On DVD: The Stendhal Syndrome 2 Disc Special Edition

Directed by Dario Argento

Starring Asia Argento

For true horror fans Dario Argento is easily one of the top five most influential filmmakers ever.  His films are both gory and scary and as beautiful as paintings, especially his most popular film, Susperia.  In recent years Argento's films have been less than stellar and many have said he hasn't made a great film since the 70's.  Well often those people forget this film came out in 1976....

The Movie

Asia Argento plays a detective in Rome trying to track down a serial killer.  everything changes for her when she visits a gallery in Florence.  The crowd and paintings overwhelm her causing her to pass out and have a bizarre underwater vision.  It turns out that she seems to be suffering from a real syndrome with these symptoms called the Stendhal Syndrome.  Well, the villain makes contact with her and takes advantage of her mental state and plays physical and mental games with her.

For those that thought Argento lost his edge they should check this film out.  It's easily one of Argento's most grueling and disturbing films.  Asia is phenomenal in the film as she has to go through torturous situation after tortuous situation.  This film isn't for the faint of heart or for the Italian horror film noob because it features the classic Argento pacing.  It takes its time seeing the sites of Rome and everything just seems to take its time.  it works for me on a couple of levels first it makes the almost sudden scenes of brutality stand out not just for what they are but for the sudden change in pace and I also like that the look and pace of the film makes it feel like an Argento 70's film even though it came out in the mid 90's.

There are a couple of options for viewing this film, one in English and one in the original Italian with English subtitles.  The dubbing is as you might expect, kind of silly, so you really want to watch the original language version with the subtitles.  Watching this track maintains the dark and somber tone set by Argento.

This isn't Argento's best film but it does rank up there in the top five or six.  It's disturbing and it's based on a really unique real syndrome.  The biggest failing of the film is some use of CGI.  A couple of CGI shots are good but there's one scene in particular that just looks terrible.  Italian horror fans and Argento fans should just go buy this one, and make sure you get the 2 disc Blue Underground edition not the subpar Troma release that came out a few years ago. 

8.5/10

The Video

Thank you Blue Underground for finally giving this film the attention it deserves as far as a video transfer.  The film itself is a piece of art and now it looks like one.  The widescreen presentation features some really vivid colors and great detail throughout.  There is still some grain and black levels could be a little deeper but overall it looks fantastic.

8/10

The Audio

The film is presented in the original Italian language and an English track.  Both tracks are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 with an additional DTS mix for the English track.  The source material doesn't provide a lot for this new transfer to take advantage of but all of the cuts are well balanced with dialogue coming through loud and clear as well as the fantastic score from Ennio Morricone.

8/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features

The packaging is eye-catching with a glossy slipcover featuring Asia Argento fearing for her life, or maybe her sanity.  The 2 discs come in a standard amaray case inside the slipcover with a hinge for the second disc.

It may not be a typical bonus feature but I have to mention that this is the first time we are seeing the completely uncut version of the film.  There's not a lot of new footage but what is there does add some depth to the story.

The only bonus feature on the first disc is an English language trailer.  Al the good stuff is on disc 2.  The Director is a bit brief but for its length it's extremely informative.  The featurette is built on a mix of new comments from Dario and Asia, EPK sound bites, and interviews taken during the making of the film.  All of the comments combined offer a solid look a the making of the film and where Dario came up with the idea in the first place.

There are two interviews, one with long time Argento collaborator Sergio Stivaletti who handled the CGI and standard effects on the film and the second with a Stendhal syndrome expert discussing her case studies.  There are also interviews with Argento's assistant director and the production designer for the film.

The real meat of the extras is the featurette with Dario but there's good information in all of the interviews.

7.5/10

Fans of Argento will love this film and have a good idea about what to expect.  The same goes for Italian horror fans in general.  If you're new to Italian horror I'd give it a rent first to make sure you like the story and pacing.

Overall (Not an Average) 8.5/10

The Review

The Movie 8.5/10

The Video 8/10

The Audio 8/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 7.5/10

Overall (Not an Average) 8.5/10

-Stephen Lackey