"Susie, do you know anything about...witches?"
Hello there folks! After another hiatus, I'm back to posting. Today, it'll be a short review of Dario Argento's 1977 film Suspiria. Starring my woman-crush Jessica Harper, Suspiria tells the story of an elite dance school in Germany that's run by a small coven of witches.
I've been wanting to watch this film since I first saw Jessica Harper in Shock Treatment about three years ago, and I'm glad I got the chance to fill my eyes with its gorgeous sets and my ears with the chilling score by Goblin (truth be told, the Suspiria theme is my favorite movie theme of all time).
The first thing to be said about this movie is that the students at the ballet school were supposed to be children, according to the original script. However, those producing the movie thought that if children were subjected to violence within the movie, Suspiria would definitely be banned. So, the students at the academy in the final version of Suspiria are young adults. However, the dialogue written for the child actors remained. That's why a lot of the dialogue between the dance students sounds naive and childish. I found that explanation to make a lot of sense, as I spent much of the movie wondering why the dialogue was so clunky (it also might have to do with dubbing the film in English, as it was made in Italy and released there in Italian).
Another interesting bit about the sound of the movie is that it was dubbed in every language. The film was shot basically without sound, and actors spoke their lines in their native languages- English, Italian, or even German. So Jessica Harper's character, Susie, might be speaking her lines in English, while another actor or actress responds in German. The only way to really tell when this occurs is by looking at the lips of the actors as you watch the movie. Sometimes, the words you hear in English are completely different than the words being formed on the lips of the actors.
What I love most about Suspiria is the design. This film is absolutely saturated in color- red, mostly, but also blues, greens, and golds. The lighting is so beautiful and colorful, it's as if the film takes place inside a kaleidoscope.
I only have two points of contention with Suspiria.
First- the blood. The blood in this movie looks like tempera paint. There's legitimately no other way to describe it.
Secondly: there are a lot of moments in this movie in which the female dance students act like hysterical damsels, which is annoying. Like, if you're gonna go sneaking around investigating weird noises in the walls, can you at least wear some shoes? And take a flashlight? The girls in this movie throw themselves headfirst into situations for which they come completely unprepared. There were at least a couple preventable deaths in Suspiria.
However fake the blood, however clunky the dialogue, or however much you'd like to shout suggestions at the actors putting themselves into danger, Suspiria is a classic, an important piece of cinematic history, and 100 minutes of pure eye-candy.
P.S.- Suspiria isn't scary in the least, just slightly gory and a little suspenseful.
Rating: B+
Hello there folks! After another hiatus, I'm back to posting. Today, it'll be a short review of Dario Argento's 1977 film Suspiria. Starring my woman-crush Jessica Harper, Suspiria tells the story of an elite dance school in Germany that's run by a small coven of witches.
I've been wanting to watch this film since I first saw Jessica Harper in Shock Treatment about three years ago, and I'm glad I got the chance to fill my eyes with its gorgeous sets and my ears with the chilling score by Goblin (truth be told, the Suspiria theme is my favorite movie theme of all time).
The first thing to be said about this movie is that the students at the ballet school were supposed to be children, according to the original script. However, those producing the movie thought that if children were subjected to violence within the movie, Suspiria would definitely be banned. So, the students at the academy in the final version of Suspiria are young adults. However, the dialogue written for the child actors remained. That's why a lot of the dialogue between the dance students sounds naive and childish. I found that explanation to make a lot of sense, as I spent much of the movie wondering why the dialogue was so clunky (it also might have to do with dubbing the film in English, as it was made in Italy and released there in Italian).
Another interesting bit about the sound of the movie is that it was dubbed in every language. The film was shot basically without sound, and actors spoke their lines in their native languages- English, Italian, or even German. So Jessica Harper's character, Susie, might be speaking her lines in English, while another actor or actress responds in German. The only way to really tell when this occurs is by looking at the lips of the actors as you watch the movie. Sometimes, the words you hear in English are completely different than the words being formed on the lips of the actors.
What I love most about Suspiria is the design. This film is absolutely saturated in color- red, mostly, but also blues, greens, and golds. The lighting is so beautiful and colorful, it's as if the film takes place inside a kaleidoscope.
I only have two points of contention with Suspiria.
First- the blood. The blood in this movie looks like tempera paint. There's legitimately no other way to describe it.
Secondly: there are a lot of moments in this movie in which the female dance students act like hysterical damsels, which is annoying. Like, if you're gonna go sneaking around investigating weird noises in the walls, can you at least wear some shoes? And take a flashlight? The girls in this movie throw themselves headfirst into situations for which they come completely unprepared. There were at least a couple preventable deaths in Suspiria.
However fake the blood, however clunky the dialogue, or however much you'd like to shout suggestions at the actors putting themselves into danger, Suspiria is a classic, an important piece of cinematic history, and 100 minutes of pure eye-candy.
P.S.- Suspiria isn't scary in the least, just slightly gory and a little suspenseful.
Rating: B+
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