Profondo Rosso [DVD]

.......he does grows on you. The more you watch, the more you want. Not just the films, but the characters and the collection of bizarre moments and shocking clarity too.

I started off thinking the whole 'Italian horror genre' thing was overrated. I got Suspiria on a whim and before I knew it I'd bought and watched Profondo Rosso too.

Its that Argento never seems to play straight.

There are moments of brilliance, style, suspense with genuine oddness but then some real rubbish: cheesy 70's dialogue and awful dubbing - but you can forgive all that and at least the music's not as intrusive as it was in Suspiria.

The editing from one scene to another is very abrupt too. Does he do this deliberately? Or is it a question of taste?

Every time you pin him down he confounds you- like he says on the DVD commentary- he tries to conjure up a dream with twists and turns.

I mean, fancy having slapstick farce in the middle of a very disturbing hacker movie?

The film gets more intruiging as it goes on. Same storyline as a million others but it's the ways its done. Visually splendid, with stunning scenery/sets, framing and his shot selection is second to none.

The opening shot which is in fact part of the credits is VERY disturbing. Don't miss it!

Well worth watching and never boring.

(don't watch it alone with the lights off, especially the secluded cottage bit.........) :)

One scene involving a mechanical doll, nearly made my heart stop, I wont give it away but it's one of those scares that makes your brain work overtime to reassure you that you're ok !

Brilliant, Dario is unique and this is my favourite film of his, and one of my ALL time favourite films.
A wonderful initiation into the world of Giallo.

In my opinion, the second view is a mistake. The whole film is saturated with a menacing atmosphere, and almost every moment is a delight. Do you think the scenes of David Hemmings investigating the derelict house are boring? Look again. Visually it's wonderful. Do you think the scenes between Hemmings and his co-star, Daria Nicolodi, are unnecessary? On the contrary, they're integral, going a long way to dispel the accusation that Argento is sexist and also being a pleasant suprise in the not-usually-woman-friendly giallo tradition. (oh, and the scenes of the pair in Nicolodi's car are priceless...)

Argento can do more than just portray death, and it is also this quality that turns his film 'Tenebrae' into a small masterpiece. On the other hand, when Profondo Rosso (his very large masterpiece) deals out death, we again come up trumps, particularly with the last two murders. And who can forget the prelude to the psychic's murder, as the camera roams about the killer's possessions of knives, marbles, crudely drawn figures with massive bleeding?

Thus, it gets five out of five from me. One more thing before I sign off- Gabriele Lavia plays the unluckiest wretch ever to grace a giallo. I can't tell you why without massive spoilers, but just as you think it couldn't get worse...