The Stendhal Syndrome

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Latter Day Argento Film
Review: While not the roller coaster of non-stop virtuoso bravura camera work, wierd lighting, and non-stop murders as many of the films Argento made his name on, The Stendhal Syndrome is nevertheless a very fine latter day film by Italian horror/suspense maestro Argento.

The focus here is on Anna, a police detective with Rome's anti-rape police unit, very well played by the director's daughter Asia Argento. Anna suffers from the title syndrome, which causes those afflicted to literally lose themselves in works of art. This leaves Anna vulnerable to the very serial killer/rapist she is working to help catch.

Mr. Argento pulls absolutely no punches in depicting the absolute horror of Anna's rape, and while the film's unflinching cruelty may be hard for some people to watch, it is totally appropriate to the subject matter--the fact that Dario Argento takes the issue of rape so seriously in this film for me rules out any accusations of bad taste.

The focus is very much on the character of Anna, of how both the Stendhal Syndrome she suffers from and the experience of being raped and stalked affect her character, and Asia Argento is a fascinating presence to watch in the role.

Mr. Argento employs his considerable cinematic skill well in this film, not overwhelming the story and character issues with excessive stylistic flourishes, but nevertheless employing, with more restraint than usual, some very stunning and brilliant camera work and scene staging in the depiction of the both the experience of Anna's losing of herself in great works of art, and in conveying the terror of her situation. Many breathtaking Italian works of art are featured in the film, and the Italian locations are well used too.

If Anna were simply to turn out to be a passive victim, though, there would not be much of a story, but to reveal all that happens would be to spoil the experience of watching this film for yourself.

Ennio Morricone did a fine job with the music score for the film, and the quality of Troma's VHS tape, while not quite up to the standards of Anchor Bay, is of surprisingly good quality. There were a few places near the middle of the film where the image flickered a bit for a short time, but aside from this brief distraction, the picture and sound quality are excellent. While probably not quite the full original 1.66:1 aspect ratio, this VHS version is nevertheless moderately letterboxed, so there obviously can't be much of the picture not on screen here. This version, by the way, the $14.98 retail version, is the superior quality SP speed version--beware the inferior quality EP version sold elsewhere on Amazon for $9.98.

Rating:
Summary: Thin Argento entry goes nowhere
Review: One of Argento's less-essential works: daughter Asia Argento stars as a young woman who goes into strange raptures at the sight of artwork, and is kidnapped and tortured by a madman. There are so many hints of a better movie here, one which really explores the things it brings up instead of simply using them as set-dressing, but we never see it. Slap-in-the-face ending only makes the results all the less palatable; the film winds up promising a lot more than it ever can really deliver. Even Argento's trademark visuals are not really on display here, and the few moments that comes close turns out to be CGI! Save your cash for some of his better films.

Rating:
Summary: an insult to his fans,a total waste to the rest
Review: The problem with becoming a fan of someone or something is that objectivity goes out the window.You force yourself to like it even if deep in your heart you know it's dreck.You'll try to find anything(the soundtrack,a certain actor/actress,special fx)to force yourself to like it.In all honesty,and i do admire Argento's style,this film was uninspired,horrendously dubbed,stiffly acted,and the dvd transfer is probably one of the worst i have ever seen.If i didn't know any better,i would have thought this film was made in the late 70's or early eighties.The colors are flat and the cinematography is dull.There was no risk taking or originality evident here,something Dario prides himself in.A red flag was raised when i discovered that Troma Team handled the dvd transfer.Anchor Bay Ent. wisely took a pass on this film and with good reason.Argento should disassociate himself from them after this horrible effort.Even with a clean transfer the film is still his worst.Forget about extras,they would'nt even be worth a rental.Hopefully this trailblazing director can find his way again,or maybe his time has passed.Phantom of the Opera was a step in the right direction,but it still wasn't on a par with his earlier efforts.Don't say i didn't warn you.

Rating:
Summary: Argento's languid thriller will divide fans
Review: Despite the over-abundance of almost worthless 'extras' (more of which later), the centerpiece of this important DVD release is the uncut English language version of Dario Argento's "The Stendhal Syndrome" (La Sindrome di Stendhal, 1996). Quite unlike anything this director has attempted before, the film is a grimly realistic portrait of a female police officer (Asia Argento, essentially miscast) whose encounters with a sadistic rapist/serial killer (Thomas Kretschmann) have devastating consequences. Though distinguished by some truly horrific violence, played straight by Argento with few of his trademark stylistic flourishes, the film is much too languid for its own good, wasting a lot of valuable time on an otherwise laudable attempt to depict the long-term consequences of a vicious sexual assault on the central character. Furthermore, the harsh subject matter allows no room for levity, and the austere scenario is at odds with the sumptuous artwork that acts as a catalyst for the murderous proceedings. Asia's convulsive reactions to works of art (hence the ornate title) makes her a target for Kretschmann's psychopathic killer, allowing Argento to fill the screen with paintings, sculptures and beautiful objet d'art, which offsets the film's own lack of visual flair.

But there's a fierce intelligence underpinning the somewhat predictable scenario: When Asia de-emphasizes her femininity in response to the initial attack, only to re-establish her womanhood after a second assault in which she emerges the victor (or does she?), it becomes easier to forgive the painfully obvious surprises which clog up the final quarter. Only one scene recalls the best of Argento's work: A potential victim being stalked through a dimly lit room full of oversized marble statues, a brilliantly edited sequence which suggests everything and reveals nothing. Overall, "Stendhal" may not be vintage Argento, but it's too clever and too unsettling to be easily dismissed, and it gets under the skin like no other horror film in recent memory. See it and make up your own mind.

Troma's DVD has been derived from a PAL master at 25fps, running 113m 8s (original running time: 117m 50s). The Italian version apparently runs slightly longer - Veronica Lazar is credited as "Marie's mother", but her scenes were deleted from the English print, along with a couple of other non-essential bits and pieces. Thankfully, Troma has letterboxed the film (a little short of the 1.66:1 original, though the framing doesn't seem compromised), and the non-anamorphic images are typically solid. Sound is two-channel stereo, with no mention of Dolby on the packaging or the disc itself, and Ennio Morricone's creepy score benefits enormously from the wider soundstage. There are no captions. Legitimate extras include a brief, effective trailer, three separate interviews with Argento (one of which is hidden amongst the various sub-menus), and an interview with visual effects designer Sergio Stivaletti. All the right questions are asked, though Argento speaks in general terms about his career to date so "Stendhal" isn't the central focus of the interviews, but his responses are both intelligent and informative.

Aside from these essential extras, there's also a wealth of desperately unfunny Troma ballyhoo, much of it devoted to their own (rotten) home-grown movies. For no apparent reason, the disc also includes an interview with director Ruggero Deodato on the subject of "Cannibal Holocaust" (!) in which he claims his actors only 'pretended' to be horrified by the on-set animal cruelty which occurred during the making of this notorious film. Either signor Deodato is pulling our leg, or he thinks we're all stupid...

Rating:
Summary: One of Argento's better post-Tenebre films.
Review: The fact that The Stendhal Syndrome, one of Dario Argento's best acted films, is released by Troma on DVD is misleading. The packaging concentrates only on the most sensationalistic of the film's aspects (the gore, Asia Argento's presence in the "Sexiest Women" list of a major men's magazine).

And ever since Dario Argento has started aiming for plotting and script (Trauma, The Phantom of the Opera) instead of the random stream-of-consciousness imagery that marks his best works (Suspiria, Tenebre, Inferno), his films have become shakier. The Stendhal Syndrome stands out among his '90s works thanks to a varied performance by Asia Argento, who nails the complexities of the lead character's fears, aggressions, sensuality, and the mix of strength and vulnerability that makes her final fate all the more affecting.

The Stendhal Syndrome isn't a great film, but it's certainly worth watching. When it gets under Anna's skin, such as during her pivotal moment of lashing back out at her tormentor, it's powerfully visceral filmmaking.

This DVD edition offers plenty of extras, though the lack of a commentary track is somewhat disappointing, and (again) the packaging is quite hideous. But judging from the Argento interview included, perhaps it wasn't a bad idea not to have Dario comment on the film, given his very thick and nearly incomprehensible accent. The DVD menus, however, should've been cleaned up; they're very hard to read, and the chapter division isn't meticulous enough. Why bother breaking the film up into chapters if each chunk is a good seven minutes long?

Rating:
Summary: Is Argento Good?Bad?-depends on your level of aesthetics
Review: I liked this movie, but I hated it too. I am an amateur video maker, and things like Profondo Rosso teach me how to move a camara. But he also teaches me what not to do. (those dialoges are awful) but the dvd. it is cheap, and Asia saves the film-She has a very sad,and passive face. And has a nice Italian voice.I like this movie primarily because he finally does not repeat himself, his style, the cheesy whodunit, his dolly -and-luma crane travelling sequences, and bets for a DIFFERENT approach-not too good-but a brave thing to do. He was rotting away with his Profondo Rosso(75) and Suspiria(77) formula in Trauma(92). I just hope this change is for the best.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful piece of artistry. Argento assaults the senses.
Review: This movie is definately one of Argento's best. As usual the movie features Argento's masterful camerawork and artistic set design. The movie also features enough scares to satisfy any horror fan. Where this movie truly shines, however, is in it's pschological aspects. It is unberable at times to watch the tortures which Argento puts his daughter Asia through. After an intense first half, the movie shifts it's tone radically. Unbelieveably it becomes more disturbing. If not for a few cheesy cgi effects this would be a perfect movie. Still, if you can sit through it and keep your eyes on the screen, it would be hard to find a more rewarding film experience. Buy this movie today.

Rating:
Summary: Typical Argento - Beautiful, Brutal, Absolutely Compelling
Review: As always, Argento's film is unlike anything you've seen. Hard to stomach sometimes but equally hard to take your eyes off it. Fantastic use of camera, music and muted color palette.

Closer in style to Argento's early films and yet stylistically far bolder.

Rating:
Summary: One of the hardest Dario movies to figure out...but WORTH it
Review: I have watched this movie about ten times and each time I come away with a different perspective of this film. Many may not like it, but just like Hitchcock, not all his movies are for all his fans.

Rating:
Summary: WARNING: ARGENTO, ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
Review: This film lacks all the elements that make Argento's movies great and fun to watch. There's no memorable music; no fantastic use of color; and no likeable characters. The holes in the plot are unforgiveable and the story-line is infantile. The plot twists are predictable and almost laughable. This is simply a sorry excuse for an Argento film. I just hope that He'll make-up for it on his next project.