DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
Members' Mausoleum => Calendar Events / Announcements Archive => Calendar Events / Announcements '25 I => Calendar Events / Announcements '03 I => Topic started by: Luciaphile on March 22, 2003, 08:04:33 PM
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Looks like SciFi will be airing Dario Argento's Suspiria on 3/29 at 3AM.
http://www.tv-now.com/stars/joanben.html (http://www.tv-now.com/stars/joanben.html)
Joan Bennett has an interesting, if brief part in it. Very gory Italian horror film, with minimal storyline, but it's also visually striking. Also features Alida Valli (who had not aged well) and a surprisingly good Jessica Harper.
Enjoy!
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Never heard of it, but will try to catch it. Thanks for telling us! :)
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I was in the local "Hollywood Video" store not 10 minutes ago, with a copy of the "Suspiria" tape in my hand. And then I put it back and left the store. Why did I do that?
??? rainey
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It's pretty extreme and freaky. Very psychadelic with a migraine-inducing score to boot... Yet, strangely compelling, all the same.
Joan's part is very small, but has more than a touch of Elizabeth about it.
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I was in the local "Hollywood Video" store not 10 minutes ago, with a copy of the "Suspiria" tape in my hand. And then I put it back and left the store. Why did I do that?
Heh :) Of course, you may wish you did pick it up if the Sci Fi chops the film up. Not that the completed version will fill in any gaps.
Be warned. The film is extremely lacking in narrative cohesion. And the sound quality (except for the Goblin soundtrack) is poor.
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Ahhhh, SUSPIRIA! For anyone who hasn't seen it, I recommend renting the DVD (released by Anchor Bay Entertainment) to get the full effect of the widescreen composition and the rich, gorgeous colors. Granted, there are scenes of violence and gore, but the film is so beautifully designed and shot that it really should be seen the way Dario Argento intended.
And not only is Joan Bennett in it, but there is a scene involving a bat that is reminiscent of DS.
Regards,
John
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It's pretty extreme and freaky. Very psychadelic with a migraine-inducing score to boot... Yet, strangely compelling, all the same.
I really didn't expect to like it much, but I've watched it multiple times now (at first so I could make out half the dialogue). Kind of a spooky Grimm Brothers fairy tale in a way.
Joan's part is very small, but has more than a touch of Elizabeth about it.
But not quite ;)
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I love Suspiria just for the scene in which Joan uttered the immortal words, "I want you to get rid of that American bitch NOW!" It sort of reminded me of Liz under the influence of the Leviathans... those evil smiles and calculating, cat like glints in the eyes.
Other than that, as far as I am concerned, the movie is a disaster area, but I'm the only person I know who thinks that. (Well, now I think of it, my video junkie housemate watched it and agreed that Joan's scenes were the only salvageable parts of the flick.)
Of course my tape of it was made from a TV broadcast. If I ever have the chance to see the Anchor Bay DVD, I might slightly alter my opinion. But, honestly, I'm SO not a Dario Argento fan.
Gothick
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Ah, yes, my favorite line of dialogue: "We must get rid of that bitch of an American girl! Vanish! She must vanish! Make her disappear! Understand?"
La Bennett's reading of that line reminds me of Ruth Gordon's line readings in ROSEMARY'S BABY. ("I told ya not to tell her! I told you she wouldn't be open-minded! Now we gotta start all over again from SCRATCH!")
Regards,
John
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Ah, yes, my favorite line of dialogue: "We must get rid of that bitch of an American girl! Vanish! She must vanish! Make her disappear! Understand?"
Isn't that a hoot?
One of my favorite bits happens at the beginning. She's delivers this really long-winded bit of exposition (enjoy it while it lasts because the plot becomes really murky afterward) to Jessica Harper in true Elizabeth Collins Stoddard fashion, complete with her best boarding school posture. Sends Harper on her way so she can resume talking to the police. Harper then turns around and interrupts. The look on Bennett's face is absolutely priceless.
That and when she and Alida Valli get their way about something Harper didn't want to do ;)
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Just to clarify for anyone else who finds these late night/early morning airings confusing ... This will air "late night Thursday" -- technically in the wee hours of Friday morning. I'm glad I happened to notice that in my TV schedule, because I was thinking it was going to be late night Friday.
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One of my favorite bits happens at the beginning. She's delivers this really long-winded bit of exposition (enjoy it while it lasts because the plot becomes really murky afterward) to Jessica Harper in true Elizabeth Collins Stoddard fashion, complete with her best boarding school posture. Sends Harper on her way so she can resume talking to the police. Harper then turns around and interrupts. The look on Bennett's face is absolutely priceless.
When you think about it, SUSPIRIA is similar to the pre-Barnabas era of DS! Both focus on young girls traveling to mysterious houses (presided over by Joan Bennett) and becoming involved in all sorts of mysterious and evil events. Of course, La Liz never called Vicki a bitch... :)
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I agree..check it out! I'm always looking for interesting horror genre movies old and new and stumbled upon this one at Hollywood Video. Although gory, just the fact that Joan Bennett is in it makes up for the violence. True she does have a small part but it's a good one! Note: Jessica Harper is from Chicago for those interested in knowing more about her.
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I watched my tape of the SciFi airing on Saturday night. The movie wasn't too bad and definitely had some points of interest. I'm not sure, though, whether I would have stuck with it had I just happened to turn it on without having heard about it here. ;D
It's hard for me to know for sure if DS is influencing me or not, but I did think that Joan Bennett's performance was the best part of the film. I had slightly mixed feelings about the square-built German woman; would be interesting to know if she is an actress of note (excuse my lack of knowledge)? Bennett did keep you guessing as to her true nature, as the movie also kept the viewer guessing right up to the end. That aspect was quite well done -- not knowing who was evil and who wasn't.
Parts of it seemed to "borrow" rather freely from "Rosemary's Baby" -- e.g., the "healthful" food that the main character was given to build up her strength, and the climactic discovery in the adjacent chambers of who the witches really were. The movie itself, though, was no "Rosemary's Baby." It seemed more like a cheap drive-in type of movie (not that I've ever actually been to a drive-in) ... and it did seem rather surprising that someone of Miss Bennett's stature would have wanted to be in it. Just what is the director's reputation?
There were so many movies like this, a lot of them made-for-TV movies (e.g., Satan's School for Girls) in the 1970s ...
The music really did keep you on edge -- like fingernails on a chalkboard ...
What language was the movie originally made in? The mouths and words didn't seem to match ... Was Joan Bennett speaking Italian?
And I definitely didn't hear her say "bitch" -- all she said was something about getting rid of "that American girl." :(
What was the deal with the coils of wire that girl fell into? And the first one who was murdered, it looked like the hairy arm was plugging an electrical cord into her. And how did that black lingerie stay on the clothesline outside the apartment window with all the wind?!? And didn't it seem like that girl's friend was overreacting? How did she know that her friend was being murdered? What was with the actor playing the psychiatrist -- it looked like he was reading his lines from a teleprompter.
Did SciFi alter the film much? I assume they dubbed over the naughty word Joan Bennett was supposed to have said.
What are the differences in the two DVD versions?
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It's hard for me to know for sure if DS is influencing me or not, but I did think that Joan Bennett's performance was the best part of the film. I had slightly mixed feelings about the square-built German woman; would be interesting to know if she is an actress of note (excuse my lack of knowledge)?
That was Alida Valli, who you may or may not have seen before in movies like The Third Man and Hitchcock's The Paradine Case. She made a few films in Hollywood and was sometimes billed as "Valli," but her primary career has been in Europe.
Here's a picture of her from The Third Man
http://www.german-way.com/cinema/images/cottenvalli.jpg (http://www.german-way.com/cinema/images/cottenvalli.jpg)
Parts of it seemed to "borrow" rather freely from "Rosemary's Baby" -- e.g., the "healthful" food that the main character was given to build up her strength, and the climactic discovery in the adjacent chambers of who the witches really were. The movie itself, though, was no "Rosemary's Baby." It seemed more like a cheap drive-in type of movie (not that I've ever actually been to a drive-in) ... and it did seem rather surprising that someone of Miss Bennett's stature would have wanted to be in it. Just what is the director's reputation?
Dario Argento? He's an interesting filmmaker really. This film was part of a trilogy based rather loosely on a piece from Thomas DeQuincey, although I don't think the third film was ever made. His films tend to be loose narratively, but rather striking visually. This particular film has quite the cult status and there tend to be two schools of thought: 1. It's genius 2. It's crap.
To the best of my knowledge, Bennett fell into the latter camp. Her husband was asked about the picture and said something like, "oh, that awful movie Joan did so we could go to Rome."
What language was the movie originally made in? The mouths and words didn't seem to match ... Was Joan Bennett speaking Italian?
From what I've read, no, Bennett, Valli, and Harper spoke English. I'm not sure about sure about the actress who played the friend there, but many of the cast were speaking all sorts of languages and the dialogue was dubbed.
This is an interview Harper did about the movie:
http://www.geocities.com/digitalcinema/jessicaharper.html (http://www.geocities.com/digitalcinema/jessicaharper.html)
And I definitely didn't hear her say "bitch" -- all she said was something about getting rid of "that American girl." :(
Oh, she says "bitch" all right ;) I fell asleep during the Sci Fi airing so they may have dubbed it, but on my taped version, she most definitely says "We must get rid of that bitch of an American girl! Vanish! She must vanish! Make her disappear! Understand?" ;D (yes, I know it's cheesy, but I get such a kick out of it)
What was the deal with the coils of wire that girl fell into?
You got me. Seems like an awfully bizarre kind of a death trap to have laying around. You would have thought a group of witches would have been a bit more subtle (these after all are the same people who managed to make Harper fall ill to begin with simply so they could grab her board money and who managed to make the dog attack the blind piano player).
And the first one who was murdered, it looked like the hairy arm was plugging an electrical cord into her. And how did that black lingerie stay on the clothesline outside the apartment window with all the wind?!?
I know the hairy arm belonged to Argento. He apparently uses his own whenever there's a killer required. As for the clothes, I think we are supposed to be freaked by the supernatural aspect or something. I don't really know. The set details always nab my attention.
And didn't it seem like that girl's friend was overreacting? How did she know that her friend was being murdered?
Sarah? She drove me absolutely nuts. I think it was an IMDB review where I read one person's perplexed comments about her. She hears the footsteps every night and instead of at least considering a logical conclusion like maybe the teachers were having a meeting or coffee or something, she becomes obsessed by the notion that it's suspicious. Another Rachel Drummond, lol.
What was with the actor playing the psychiatrist -- it looked like he was reading his lines from a teleprompter.
Couldn't stand him either. It's a weird scene really. Doesn't fit with the rest of the mood of the film--brings Harper's character back into the real world, which is jarring. After all, as soon as she walks out of the airport, she's in a nightmarish universe.
Some of the commentary I've come across for this film suggests that it's meant to be a very dark fairy tale and I would agree with that assessment.
http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=405 (http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=405)
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Thanks for all the additional information. I checked the "Valli" photo and will be sure to get to the other links you mentioned ... (although, Luciaphil, I have to admit I never got around to checking those links you provided a while back on East Lake furnishings ... :( hopefully one of these days ... :-[
(have been rather busy with recent projects-- plus recently have been forced to find a job and work full-time when I realized the rent is due .. :o)
I am still rather intrigued by the movie after reading all the comments here and after my viewing of it. My feelings were rather mixed, but I would certainly watch it again, whereas I have never, ever had any interest in the modern "slasher" flicks ... saw part of one at someone's apartment once, and it was incredibly stupid with in-your-face gore galore.
I felt "Suspiria" was more intelligent and thought-provoking. Certainly the visual composition and sets were interesting and very well planned. But then, these things are painstakingly planned for all movies, down to every possible detail, no matter how worthless the movie turns out to be (I learned this first hand spending time on location as an extra and stand-in on three different movies -- quite interesting to see how they are made and the care and detail that goes into every angle, color, etc. For example I played a customer in a bank, and the real bank was completely redone with green carpet, etc., to subliminaly convey the idea of money).
Anyway, I keep going off-topic here so should wrap things up. It seems that "cult" movies like this tend to be over-hyped and often leave a lot of people cold; but there truly has to be some aspect about them that makes them stand out from the crowd.
The movie is much more recent than, say, "Rosemary's Baby," so I wonder why the print quality was so poor. I'd be curious to know if the DVD or video has a higher quality print.
OT -- BTW, did anyone else see the superbly done Victorian drama "Daniel Deronda" Sun & Monday nights? :)
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And didn't it seem like that girl's friend was overreacting? How did she know that her friend was being murdered?
Sarah? She drove me absolutely nuts. I think it was an IMDB review where I read one person's perplexed comments about her. She hears the footsteps every night and instead of at least considering a logical conclusion like maybe the teachers were having a meeting or coffee or something, she becomes obsessed by the notion that it's suspicious. Another Rachel Drummond, lol.
Actually, I meant the Italian-looking girl at the beginning who lived in that big, empty pink geometric building. She was screaming her head off as if she knew what was happening in the other room when the first girl was being murdered.
I was actually quite confused at this point as it was, since it wasn't clear to me that this was the same girl seen briefly running out of the ballet school talking incoherently about the secret blue irises. The next shot was of the Jessica Harper character (how flat a performance can you possibly give? ???) in the taxi gazing benignly as this girl cavorts hysterically through the forest in the rain, and the next shot, in which it is not raining, is from the back and shows a girl, who I assumed to be the Jessica Harper character, approaching the pink geometric apartment building ...
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OT -- BTW, did anyone else see the superbly done Victorian drama "Daniel Deronda" Sun & Monday nights? :)
I taped it and started watching it tonight. I've seen almost half of the first episode. So far it seems all right, but I think it's too soon for me to decide if I like it or not.
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OT -- BTW, did anyone else see the superbly done Victorian drama "Daniel Deronda" Sun & Monday nights? :)
I taped it and started watching it tonight. I've seen almost half of the first episode. So far it seems all right, but I think it's too soon for me to decide if I like it or not.
Hi, Josette! I felt the same way for about the first half hour or so ... but things change rather surprisingly at that point. At the beginning it seemed like yet another beautifully filmed but benign Jane Austen adaptation ... then something of Dickens crept in with the characters' origins wrapped in mystery ... finally it is recognizably George Eliot, and becomes quite social/political by the end ...
I was surprised to find the likes of Greta Sacchi (sp) and Barbara Hersey in the cast -- and delivering top-notch performances, too. Especially liked Ms. Hersey's (as the Contessa) purr to Daniel, "You are a beautiful creature, aren't you" -- makes me wonder if that was in the book or if it was Hugh Dancy-specific ...
A gorgeous production on every front (anyone interested in Victorian-era costuming should see it ... happybat said a while back that the era wasn't all heavy and dark... but I didn't quite see that before this production!) but unlike the vacuous "The Forsyte Saga," this had substance, too ...
Let me know what you think ...
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I apparently saw more than half of the first yesterday and finished that one tonight. It seems to be getting better, the characters are rather interesting and are well portrayed. The first review I read indicated that the second episode gets better, so I'm looking forward to seeing it.
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I was actually quite confused at this point as it was, since it wasn't clear to me that this was the same girl seen briefly running out of the ballet school talking incoherently about the secret blue irises. The next shot was of the Jessica Harper character (how flat a performance can you possibly give? ???) in the taxi gazing benignly as this girl cavorts hysterically through the forest in the rain, and the next shot, in which it is not raining, is from the back and shows a girl, who I assumed to be the Jessica Harper character, approaching the pink geometric apartment building ...
Suzy gets into the cab and that's that. Presumably she goes to a hotel, but we don't see her again. Pat's the chick running through the forest and the one approaching the apartment building.
I had to watch the film about three times to get half the stuff. The sound quality is pretty bad. Does anyone here have the DVD? Did they clean it up at all?
By the way, I thought most of the performances were fairly stylized, Bennett's included. Alida Valli probably came off the best. I rather liked Harper though. Partly because she really looked the part of the fairy tale heroine caught up in the big bad nightmare.
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Does anyone here have the DVD? Did they clean it up at all?
According to various sources I've checked, the DVD print is flawless; according to some reviews, the Anchor Bay release is perhaps the best "transfer" (I think that was the term) ever done.
By the way, I thought most of the performances were fairly stylized, Bennett's included.
That may be a very ... um ... charitable way of explaining it! ;)
I hope to watch this again over the weekend and will keep your thought in mind ... I would like to think that every aspect of this film was as deliberate as the lighting and set design were. And it's possible. Having done some more reading and checking up on this, it's clear that everything that happens does have meaning, even if it's lost on 95 percent of the viewers ... I've done some preliminary checking into Thomas de Quincey, whom I'm only vaguely aware of as a tangential figure of the English Romantic period ... but my feeling would be that Argento may have taken a breath of inspiration from his essays, but that's the extent of it. Still, it gives an added depth to have some understanding of what he's about ... (reminds me of some theatre productions of a British director I worked with, the more obscure the meaning the better -- "Aunt Dan & Lemmon", Stephen Berkoff ...) but the point being that challenging works tend to leave people either hot or cold ...
Joan Bennett's performance did have a rather "rehearsed" air about it, as is suggested in your description of her reciting a lengthy piece of exposition ... her movements had a rather "planned" look rather than appearing completely natural, so I see where you may be getting your idea that the director wanted a stylized feel to the acting.
I do also see a Hitchcockian attention to detail and symbolism, so a stylized approach to the acting would not be out of place.
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I did watch this a second time over the weekend (don't ask me why I get obsessed with these things). While interesting to watch, "Suspiria" is hardly going to end up on my favorite movies list ... And while I have enough commentary to write a review, I'll just briefly comment on the one more aspect of Joan Bennett's role, since that's the primary interest here ...
In addition to my earlier comments, I would also add that my second viewing reinforced my view that, while sometimes a shade mechanical, Miss Bennett did have her characterization nailed down. She was one of the highlights of the movie (another favorite was the good Herr doctor -- not the psychiatrist). Her final scenes -- glimpsed behind a half-open doorway -- as Madame Blanc (i.e., "White", but ironically the "Black Queen" of the coven) her body convulses as the spirit entity of Elena Marcos (unless it's some other entity) possesses her, and she demands repeatedly, "She must die, die, die!"
It was really a very creepy scene and Miss Bennett was disturbingly realistic in it. (She may have had some practice with all those seances at Collinwood!)
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I forgot to say that Joan Bennett's role in "Suspiria" was much better/more significant/bigger than her measly token appearance in "House of Dark Shadows." Too bad the DS movie didn't give her more to do. I would recommend "Suspiria" to anyone interested in Joan Bennett.
Also -- I referred above to "Elena" Marcos ... but it may have been "Helena" Marcos (guess I'll have to watch the movie again to find out for sure ::) )
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O.T. - "Wicker Man" update
Also, I just thought I'd mention here -- crossing over from another thread that some felt was getting too off-topic (and I'm quite sure Luciaphil won't mind if I bring this up here) -- that the new proposed "Wicker Man" movie has apparently not been made, although as of last December hopes were still high that "Chase the Laddie" (note that the title has been changed) would be filmed.
Ewan McGreggor has expressed interest in a small role -- very appropriate casting, that would be, as he's Scottish and would seem to have the right persona for a "Wicker Man" type of movie (of course, the first thing I ever saw him in was Jane Austen's "Emma," but I wasn't deceived) ...
The proposed new movie, which is the brainchild of my favorite Dracula, Christopher Lee, would also star Sean Astin, Leanne Rymes, and Christopher Lee, as well as the great Vanessa Redgrave. It is not to be a sequel per se, but a similarly themed and located film.
Let's hope something comes of this rather than the completely unnecessary remake with Nicholas Cage.
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I'm not sure if anybody has mentioned this yet, but I was browsing the zap2it.com website just now, and what should I find but this article about a proposed remake of Suspiria:
http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,90745-5--16387,00.html (http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,90745-5--16387,00.html)
ProfStokes
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Thanks for giving us the bad news, Professor Stokes. This was news to me, and probably to everyone else -- it appears the article was dated the day you posted the info ... rather coincidental timing given this thread (whose life I'm sure has over-expired!).
I just don't understand the point of people re-making movies like "Psycho," "The Wicker Man," etc. Do they really think they'll capture the synergy that made the original unique? ???
One fairly recent re-make I know of did receive critical praise, "Nosferatu." But that's one in a hundred.
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I just don't understand the point of people re-making movies like "Psycho," "The Wicker Man," etc. Do they really think they'll capture the synergy that made the original unique? ???
It's a practice almost as old as motion pictures themselves. More movies than you can shake a stick at are remakes. Example: The Shop Around the Corner; In the Good Old Summertime; You've Got Mail. Same story. And the first film was adapted from a play.
One fairly recent re-make I know of did receive critical praise, "Nosferatu." But that's one in a hundred.
The guy who's supposed to do this proposed remake of Suspiria, is the one who directed Shadow of a Vampire, so that's encouraging :)