress by her labored breathing. She accidentally wakes her by breaking a decorative
Suzy flees as the school starts to implode. Madame Blanc, Miss Tanner, Pavlos and the rest of the coven perish without the power of Markos to sustain them. Suzy escapes into the rainy night as the school is consumed by fire.
Cast
- Jessica Harper as Suzy Bannion
- Stefania Casini as Sara Simms
- Flavio Bucci as Daniel
- dubbed in the English release by Gregory Snegoff)
- Alida Valli as Miss Tanner
- Joan Bennett as Madame Blanc
- Udo Kier as Dr. Frank Mandel (dubbed by Frank von Kugelgen)
- Barbara Magnolfi as Olga Ivanova (dubbed by Carolyn De Fonseca)
- Eva Axén as Patricia "Pat" Hingle
- Rudolf Schündler as Professor Milius (dubbed by Geoffrey Copleston)
- Susanna Javicoli as Sonia
- Franca Scagnetti as Cook
- Giuseppe Transocchi as Pavlos (credited as Pavlo)
- Jacopo Mariani as Albert
- Renato Scarpa as Professor Verdegast
- Margherita Horowitz as Teacher
- Giovanni Di Bernardo as Police Inspector (dubbed by Ted Rusoff)
- Lela Svasta as Mater Suspiriorum/Helena Markos (uncredited)
- Dario Argento as Narrator (uncredited) (dubbed by William Kiehl) (uncredited)
Production
Development
Argento based Suspiria in part on
Casting
American actress Jessica Harper was cast in the lead role of American ballet dancer Suzy Bannion,[10] after attending an audition via the William Morris Agency.[6] Argento chose Harper based on her performance in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974).[6] Upon being cast in the film, Harper watched Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) to better understand the director's style.[6] Harper turned down a role in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977) in order to appear in the film.[11]
Argento requested Italian actress Stefania Casini for the supporting role of Sara, a request which she obliged, having been an admirer of his films.[6] Daria Nicolodi had originally planned on playing the role of Sara, but was unable to due to an injury, and Casini was brought in at the last minute.[6] German actor Udo Kier was cast in the minor supporting role of Frank Mandel.[6]
Filming
The majority of Suspiria was shot at De Paoli studios in Rome, where key exterior sets (including the façade of the academy) were constructed.[12] Actress Harper described the film shoot as "very, very focused", as Argento "knew exactly what he was looking for".[6] The façade of the academy was replicated on a soundstage from the real-life Whale House in Freiburg.[6] Additional photography took place in Munich, including Daniel's death scene in the Königsplatz square, as well as the opening scene of the film, which was shot on location at the Munich Airport.[6] The scene in which Suzy meets with Dr. Mandel was filmed outside the BMW Headquarters building in Munich.[6]
Suspiria is noteworthy for several stylistic flourishes that have become Argento trademarks, particularly the use of
The imbibition process, used for
Post-production
Dubbing
All of the actors' dialogue was dubbed through
Musical score
The Italian
The main title theme was named as one of the best songs released between 1977 and 1979 in the book in their song "Swords Drawn".
Release
Suspiria was released in Italy on 1 February 1977.
Critical response
Like Siskel, Bruce McCabe of
Retrospective assessment
In the years since its release, Suspiria has been cited by critics as a cult film.[31] In the book European Nightmares: Horror Cinema in Europe Since 1945 (2012), the film is noted for being an "exemplar of Eurohorror ... it is excessive but here the excess seems to entail a more forceful retardation of a narrative drive, to the extent that the narrative periodically ceases to exist."[32] Suspiria has been praised by film historians and critics for its emphasized employment of color and elaborate set-pieces; film scholar John Kenneth Muir notes that "each and every frame of Suspiria is composed with an artistic, remarkable attention to color."[33]
The Village Voice ranked Suspiria #100 on their list of the 100 greatest films made in the 20th century.
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 93% score based on 61 retrospectively collected reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The website's critical consensus states: "The blood pours freely in Argento's classic Suspiria, a giallo horror as grandiose and glossy as it is gory."[42] Rotten Tomatoes also ranked it #61 on their list of the top 100 horror movies.[43] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[44]
Home media
Suspiria was released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment in a three-disc set[45] on 11 September 2001. This release, which was a limited edition run restricted to 60,000 units, features a THX-certified video master of the film, with a second disc consisting of a 52-minute documentary and other bonus material; the third disc is a CD consisting of the original film score.[45] This release also includes a 28-page booklet and ten lobby card and poster reproductions.[46] Goblin frontman Claudio Simonetti later formed the heavy-metal band Daemonia; the DVD also contains a video of the band playing a reworking of the Suspiria theme. A standard single-disc edition was released by Anchor Bay the following month.[47]
On 19 December 2017, the independent home media distributor Synapse Films released the film for the first time on Blu-ray in the United States in a limited steelbook package.[48] This release also consists of three discs which include a 4K restoration of the feature film, bonus materials, and the original score on a compact disc.[48] A wide-release version not containing the soundtrack CD was released on 13 March 2018.[49] On 19 November 2019, Synapse released their restoration in 4K but without the soundtrack CD nor an accompanying Blu-ray disc.[citation needed]
In Italy, the film received a 4K-remastered Blu-ray release via the Italian distributor Videa in February 2017. It did not use the same 4K restoration as the US Synapse release.[citation needed]
Legacy
Three bands—the Norwegian
A section of the soundtrack cues "Markos", "Witch", and "Death Valzer" were incorporated into the Australian radiophonic work What's Rangoon to You is Grafton to Me, conceived and written by radio presenter and author Russell Guy, co-narrated by Guy and former ABC-TV newsreader James Dibble, and co-produced by Guy and Graham Wyatt. It was originally broadcast in 1978 on the ABC's "youth" radio station 2JJ aka Double Jay (the Sydney-based AM-band precursor to the current Triple J network).[citation needed]
In books by Simon R. Green, mentions are often made of a "Black Forest Dance Academy" in Germany, a place where witches and Satanists gather, a possible reference to Suspiria.[citation needed]
Suspiria is featured in the documentary film
In March 2020, a new score, featuring members of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard alongside other Melbourne musicians, was performed live with a screening of the film.[51]
Related works
Subsequent films
Suspiria is the first of a trilogy of films by Argento, referred to as "
Film scholar L. Andrew Cooper notes "Aesthetic experience is arguably the ultimate source of 'meaning' in all of Argento's films, but Suspiria and the other films of the Three Mothers trilogy...take their emphasis on aesthetics further by self-consciously connecting their irrational worlds to nineteenth-century romanticism and the aestheticism that grew out of it."[4]
Unfilmed remake
It was announced through MTV in 2008 that a remake of Suspiria was in production, to be directed by David Gordon Green, who directed films such as Undertow and Pineapple Express.[55] The announcement was met with hostility by some,[56] including Argento himself.[57] The film was to be produced by Italian production company First Sun.[58] In August 2008, it was reported that Natalie Portman and Annette Savitch's Handsome Charlie Films were set to produce the remake, and that Portman would play the lead role.[59] The project was also announced to be produced by Marco Morabito and Luca Guadagnino.[60] After a period of no news in which it was thought that the remake attempt had failed, Green said in August 2011 that he was still trying to remake the film.[56] It was announced on 15 May 2012 that actress Isabelle Fuhrman would be cast as the lead.[61] Later that year, however, the planned remake was put on hold. In January 2013, Green revealed that it might never happen due to legal issues.[62] In April 2014, Green admitted the remake was too expensive to make during the "found-footage boom", and thus the film was ultimately not made.[63]
In April 2015, an English-language television series based on the film—along with a series based on Sergio Corbucci's Django (1966)—was announced as being developed by Atlantique Productions and Cattleya. Both series were set to consist of twelve 50-minute long episodes, with the possibility of multiple seasons.[64][65][66][67][68]
2018 film
In September 2015, Italian director Gianluca Guadagnino announced at the
Awards
- 1978 Nominated Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress – Joan Bennett
- 2002 Nominated Saturn Awardfor Best DVD Classic Film Release
- 2018 Won Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award in the following categories (Synapse):[80]
- Best DVD/Blu-ray
- Best Restoration
- Best DVD Commentary– David Del Valle and Derek Botelho
- Best DVD extra– A Sigh from the Depths: 40 Years of Suspiri, directed by Daniel Griffith
See also
References
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- ^ a b Solomon 1989, p. 233.
- ^ McDonagh 2010, p. 146.
- ^ a b Cooper 2012, p. 88.
- ^ McDonagh 2010, p. 29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Hertz, Gary (director) et al. (2001). Suspiria 25th Anniversary. Anchor Bay Entertainment.
- ^ McDonagh 2010, p. 130.
- )
- ^ "Dario Argento – Film and Music: Interviews". Bizarre. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
- ^ Bosco, Scott Michael (2001). "Jessica Harper Interview". Suspiria (booklet). Anchor Bay Entertainment.
- ^ a b c Kalat, David. Suspiria. Turner Classic Movies. In the Know.
- ^ Curti 2017, p. 133.
- ^ Bondanella 2009, p. 323.
- ^ a b c McDonagh 2010, p. 138.
- ^ jrhodes (21 May 2009). "Dario Argento's Suspiria: A Visual and Aural Masterwork". Indiana Public Media. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Kay, Tony (10 October 2014). "'Suspiria': A Rookie's Guide to a Horror Classic". CityArts Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "Symphony Of Fear: Hip Hop's Best Horror Movie Theme Samples". Hip Hop DX. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ a b Buchanan, Jason. "Suspiria". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "20th Century-Fox acquired Dario Argento's " Suspiria " for U.S. release". Variety. varietyultimate.com. 11 May 1977. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ McDonagh 2010, p. 149.
- ^ a b Siskel, Gene (8 August 1977). "Fox covers its prints on its part in 'Suspiria'". Chicago Tribune. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Allmer, Huxley & Brick 2012, p. 15.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (13 August 1977). "'Suspiria,' a Specialty Movie, Drips With Gore". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (26 August 1977). "'Suspiria': Highly Stylized Horror". Los Angeles Times. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McCabe, Bruce. "'Suspiria' is fitful". The Boston Globe. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kehr, Dave (26 October 1985). "Suspiria". chicagoreader.com. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Hoberma, J. (1 September 2009). "Suspiria Shock: Two Runs in Two Weeks – Page 1 – New York – Village Voice". The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "'Suspiria' horror sensation". Colorado Springs Gazette. Colorado Springs, Colorado. 27 August 1977. p. 29-D – via Newspapers.com.
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- ^ Muir 2007, p. 511.
- ^ Dirks, Tim. "100 Best Films of the 20th Century". Filmsite.org. AMC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
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- ^ "Top 25 Horror Films of All-Time". IGN. 29 October 2010. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ^ "Suspiria (1977)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Horror Movies – Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ a b Gonzalez, Ed (8 January 2002). "DVD Review: Suspiria". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ Sanchez, Rick (4 October 2001). "Suspiria Limited Edition". IGN. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Chaw, Walter (19 January 2002). "Suspiria (1977) – DVD". Film Freak Central. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ a b Coffel, Chris (23 November 2017). "Synapse's 'Suspiria' SteelBook Gets a December 19th Release Date". Bloody-Disgusting. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ Sprague, Mike (25 January 2018). "Suspiria 4K gets wide release via Synapse this March". Joblo.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ "Gargamel 7" single "Suspiria" on Discogs". Retrieved 10 October 2023.
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- ^ Cooper 2012, pp. 87–92.
- ^ Cooper 2012, pp. 88–9.
- ^ Adler, Shawn (5 March 2008). "David Gordon Green Confirms 'Suspiria' Remake". MTV. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ a b Brigden, Charlie. "Please Leave Suspiria Alone". lostinthemultiplex.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Þorvalds, Esther. "Interview with Dario Argento after his masterclass". riff.is/tv. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
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- ^ Berni, Andrea Francesco (10 July 2010). "Suspiria 2010, the producer: "Yes the shooting is starting and no, there won't be Marilyn Manson"". BadTaste.it – Il nuovo gusto del cinema!. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "The Hunger Games and Orphan Star Isabelle Fuhrman Set for Suspiria". Dread Central. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
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- ^ James White (8 April 2015). "Sergio Corbucci's Django Heads For TV". Empire. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Nick Vivarelli (8 April 2015). "'Django' And Dario Argento's 'Suspiria' To Be Adapted Into International TV Series". Variety. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Luca Guadagnino Talks Making 'Splash,' Next Is 'Suspiria' Redo". Variety. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
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- ^ "Suspiria, Luca Guadagnino: "Dakota Johnson e Tilda Swinton sono nel cast"" (in Italian). velvetcinema.it. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (3 October 2016). "Chloe Moretz Joins Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton in Luca Guadagnino's 'Suspiria' Remake (EXCLUSIVE)". Retrieved 18 December 2017.
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- ^ Zack Sharf (16 March 2017). "Luca Guadagnino is Done Filming 'Suspiria' Remake, Working on Post-Production For Possible 2017 Release". IndieWire. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
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- Guardian News and Media. Archivedfrom the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
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- ^ "The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards – Honoring the best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation".
Bibliography
- Allmer, Patricia; Huxley, David; Brick, Emily (2012). European Nightmares: Horror Cinema in Europe Since the 1945. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-85008-7.
- Bondanella, Peter (2009). A History of Italian Cinema. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4411-6069-0.
- Cooper, L. Andrew (2012). Dario Argento. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-09438-5.
- Curti, Roberto (2017). "1977: Suspiria". Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970–1979. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-6469-9.
- McDonagh, Maitland (2010). Broken Mirrors, Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-1-4529-1537-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3104-5.
- Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
External links
- Suspiria at IMDb
- Suspiria at AllMovie
- Suspiria at Rotten Tomatoes