The Stendhal Syndrome [DVD]

Thanks to its troubled release history and the multiple unsatisfying DVD releases over the years, I've seen The Stendhal Syndrome more times than any of Dario Argento's other films, which is probably a good thing since once past the initial disappointment at how little use it makes of the condition that gives it it's title there's a lot more to it than initially meets the eye. It's almost certainly Argento's most difficult and contradictory film. On one side it's a nasty little thriller about a serial rapist and killer with some unpleasant violence (albeit not as excessive as you might expect). And yet at the same time it does make a genuine effort to build a narrative around the psychological after-effects on one of his victims as she continually reinvents herself, at first as a more masculine figure in an attempt to reclaim some of the power her rapist has taken from her, later as a more `pure' and feminine one, ultimately identifying all too closely with her attacker...

It's not a complete success but it's certainly Argento's most ambitious and psychologically profound film with the best female role in any of his films. Unfortunately, the fact that she's played by Asia Argento, an actress with more ferocity than subtlety doesn't help (it was originally written as a vehicle for Bridget Fonda, with Jennifer Jason Leigh subsequently briefly attached). Nor does the fact that the Stendhal Syndrome itself, a form of emotional overload and physical breakdown in the presence of great works of art somewhat similar to the Jerusalem Syndrome, isn't really explored beyond acting as a trigger for the plot. The exceptionally bad cgi effects when it is don't help either, undercutting a couple of potentially interesting setpieces. Still, even if it's not essential viewing, it's much better than the likes of Phantom of the Opera or The Card Player and ultimately shows a surprising degree of sympathy for the character.

The film has always had a chequered history on DVD - Arrow's new PAL DVD is the uncut version, but for some reason the brief restored Italian sequences aren't subtitled into English and the only extra is the trailer for this and other Argento films. Troma's original US release was less than impressive and 74 seconds shorter than the Italian version (a couple of brief dialogue scenes trimmed by Argento himself) with a underwhelming transfer. Whereas the Italian PAL 2-disc DVD offered the dubbed American version and the very slightly longer subtitled Italian version on separate discs but was overcropped to 1.78:1 rather than the original 1.66:1 widescreen, Blue Underground's 2-disc NTSC release offers the uncut film on the first disc with optional English or Italian soundtracks in 1.66:1 (the film reverts to subtitled Italian for the restored scenes) in a superb transfer supervised by cinematographer Giuseppe Rotuno that finally shows the film in it's true colors after years of grainy and washed-out transfers. There's also a good selection of substantial interviews on the second disc. Although the making of documentary on the Italian two-disc set hasn't been included, with separate interviews with Argento, special effects supervisor Sergio Stivaletti, assistant director Luigi Cozzi and production designer Massimo Antonello Geleng, there's no cause for complaint. Best of all is the fascinating interview with psychological consultant Graziella Magherini, who originally identified the syndrome in the unrelated non-fiction book that inspired the film. Of the many versions available, Blue Underground's is definitely the one to go for.

Firstly, I saw this on The Horror Channel and it was dubbed into 'American', which spoiled the authenticity of it all and cheapened it. I saw Argento's "Opera", which I loved and that was in its original Italian and was superb.

Others have generally written lengthy reviews but I'm keeping it short, partly as I'm not really a fan of horror and not an expert on the subject.
Therefore, I take as I find.

I didn't mind the blood, or the body injury details but I did object to the sexual violence. Anybody who has any sense of human sensitivity would object too and whilst this is a part of the story, as it involves a serial rapist who then murders, watching it is near impossible. I don't know whether I'm saying Argento shouldn't have included those scenes, or not, but for me, they cloud the rest of the film and I find I cannot judge it fairly.

I do like the creepiness that hovers around much of it, though the syndrome that causes Asia Argento debilitating hallucinations, with the works of art probably goes too far. I admire Argento's bold and vivid visuals as a whole, in both this and others of his I've seen - these are his major assets. However, the CSI type CGI'd visuals look out of place but of course we now compare them with CGI technology 15 years later.

The film then moves into murder mystery zone rather than horror but I'm afraid that I'd lost concentration and interest by then. With the dodgy dubbing and stilted action it had lost its pace - and appeal. After the excellent 'Opera', this later Argento is disappointing, despite some interesting directorial flourishes.

This review is for the 2010 Region 2 release from Arrow Video.

To many so called 'buffs' Dario Argento is something of a hack who created his masterpieces very early in his career and has faltered ever since. To his fans he is a dazzlingly creative auteur, full of manic energy, who explores the darker side of dreams and reality with wild abandon. This can sometimes be at the expense of more traditional film tenets such as plot and acting. 'La Sindrome di Stendhal' may not have the visual flourish of his earlier efforts but is still distinctly Argento, occasionally displaying moments of composite flair and hyper-stylised violence. However, this is definitely something of a departure for him in terms of cinematography and narrative content. That this film was sandwiched between some of Argento's worst pieces may go some way towards explaining it's less than glowing renown. Asia Argento shines in a cast of unmemorables and deals extremely well with some harsh and at times dizzying material. The exploration of her complex relationship with the film's antagonist is well crafted and both her and her director/father handle this with aplomb. Asia's increasingly fierce performance carries the film along to a typically bizarre climax. The sometimes leaden pace, confusing exposition and supporting non-entities in the film are all of the usual Argento criticisms, but then this isn't why we enjoy his art is it!? Amazon seem to have listed this as a 'giallo' when in fact it lacks many of the staples of that particular genre. Personally i would class it as more of a modern psycho-thriller. All in all i would say this is still worth hunting down for the connoisseurs and it definitely rewards repeat viewings.

I was looking forward to seeing this in an uncut, good quality print and also at a reasonable price. On these points it definitely delivers with a great picture and some of the more shocking set pieces intact. However, despite the text on the sleeve saying there is english subtitles they are simply non-existant! Having to watch the film with the atrocious English dub was bad enough, but then it inexplicably drops into Italian audio in places (apparently this could be something to do with restored scenes, but without subtitles they are merely infuriating). Despite the interesting booklet and poster accompanying this release there are no significant extras on the dvd so i would recommend steering clear and perhaps investing in the Region 1 Blue Underground release The Stendhal Syndrome [DVD] [1996] [US Import] for it's superior content.