Dario Argento's Profondo Rosso - Deep Red (1975)

 

My original plan was to start things off with a more general post about the types of media I consume on a daily basis, the daily fodder. Instead, the fates have conspired to serve me a most peculiar dish and I feel it apt to devote this post to trying - and likely failing - to describe it. 

Thanks to a friend's newly kindled interest in Dario Argento's films, we recently saw a remastered director's cut of Profondo Rosso, and boy, was it special. It is by no means my first encounter with Argento's work or Italian giallo-films, but even with my expectations set for black gloves and bloody murder I was wowed and surprised by so much in this film. So much so in fact, that I now have a creeping suspicion that my younger self - who ploughed through the likes of Four Flies on Grey Velvet, Suspiria, Phenomena, Inferno - never truly saw those films and really appreciated what Argento was doing.

Before the opening credits are even done we are treated to an abrupt and disorienting flashback of childhood trauma. The credits return, the theme tune by Goblin blares with fiery energy. (More on the music later.) What the hell just happened? Questions abound. The main character Marcus (played by David Hemmings) gets introduced, the standard giallo-fare of a foreigner protagonist. And then once again, quite abruptly (an operative word in this film) we jump to a scene in a conference of parapsychology. Telepathy and supernatural elements are woven into the fabric of Profondo Rosso from the very beginning. By now, the command of technique and style evident in the framing, colour, lighting - and to myself most intriguing of all - the motion of the camera, begins to shine through in full force. 

Argento's camera is a special beast with no restrictions, at times literally stalking the characters, pouncing on them and patrolling the scene like a predator. The point of view shifts with disdain to convention and builds unsettling and unnerving tension. Extreme close-ups transform physical objects and characters alike into something archetypal and unreal. Argento is not afraid of the artifice of cinema. He utilizes it confidently, plays with it, doesn't hide the rough edges. Leave your realism at the door.

A note on the cut of this film: As is often the case with Italian films, separate cuts are produced and distributed for the international and Italian audiences, dubbed in English and Italian respectively. In the case of Profondo Rosso, the international cut is over 20 minutes shorter than the director's cut and no dub exists for the missing parts. Therefore, the remastered cut we saw was a hybrid English-Italian dub, where the Italian audio is used for the missing parts. Characters would switch language and voice within a single scene! One might think that suspension of disbelief can only go so far and that this switching would hinder the experience too much, but after the initial surprise and oddity of it all subsided, it all held together. Arguably, a testament to the gripping and compelling quality of the film.

The presentation of violence and murder in Argento's work is something I struggle to describe accurately. I find the combination of elements fascinating. The visual strength of gleaming weapons, paint-like blood and contorted faces is overlaid onto physical action that is often mechanical, clumsy, even comical. The horror is tinged with absurdity. Gore is not treated and presented in the same way as it is in a slasher movie.

Atmosphere is something that Profondo Rosso oozes in great quantities and is one relatively consistent highlight of Argento's work. The music and selection of locations is awash in mysterious energy and in part reflects the inner psyche of the characters. The use of music is surprisingly sparing but very deliberate. There are long sequences over 15 minutes with no music whatsoever, but when there is music, it is very forward and prominent. Goblin's prog stylings ring with the influence of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells (suggested to them by Argento) and provide an essential dramatic component to the overall experience.

I'm slightly running out of steam at this point, although I feel like I haven't but scratched the surface of all that there is to discuss here. I thoroughly enjoyed delving into the world of this film and intend to explore Dario Argento's filmography further some time later in this blog. However, I don't see this as becoming the main focus of the blog. In my own time, I hope to re-watch some of the films from years past. That's it for now. Until next time.