Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) (1975)
Distributor: Arrow
DVD/Blu-Ray Release Date: 3rd January 2011
Directed by: Dario Argento
Starring: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Meril
Review by: Nia Edwards-Behi
Say the name Dario Argento and chances are one of two films will spring to mind first: Suspiria, his lurid masterpiece of the supernatural, or Profondo Rosso, the ultimate giallo film. As a long-time Argento fan, I will never be able to distinguish which of the two is my ultimate ‘favourite’, but while Suspiria finds strength in its occasional – I’d argue purposeful – incoherence, Profondo Rosso is a masterclass of tightly-plotted intrigue and visual mastery.
I’ve no doubt that the majority of horror fans will be familiar with Profondo Rosso, but if not then Arrow Video’s excellent new edition is the perfect introduction. Released under the film’s English title, Deep Red, the film is being made available on Blu-Ray for the first time, and on regular DVD, both versions including the film fully uncut for the first time in the UK. For the unfamiliar, a simple plot synopsis won’t do, lest I do the film a disservice and make it sound like every other giallo, but here goes: pianist Marc Daly (David Hemmings) witnesses the murder of his neighbour, a world-renowned psychic. He sets out to solve the mystery, aided by journalist Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi), certain that he has forgotten a vital clue. Marc’s investigation is stunted at every turn and as the body count rises the killer is eventually revealed in the film’s shocking climax.
Hemmings’ performance as Marc is wonderfully naïve, recalling his famous role in Antonioni’s Blow Up. Nicolodi, in her first of many memorable collaborations with Argento, is effortlessly effervescent as Gianna. Although many of her scenes were cut when the film was first released in the USA, for me, the humour and power of her character is a great contribution to the film’s overall success. The supporting cast is impressively strong, often a weakness of so many Italian horror films; from the sympathetic Gabriele Lavia as Marc’s drunk friend Carlo, to the deliciously demented Carla Calamai as Carlo’s mother, Marta, and little Nicoletta Elmi as Olga, one of the most unnecessarily but brilliantly creepy children ever committed to celluloid.
It’s almost impossible to think about Argento’s films without thinking about their music, and Goblin’s score is one of the greatest. Both of its time and timeless, the score is a prog-rock masterpiece packed to the brim with a relentless Moog-melody and a thumping bass – never has death sounded so funky. Goblin frontman Claudio Simonetti makes a big part of the Arrow release, introducing the new cut of the film, and featuring in the wonderful short documentary Music to Murder For!, in which he discusses the process of scoring the film. The documentary does not play lip service to Giorgio Gaslini, who composed additional tracks of the score, but that’s such a common occurrence when discussing the film it’s a negligible oversight.
For all its strengths, it is only in the hands of the masterful Argento that Deep Red becomes truly unforgettable. One of my favourite scenes in the film is not one of its most famous, not one of several gruesome murders; but a scene in which Marc, composing a gentle jazz riff on his piano, is stalked and taunted by the killer. It’s an extended scene, characterised by close-ups of Marc and manuscript; and the approaching killer. The scene takes on an impressively sinister tone in what is a particularly low-key moment. When Marc desperately answers the phone to Gianna the utter helplessness of the character is at its most apparent. If the giallo film is about the failure of traditional masculinity, then Marc is the genre’s greatest example and all the finer for it.
Two versions of the film are available on this release – the uncut, longest version, available in the UK for the first time, and the shorter, aforementioned edited down version. Both versions include either the original Italian sound with English subtitles, or the English dub. Such completism is a welcome aspect of the release. This is true despite the fact that the English dub is fairly horrendous, although in fairness, it’s no worse than most Italian dubs. However, being accustomed to the subtitled version, to hear the jarring dubbing is a shock to the system. The main addition to the new uncut version is the controversial scene of a lizard pinned to the ground (at the hands of young Olga). I’m not wholly convinced by the production company’s claim that the effect was achieved with a false pin and not through animal cruelty, which secured the film’s uncut release, but it is nice to have a complete cut of the film. While some might argue that the cut version of the film results in a more streamlined version of the narrative – missing most of Marc and Gianna’s dalliance, for example – I’d argue that missing these scenes only results in an inferior, less interesting film.
Other extras on the edition include an interview with Argento himself, an insightful piece touching upon much of his other work, as well as Deep Red. By far my favourite extra is the interview with Daria Nicolodi. I’m a big fan of her work with Argento and hearing her give such a personal account of working on Deep Red and in other films is an absolute delight. Her honesty is very refreshing, and hearing her speak of Argento being ego-centric with such an obvious sense of affection is quite lovely. This edition also features a commentary track by Thomas Rostock, who has contributed to previous releases of the film. As ever with Arrow’s Argento releases, the new artwork is fantastic, and the sleeve notes by Alan Jones make for an interesting read, as expected. With this nigh-on definitive edition of a landmark film, Arrow have truly cemented themselves as the most important DVD label for fans and nostalgics of genre filmmaking.