Director: Dario Argento
Today I will be reviewing the 126-minute cut of Deep Red (Profundo Rosso) remastered by CSC - Cineteca Nazionale. This version is widescreen, uncut, and easily available on Youtube for viewing. It features English dubbing for the scenes that were actually dubbed upon release. The remaining twenty minutes are spoken in Italian.
I had my trepidation about watching this movie. It has a lot working against it. Firstly, it is from 1975. The early to mid-70s was not my favorite time period for the horror genre. Secondly, Deep Red is a Dario Argento film. Argento is a visually striking director, but undeniably underrated. I would probably rate Suspiria, as beautiful as it is, the most overrated horror film of all time. The third strike against Deep Red is that it belongs to a subgenre of horror known as giallo. Giallo horror refers to a style of slasher whodunnits from Italy in the 60s and 70s. The giallo has its roots in Italian mystery paperback novels. Sounds kinda cool, but it's not. Almost every giallo film I've seen has been a dreadful bore. Tropes of the genre include violent deaths of beautiful women, but also long drawn out scenes of uninteresting police work.
With these things in mind, I have always avoided Deep Red, despite its reputation as one of the best giallo, if not horror, films of all time. I actually once started watching it in the form of a badly cut, horrendous quality print from a public domain DVD. I turned it off after five minutes.
Now here's where I admit that I was wrong.
I was wrong.
Deep Red is an excellent film. It stands out as possibly the best giallo ever, alongside New York Ripper and Delirium. Somehow it avoids all the boring stuff and stays entertaining throughout. Thankful for us, Argento spares us from the pointless police banter. There is detective work, but it is acted out by a likable main protagonist, not a one-dimensional cookie-cutter supporting-role cop. The murder mystery aspect is carried out nicely. In most giallo, there is little logical buildup in the revelation of clues. In Deep Red, the clues are unfolded in a manner that is both entertaining and beneficial to the whodunnit aspect.
This movie is kind of scary. I'll give you an example, my favorite scene. Early on we see the main protagonist playing a piano in his home when he suspects that the killer is in the house. He continues playing, so as to not tip off his menace. The tension builds and builds, until a phone rings. The hero jumps up and slams shut the door to his rehearsal room. It's really well done. Another great moment is when the automaton dummy spooks a psychiatrist who is waiting in front of a door with knife ready. The character lets his guard down for a moment before the killer pounces from a flowing curtain to his side. For a movie from an era where filmmakers padded their films with pointless dialogue and filler, Deep Red sure does seem to keep up a good pacing of its cool moments.
Dario Argento packs the visual punch that I expected. There is some amazing cinematography. The mis-en-scene is second to none. I especially love the shots of spooky dolls and birds. The scene where the plaster falls off of a wall, revealing an important clue, is spectacular. The sound impresses, too. Although it uses the staple disco soundtrack signature of Italian horror, the music is not grating. During the danger scenes, I actually dug it. Overall, Deep Red is a superb technical achievement.
If you watch this movie, you should probably watch the uncut version that I watched. The most important cuts were--surprise, surprise--made to the gory kill scenes. The other 19 minutes or so were made to the dialogue. Some elements of the mystery are almost totally explained in Italian in the version I watched, indicating that they were cut from U.S. release. I find it hard to imagine the film without them. Other aspects like comedy relief and a romance subplot were also cut. These are less important but actually provide good breaks in the tension.
If you haven't seen Deep Red yet, I encourage you to try it. Don't be put off by its reputation as a giallo. It rises above the genre tropes to stand on its own.
