The Stendhal Syndrome (2-Disc Special Edition)

Description

DARIO ARGENTO'S Masterpiece Of Terror - For The First Time Uncut And Uncensored!

When beautiful police detective Anna Manni follows the bloody trail of a sophisticated serial murderer/rapist through the streets of Italy, the young woman falls victim to the bizarre "Stendhal Syndrome" - a hallucinatory phenomenon which causes her to lose her mind and memory in the presence of powerful works of art. Trapped in this twilight realm, Anna plunges deeper and deeper into sexual psychosis, until she comes to know the killer's madness more intimately than she ever imagined.

Horror maestro Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA, OPERA) reaches new heights of florid fantasy and Grand Guignol with this warped work of art starring Maxim Magazine's "Sexiest Woman in the World" Asia Argento (LAND OF THE DEAD, XXX), Thomas Kretschmann (KING KONG, BLADE II) and Marco Leonardi (FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 3). Previously edited outside of Italy, THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is now presented here in all its grotesque glory, remastered in High Definition under the supervision of cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno (ALL THAT JAZZ, AMARCORD) from the original Italian 35mm interpositive, and loaded with exclusive new Extras in this 2-Disc Special Edition.

Customer Reviews:

Talk About Suffering For Art.......2007-09-04

Asia Argento is a cop on the trail of a rapist/serial killer who she follows from Rome to Florence. Once in Florence she falls victim to the Stendhal Syndrome, a supposedly real psychological condition(it's described in detail on the second disc) that causes people to feel ill, become disoriented, hallucinate, faint or lose touch with reality when exposed to certain pieces of artwork or architecture. While this condition may indeed exist, I doubt anybody experiences it to quite the degree Asia does in this film, as she is able to literally(in her mind) step into a painting and immerse herself in the environment the painting depicts. These scenes showcase Dario's flair for visuals. So, it's bad enough that she's got this Stendhal stuff to deal with, but at the same time, the killer has targeted her. Like the killer in Argento's Opera, he becomes smitten with Asia, and isn't so much interested in killing her as he is taking her for his own perversions whenever he feels like it. This sets off a series of events that leads Asia through a nightmarish adventure. To give away more of the plot is to give away some of the twists. This movie is kinda split amongst the Argento fanbase, with some on one side saying he'd lost his way and others saying it's one of the most underrated and misunderstood movies of his career. Of course you'll have to see it for yourself to be the judge of where you stand. Personally, I found it very enjoyable and disturbing. Only two things really bugged me about it and they're not too big. First off, the movie does drag a bit near the halfway mark more than it should. Second, it's hard to build alot of sympathy for Asia's character because she's such an emotional basket case from the very beginning. The whole film has her going through many psychological changes, freaking out, crying and doing irrational stuff at any given moment. I realize that this is all part of the overall point, but we never see her "normal" to begin with, so it's kinda hard to identify with her on any level at all. That's not to say Asia's performance is bad coz she actually plays it quite well(of course she's pretty much made a career out of playing women with psychological baggage of varying degrees). Very well, actually. A very interesting film any way you cut it, and a must for Argento fans. This dvd from Blue Underground looks wonderful compared to that cruddy Troma disc we've had to suffer through for the last few years. Disc 2 consists of various individual interviews totaling a little over an hour and a half with Dario and other crew members. One interview is with the psychologist who Dario consulted about the Stendhal Syndrome. This is the doctor who apparently is the world's authority on the syndrome and treats many patients at a hospital in Florence. She also wrote the book on the subject. This is an interesting little feature. Supposedly 80% of the population suffers from this syndrome to some degree. BS or not? You decide. Good movie though.

Average customer rating:

Blinded by the light
Don't buy the Troma disc.
Difficult and contradictory but occasionally fascinating
Disturbing...
The Stendhal Syndrome-A Disappointment

The Stendhal Syndrome
Starring: Asia Argento , Thomas Kretschmann , Marco Leonardi , Luigi Diberti , and Paolo Bonacelli
Director: Dario Argento
Manufacturer: TROMA ENTERTAINMENT INC.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000K3TI
Release Date: 1999-08-17

Product Description

International star Asia Argento portrays Anna Manni, a beautiful police detective in pursuit of a savage serial killer-rapist that has been terrorizing central Italy. When his trail leads Anna to Florence's famed Uffizi Museum, the investigation takes a violently psychotic turn. Anna is struck by the bizarre phenomenon known as The Stendhal Syndrome, a psychological reaction to artwork that makes the viewer fall unconscious; and in Anna's case, vulnerable to the terror she is tracking. For her, the artwork begins to come to life. It terrorizes and brutalizes her as she tries to hunt down the depraved slasher.

As she gets closer to the vicious killer, her strange affliction transports her into nightmares of carnage. Her prey has now become predator. Anna must destroy the killer before she is destroyed by The Stendhal Syndrome.

System Requirements:
Starring: Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, Luigi Diberti, Julien Lambroschini, John Quentin, Franco Diogene, Sonia Topazio, Antonio Marziantonio, and Lucia Stara.
Directed By: Dario Argento.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

The first half of Dario Argento's heady psycho-thriller is a mesmerizing merging of dream and reality. A beautiful young Italian detective (Asia Argento, who does little to convince us she's a tough, seasoned cop) investigating a serial rapist is suddenly overwhelmed when the paintings in an art museum erupt with life. According to the film, this is "the Stendhal Syndrome," an intense and overwhelming response to art that turns the viewer mad. As Anna steps in and out of fantasy worlds like Alice through the looking glass, she's kidnapped by her quarry, who repeatedly rapes and tortures her in a dark, dank underground cave. The delirious nightmare of shattered reality becomes a sadistic, mean-spirited spectacle of murder and degradation--perpetrated on, of all people, the director's own bound and beaten daughter!--and the thriller disintegrates into a paranoid mystery of amnesia, split psyches, and shadowy phantoms. At its best this is a mesmerizing vision of madness: paintings melt into the real world while objectivity disintegrates before our eyes. But before the unexpectedly sensitive conclusion, Argento puts the viewer through a bravura but brutal series of gory murders (a slow-motion bullet passes through both cheeks of a helpless victim, and another shooting is viewed from inside the body) and unsavory violence. The poetic beauty of Phenomenon and the craftsmanship of Suspiria and Deep Red are sorely missed. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Blinded by the light.......2007-07-29

I finally cracked open the door, Dario Argento's demented light came shining through. Each particle explored and swarmed the inner nooks of my consciousness, throwing off my equilibrium. I stumbled through each frame, mesmerized by this bizarre story and the unique style of direction by Dario. It was quite an experience.
The story basically tracks the steps of Anna, a beautiful female detective who is trying to apprehend a brutal serial killer/rapist. Anna has her own mental problems though, she suffers from the Stendhal Syndrome, an acute psychological reaction to artwork that gives her hallucinations and causes her to pass out. This adds a nice level of surrealism that I wish the movie would have delved further into.
Unfortunately, there were extended periods where I was frustrated or just plain bored with. However, there were enough glimpses of contorted brilliance to make me anxious to see more of Argento's work, like Suspiria.

Don't buy the Troma disc........2007-05-25

UPDATE: Well the specs are out for the BU disc. It will be the longer Italian cut, and there will be English and Italian audio tracks - but no mention of English subtitles. Since the Italian language track is supposed to be greatly superior (the story goes that Asia hates the English dub), the lack of subtitles would be a deal-breaker for me. And with BU there is no knowing one way or the other, as their track record with alternate audio and subtitles is all over the map. If there are no subs, I'll be opting for the R2 Italian disc, which has all of the essentials.

Blue Underground will reportedly be giving this the two-disc special edition treatment, with a new transfer, Italian audio track, and hopefully the slightly longer Italian cut. The Troma disc has an ugly, muddy dubbed transfer, and many of the extras are utterly pointless.

I'd say that this is one of my favorite Argento films, although that may be a minority opinion. While I hate the term "the Italian Hitchcock," I think that this just might be Argento's 'Vertigo," with its traumatized protagonist re-living the most horrible experience of her life again and again, and a fuller than usual exploration of the dangerous art theme that has been a consistent feature of Argento's work since his first film. This has more character development and emotional depth than what we're used to from this filmmaker, and a lot of the credit can go to Asia Argento - who is very good. The occasional awkward effects are here, as are some truly virtuoso moments, and Morricone's simple repetative score is magnificent.

The opening is remarkable.

This movie is well worth seeing, but if a better transfer is on the way, I'd say wait. This is one film for which you want the best possible visual representation.

Difficult and contradictory but occasionally fascinating.......2006-03-06

The Stendhal Syndrome is probably Dario Argento's most difficult and contradictory film. On one side it's a nasty little thriller about a serial rapist and killer with some unpleasant violence (albeit not as excessive as you might expect). And yet at the same time it does make a genuine effort to build a narrative around the psychological after-effects on one of his victims as she continually reinvents herself in an attempt to run away from the experience. Unfortunately, the fact that she's played by Asia Argento, an actress with more ferocity than subtlety doesn't help. Nor does the fact that the Stendhal Syndrome itself, a form of emotional overload and physical breakdown in the presence of great works of art somewhat similar to the Jerusalem Syndrome, isn't really explored. The bad cgi when it is doesn't help either. Still, it's much, much better than the likes of Argento's pitiful Phantom of the Opera or The Card Player, but it's not essential viewing by a long, long way.

The transfer is disappointing - for all Lloyd Kaufman's boasts of releasing the uncut version, this is in fact the (very) slightly cut international version, offering only the English-language dub. The extras are a mixed bag too - three interviews with Dario Argento (one about Phantom of the Opera), a TV spot, stills gallery, interview with fx man Sergio Stivaletti and, for no discernible reason, Ruggero Deodato on Cannibal Holocaust and far too much Troma crap.

Disturbing..........2005-09-08

I love this guy's movies so I'm a bit biased here. As far as horror goes, you could do better. It didn't really scare me too much, but there are the usual "look away" scenes typical of an Argento film. Plot: sicko tortures a cop woman and basically ruins her life. I stress not to watch this movie with someone who is easily offended...it will offend most! But for those of you who don't mind venturing into the bizzare and beautiful world of foreign thriller films, go for it! I doubt you'll be disappointed.

The Stendhal Syndrome-A Disappointment.......2005-02-22

After reading the reviews and synopsis here on Amazon (which is the same as on the back of the DVD), I thought that this looked like it would be a very good movie with a promising plot. Within the first fifteen minutes, however, it was not at all as I expected. First, the summary stated that Anna Manni (a police investigator played by Asia Argento, daughter of the director and one of the only redeeming features of this movie) was hot on the trail of a serial killer/rapist and would be captured because of an attack of the Stendhal Syndrome. This is misleading because this actually happens early on in the movie (before any of her tracking him down is shown). In other words, if you are expecting to see a movie about a beautiful, strong-willed police detective that is trying to capture a serial killer, this is NOT the movie for you. Instead it is [mostly] a journey into the mind of a greatly disturbed (possibly psychotic) rape victim.

The overall quality of this movie is also not nearly as great as it's director's reputation. This is my first Dario Argento movie, and it is a grave disappointment. After hearing of the "Argento Genius," I really expected a movie with great editing, dialogue and at least a decent horror movie style soundtrack. This movie instead is the opposite on all counts. Finally, the style presented leaves a lot to be desired. It is basically a mashing together of sci-fi, horror, drama, and even romance that doesn't quite work (some parts are so outlandish I could not help but laugh).

In short, save your money for a worthier movie that does not follow a flawed script to begin with, and that is not an attempt at such "stylistic" filmmaking.

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