(^70) [ April May 2019 [soundandvision.com
IT WAS A bold move for Luca Guadagnino, director of the 2018
Academy Award-nominated, Call Me by Your Name, to undertake
a remake of Suspiria, the 1977 film from Italian horror auteur Dario
Argento, as his next project. Buoyed no doubt by the critical
acclaim Call Me by Your Name had received, Guadagnino, an
avowed Argento fan, likely felt he could do Argento’s cult classic
justice. While this remake does have its moments, the manic
energy and artfulness of the original has been replaced with an
extended, and at times highly unpleasant, meditation on mother-
hood, Nazism, terrorism, psychoanalysis, and lots of other stuff I
probably failed to absorb, even aer repeat viewings. One thing
the film does have going for it is Tilda Swinton, an actor who gives
100 percent to any role she’s in, even when playing a witch coven
leader/dance troupe director/elderly psychotherapist.
Along with draining the fun out of Argento’s original, Guadagnino
has also managed to sap it of color. Shot on film in Super 35 format
and mastered at 4K, the image on Lionsgate’s Suspiria Blu-ray has a
distinctly 1970s look, with liberal use made of faded brown, orange,
pink, and gray hues. Blacks are solid in shadowy scenes, however,
such as the ones in dorm rooms where the dancers live, the area
beneath the dance studio where the witches display treasures, and
the city’s smoke-filled cafés. Close-up shots show solid detail in faces
and objects, and I noted lile compression noise or banding.
Suspiria’s Atmos soundtrack is the real highlight of this disc.
Things start off strong with the coarse breathing of a dancer’s dying
mother literally engulfing the room and then making a seamless
SUSPIRIA
BLU-RAY
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BLU-RAY
STUDIO: Criterion, 1946
ASPECT RATIO: 1.37:1
AUDIO FORMAT: LPCM Mono
LENGTH: 102 mins.
DIRECTOR: Alfred Hitchcock
STARRING: Cary Grant,
Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains,
Louis Calhern
BLU-RAY
STUDIO: Lionsgate Films, 2018
ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1
AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos
LENGTH: 152 mins.
DIRECTOR: Luca Guadagnino
STARRING: Chloë Grace Moritz,
Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson,
Mia Goth, Jessica Harper
transition to the busy atmosphere of
a Berlin train station. The sound in the
dance studios is vivid and realistic,
with voices echoing sharply off the
bare wood floors and mirror-clad
walls. There’s also a near-nonstop
sound of rain, either pouring down
in a convincing manner via overhead
speakers or pinging soly off of roof-
tops and windows. The music score,
by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, veers
from atonal and ambient textures
that create a sense of unease, to
the melancholy, yearning tunes that
Yorke’s band is best-known for.
Extras on Lionsgate’s Blu-ray
consist of three short features that
cover Guadagnino’s motivation
for remaking Suspiria, the choreo-
graphing of the film’s intense dance
pieces, and the makeup and special
effects production. A digital copy is
also included. OAL GRIFFIN
AFTER HER FATHER is jailed for treason at the end of World War II,
Alicia Huberman, a disillusioned, hard-drinking, but patriotic party
girl is recruited by Devlin, a suave, cynical government agent. Her
mission is to romance a wealthy friend of her father’s, Sebastian,
infiltrate his palatial home, and observe his associates that are
suspected of Nazi conspiracy in Rio, Brazil.
Along with producing and directing Notorious, Alfred Hitchcock
aided screenwriter Ben Hecht with uncredited contributions, while
playwright Clifford Odets supplied the marvelous love-scenes
dialogue. Once everything is set up, the script pushes the emotional
tensions and impossible yearnings of the situation to glorious
heights. As the spy plot progresses—complete with the ubiquitous
McGuffin of mysterious Uranium ore—romance blossoms between
Alicia and Devlin, but the job, which demands she seduce Sebastian,
tests both the distant, seemingly judgmental and guilt-ridden agent
and his exploited, shamed, heartbroken recruit.
The transfer for the new 4K digital restoration of Notorious was
sourced from the 35mm original camera negative, a nitrate fine-grain,
and a safety fine-grain, depending on the surviving condition of each.
Contrast is initially subdued, with a wide range of grays dominating
the image, but as the plot progresses, deeper blacks begin to appear
in dress suits, along with brighter whites in Alicia’s glamorous outfits.
Images pack plentiful detail, with every slicked-back strand of Cary
Grant’s hair and sparkle in Ingrid Bergman’s sequined skirts visible. All
deterioration of the 73-year-old movie has been repaired, but enough
grain remains visible to retain a filmic look.
The film’s original soundtrack was restored in 2001 from a 1954
acetate release print and a nitrate fine-grain master. At the opening,
orchestral music is a bit shrill in high ranges but quickly seles
down. With all hiss, pops, and other
distractions removed, silent sections
are quiet and natural. Dialogue is
full, clear, and lifelike throughout,
including whispered words and
shared secrets.
The seven hours of extras include
two fascinating commentaries. One
has Hitchcock scholar Marian Keane
analyzing cinematic language used
in the camera moves, compositions,
and content for each shot. In the
second, film historian Rudy Behlmer
focuses on the time period, cast, and
production. A vintage doc examines
postwar fears and Hitchcock’s works
and style through interviews with
directors Stephen Frears, Claude
Chabrol, and Peter Bogdanovich.
Four featurees use plentiful clips to
deconstruct Notorious, its visual style,
and Hitchcock’s relationship with
David O. Selznick. OJOSEF KREBS
NOTORIOUS
BLU-RAY
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