STENDHAL SYNDROME (DVD) DVD

The Stendhal Syndrome
The title affliction causes sufferers to react to paintings in extreme and bizarre ways. In the case of police detective Anna Manni, she swoons and feels herself entering hallucinatory versions of the artwork she sees. This Italian psychothriller contains dark elements of horror as Manni tries to capture a murderous serial rapist. The lady detective is first seen walking the art-filled hallways of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The great paintings have a terrible effect upon her and she ends up having one of her surreal visions after fainting in front of Brueghel's "The Flight of Icarus." She sees herself falling through the painting's deep ocean and is only saved by the hands of Alfredo, a stranger who saw her fall. She returns woozily to her hotel. Her memory has temporarily lapsed, and once in her room she finds herself similarly mesmerized by a painting on the wall, but eventually she remembers her assignment. Unfortunately, when she meets up with Alfredo again, he attacks and rapes her. He then forces her to watch while he rapes and murders another. She manages to escape and make it back to Rome where she begins seeing a psychiatrist. Her former lover Marco also makes sure she is guarded 24-hours a day. Unfortunately for Anna it is not enough, and Alfredo strikes again. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Cast n/a

Crew Antonello Geleng - Art Director Lia Morandini - Costume Designer Dario Argento - Director Angelo Nicolini - Editor Ennio Morricone - Composer (Music Score) Franco Casagni - Makeup Giuseppe Rotunno - Cinematographer Dario Argento - Producer Giuseppe Colombo - Producer Sergio Stivaletti - Special Effects Riccardo Palmieri - Sound/Sound Designer Carlo Palmieri - Sound/Sound Designer Franco Ferrini - Screen Story Dario Argento - Screenwriter Graziella Magherini - Book Author Graziella Machernini - Book Author

The Stendhal Syndrome
A sadistic and disturbing psychological exploration driven by the horrifying concept of a rape victim who begins to take on her attacker's dark persona, Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome is ultimately a victim of it's own excess and the director's tendency to overcomplicate a fairly simple storyline. A vast improvement in style and storytelling over the Argento's previous efforts of the 1990s, The Stendhal Syndrome can be admired for Asia Argento's impressive portrayal of a female cop who shifts from predator to prey to questionably sane victim and who runs the gamut of emotion and shifting physical appearance. Regardless of Asia's convincing performance and the somewhat surreal and ultimately passive use of then-innovative computer-generated effects, it's hard to ignore the unrelenting cruelty the protagonist endures. Critics of director Argento have often accused him of being misogynistic (Argento's own admissions that he would rather see a beautiful woman die on film rather than an unattractive man or woman certainly doesn't aid an argument against this), and those critics will most certainly site this film as the ultimate proof of that theory. Though the story remains absorbing throughout the mid-point character shift that ignites the psychological torture of the second half, the seemingly meandering plot grinds to a halt just as it should truly shine. Director Argento crafts a stunningly visual opening sequence which, accompanied by old-friend Ennio Morricone's hauntingly hypnotic score rivals anything from his Deep Red (1975) / Suspiria (1977) heyday, and though his visual scheme remains strong the energy built here cannot sustain the duration of the film. While compositions remain suitably unnerving throughout, the storyline that was needed to truly project them into the viewer's psyche doesn't provide adequate fuel for them to do so. Throughout his career Argento's horror has passed from the everyday to the supernatural, and though the internalized terror of The Stendhal Syndrome is indeed as effective as ever in moments, it will certainly be difficult for the majority of viewers to endure. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: Additional Features: Digitally mastered uncut feature presentation Commentary from special effects master Sergio Stivaletti Ruggero Deodato remembers "Cannibal Holocaust" Troma Intelligence Test 2 Lloyd Kaufman interview with Dario Argento Film bios for Dario Argento and Asia Argento Footage of Dario Argento at Stockholm Troma Rap from Julie Strain MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: All Content Length: 116 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Intro 2. Cityscape Opening 3. At the Apartment 4. Gunshot 5. The Symptoms 6. I Think I'll Try Painting Something of My Own 7. The Hell Begins 8. Revenge 9. The Date 10. Secret Rendezvous, Deadly Sins 11. "He's Inside of Me, I've Become Him"