If a room of people were asked what the most defining
features of Dario Argento’s 1977 horror Suspiria
were, there’s a high chance that 8 out 10 ten of them would say the soundtrack.
The other 2 would probably talk about the incredibly strong use of colour
making Suspiria one of the most widely appreciate films of it’s genre.
The film, which
follows the story of a young girl who joins a ballet academy secretly inhabited
by witches, instantly engaged viewers from the get go with a gory murder
sequence, topped only by the ending scenes. This clever sandwich effect keeps
us on edge throughout the whole film. At Total
Film they say “Climaxing in a
surreal, startling double-murder, Suspiria’s unforgettable opening is a
discordant aria of unease. Actually, it sets the bar so high that giallo
stylist Dario Argento rarely meets it again until the intense finale of
detonating chandeliers and freakish visions. “ (Crocker, 2010)
Argento composed the
music, in collaboration with Italian rock band Goblin. The music is organised chaos, creating a hectic mood- but
with elements of old Italian and rhythmic beats making the horror seem like an
ancient ruse- a prophecy fulfilled. A
reviewer for AllMusic says, “Goblin's score to Dario Argento's Suspiria
is a timeless, horrifying ride into crazed vibes and buzzing progressive
rock... Sounding like a throbbing didgeridoo nightmare, it's a monument to
tension and suspense.” (DiGravina, 2008). The moment you hear the music
start you know something is amiss- also making the scene filled with silence
even more eerie as what you have been expecting from the film has now all
changed.
The set design is a
warped Art Deco world. The ballet school itself is beautiful in it’s inner and
outer architecture; it is rich in stylisation- pushing the extremes to an
almost uneasy level. Especially the angles
of hotel in the first sequence (Fig 1), Their seemingly unnatural symmetry is
disorientating. The extreme wall designs also add to the hecticism, one wall
covered in stairs adding to the idea of all the secret stairways in the academy. (Fig 2)
(Fig 1) Art Deco Hotel |
(Fig 2) Foreshadowing Wallpaper |
The dramatic change
in colour is another tell that something is wrong. And these changes aren’t
subtle- adding to the hysteria of the film. The main colour used is red, but
strong blues and greens are also washed over some scenes. A review from Empire said “And then there's Argento's masterful use of deep primary colours — the
sets are bathed in garish red and green light (he acquired 1950s Technicolor
stock to get the effect) giving the whole film a hallucinatory intensity.”
(Smith, 2010) Hallucinatory is a good word to describe the mood set by the
lighting, it makes you wonder if the colour is being created by the school
itself or by the madness within it’s inhabitants. (Fig 3)
Bibliography
Crocker, J (2010) Review for Total Film at: http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/blu-ray/suspiria-2
DiGravina, T (2009), Review for AllMusic at: http://www.allmusic.com/album/suspiria-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000341986
Smith, A (2010), Review for Empire Online at:
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=132659
Illustration List
(Fig 1) Still from Suspiria
at: http://thepeoplesmovies.com/2013/10/31-days-horror-day-31-suspiria-1977/
(Fig 2) Still from Suspiria
at: http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/suspiria/21300/looking-back-at-dario-argento%E2%80%99s-suspiria
(Fig 3) Still from Suspiria
at: http://tommygirard.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/suspiria
Hi Livi,
ReplyDeleteAnother very satisfying review :D
'...making the horror seem like an ancient ruse- a prophecy fulfilled.' - very nice!
Just mind that you italicise the film name each time.
I think this would have benefitted from a brief conclusion; maybe what the film has influenced, or a general round up - at the moment it is coming to a bit of an abrupt end.
Also just double-check that you have all the elements of the illustration list, that they are in the right order, and that what needs to be bracketed, is.
Other than that, looking good!