Dario Argentos INFERNO Blu-ray Review from ARROW Uk Edition The second in Dario Argentos Three Mothers Trilogy, following Suspiria in 1977 and belatedly concluded with Mother of Tears in 2007, Inferno is an oft overlooked work from the directors glory days. Whilst Argentos trademark extended death sequences never quite reach the imaginative heights of Suspiria or Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) the film is a marvel to look at, with a number of unforgettable and truly macabre scenes. Even for Argento the plot here is, by his own admission, full of riddles. And thats no understatement. Rose Elliot (Irene Miracle) is a young poetess who begins to explore the history of her New York apartment block, stumbling on the frightening mythology of The Three Mothers - ostensibly three witches covens in Rome, New York and Freiberg, Germany. After a succession of decidedly unsettling events she makes a desperate call to her brother Mark (Leigh McCloskey) in Rome. On arriving in New York Mark discovers his sister is gone and embarks on his own investigation. Inferno is at its core a haunted house movie, with a succession of increasingly supernatural encounters as various characters investigate the strange happenings, both in New York and Rome. Very much a mood piece, trying to decipher Argentos riddles is a futile exercise and one that actually detracts from the principal appeal of soaking up the incredible atmosphere and suspense filled set-pieces. This isnt a mystery to solve, its one to surrender yourself to. Resist the urge to question motivations and non sequiturs and you quickly become immersed in the theatrically lit sets and mesmeric photography. Some key scares are masterfully built up too - an underwater scene early on will have you rubbing your feet for security. Frequent Argento collaborators Goblin, so synonymous with his films, are absent from Inferno, instead replaced by a score from legendary keyboardist Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake and Palmer fame). Its a hell of a score too. Perhaps not as catchy or rock-laden as Goblins themes, its still fitting and wonderfully intrusive when needs be. Never has a simple taxi ride been leant so much melodrama... Need I mention acting at this point? I think not. As with almost all of the directors work, you either get Argento or you dont, but for those who relish the concept of horror as art movie then Inferno is a prime example of his oeuvre. Dont expect the operatic gore of his bloodier works, but do expect a unique piece of cinema with witches, rats, a cat attack using real felines (which takes Let The Right One In to task), and some supernatural scares of the highest order. The Disc Arrow video have put together a pretty solid package here with an uncut (some mouse bothering was causing the BBFC a few palpitations) restored HD transfer. Its very clean and shows off the vibrant palette well. Dark scenes have the grain youd expect from a film this age, but remain clear and appear true to the original source. Also included are four sleeve art options, a double-sided poster, an exclusive collectors booklet written by Alan Jones (author of Profondo Argento and founder of Frightfest) and six original poster art postcards. The new extras feature some lovely animated title sequences that relate to various aspects of the film and are fun in their own right, whilst the content is on the whole brief but insightful. In particular the recollections of Argento and Daria Nicolodi are amusingly disparate with the former husband and wife not entirely in agreement over artistic input (in Darios Inferno featurette and Acting In Hot Water - An Interview With Daria Nicolodi). The Other Mother: Making The Black Cat is a diverting curiosity more interesting for director Luigi Cozzis perspective on Argento and Nicolodi than for his story on how the unofficial 1989 sequel to Inferno came to pass. The 2000 documentary Dario Argento: An Eye For Horror makes an appearance too, containing much worshipping at the Italians feet by the likes of George A. Romero, John Carpenter and Tom Savini. Narrated by the always engaging Mark Kermode, it suffers from being a decade old with out of date remarks like his still unfinished Three Mothers Trilogy and from an overly reverential tone that does it no favours. Still, at nearly an hour long it does give a decent overview of Argentos career. Theres an Easter Egg somewhere with Darios memories of Mario Bava too. A somewhat mixed bag of extras then but as a whole its a very attractive re-issue, and worth it for the transfer alone. The 30th Anniversary Edition of Inferno will be released as a two-disc DVD and a two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo by Arrow Video on 13th September 2010. Special Features include: Introduction by star Daria Nicolodi; ‘Dario’s Inferno’ featurette; ‘Acting In Hot Water – An Interview With Daria Nicolodi’; ‘The Other Mother: Making The Black Cat’ – director Luigi Cozzi discusses his rarely seen, totally unofficial 1989 ‘sequel’ to Inferno; ‘X Marks The Spot – Argento Remembers Bava’ (Easter Egg); Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava discuss Inferno; ‘Dario Argento: An Eye For Horror’ – documentary on Argento’s career narrated by Mark Kermode and including interviews with George A. Romero, John Carpenter and others; The Complete Dario Argento Trailer Gallery; Q&A with star Irene Miracle, composer Keith Emerson and author Tim Lucas filmed at LA’s New Beverly Cinema in 2009 (Blu-ray only); English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Stereo and Italian Mono audio options; 5.1 DTS audio option (Blu-ray only); optional English subtitles; four sleeve art options; double sided poster; exclusive collector’s booklet; six original poster art postcards. #DarioArgento #IlGattoANoveCode #CatOnineTails #Inferno #ProfondoRosso #DeepRed #Suspiria #Tenebrae #Trauma #Opera #ItalianGiallo #GialloFever #LucioFulci #Zombie #Zombi #Demoni #Demons #Horror #Terror #HorrorFilm #SergioMartino #UmbertoLenzi #LucioFulci #GialloFever #ItalianGiallo #DarioArgento #SergioMartino #EnnioMorricone #BrunoNicolai #Horror #Terror #Giallo #Fear #Paura #Cinema #Film
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 21:25:55 +0000
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