Suspiria (1977)

Réalisateur:

Dario Argento

Scénaristes:

Dario Argento (writer) and
Daria Nicolodi (writer)

Date de sortie:

12 août 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Horreur | Mystère

Accroche:

The Only Thing More Terrifying Than The Last 12 Minutes Of This Film Are The First 92.

Intrigue:

A newcomer to a fancy ballet academy gradually comes to realize that the staff of the school are actually a coven of witches bent on chaos and destruction.

Plot Keywords:

Ballet | Ballet School | Apartment | Sinister | Europe

Récompenses:

2 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Artistic Nightmare

Ensemble

Jessica Harper	...	Suzy Bannion
Stefania Casini	...	Sara
Flavio Bucci	...	Daniel
Miguel Bosé	...	Mark
Barbara Magnolfi	...	Olga
Susanna Javicoli	...	Sonia
Eva Axén	...	Pat Hingle
Rudolf Schündler	...	Prof. Milius
Udo Kier	...	Dr. Frank Mandel
Alida Valli	...	Miss Tanner
Joan Bennett	...	Madame Blanc
Margherita Horowitz	...	Teacher
Jacopo Mariani	...	Albert
Fulvio Mingozzi	...	Taxi Driver
Franca Scagnetti	...	Cook

Autre(s) titre(s):

Dario Argento's Suspiria (USA) (promotional title)

Durée:

98 min | Germany:88 min | USA:92 min | Argentina:95 min

Pays:

Italy

Langue:

Italien | Russe | Anglais | Allemand | Latin

Couleur:

Couleur (Eastmancolor) (prints) | Couleur (Technicolor)

Rapport de forme:

2,35 : 1

Son:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Classification:

UK:18 (video rating) (1990) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Italy:VM18 | Germany:18 (TV premiere) (2006) (heavily cut) | Germany:18 (theatrical rating) (1977) (cut) | Singapore:M18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (Original rating) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (1977, re-rating) | USA:R | Australia:R | Canada:R | France:-16 | Italy:VM14 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 | Ireland:18 | Norway:(Banned) (video rating) | Norway:(Banned) (1977-2003) (cinema release) | Finland:K-18 (DVD rating) | Norway:18 (DVD rating) (uncut) (2005)

Lieux de tournage:

BMW Building, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Société:

Seda Spettacoli

Anecdotes:

Director Dario Argento's original idea was the ballet school would accommodate young girls not older 12. However the studio and producer (his father) denied his request because a film this violent involving children would be surely banned. Dario Argento raised the age limit of the girls to 20 but didn't rewrite the script, hence the naivety of the characters and occasionally childlike dialogue. He also put all the doorknobs at about the same height as the actress' heads, so they will have to raise their arms in order to open the doors, just like children.

Goofs:

Continuité: When Pat is drying off, we see through the window, some washing hanging on the line. Then in an outside shot, we see the same washing, but now arranged differently.

Guillemet:

[first lines]
Narrator: Suzy Banyon decided to perfect her ballet studies in the most famous school of dance in Europe. She chose the celebrated academy of Freeborge. One day, at nine in the morning, she left Kennedy airport, New York, and arrived in Germany at 10:40 p.m. local time.

Connexions De Film:

Référencé sur Juno (2007)

Bande son:

Markos

Artistic Nightmare

A German ballet school for girls is the setting for mysterious deaths, in this 1977 horror story, written and directed by Dario Argento. "Suspiria" is a visually stunning film.

The images contain objects we recognize, like people, buildings, and interior decor. But the objects seem vaguely menacing, and less real than surreal, as though they symbolize ideas, repressed desires, or subconscious fears. The vivid, rich colors, strange camera angles, deep shadows, and bright light piercing through darkness, all contribute to the impression that the viewer is trapped in someone else's nightmare.

One haunting segment of the film takes place in a huge, and strangely empty, public square, at night. A blind man and his German shepherd dog stand in the middle of the square, surrounded by imposing buildings of neo-classical architectural style. Some professional reviewers of this film have suggested that the public square is a veiled reference to Hitler and Nazism. Indeed, one could argue that the film's subtext is an indictment of fascism.

"Suspiria" is not for everyone. It is unsettling, and at times grisly. The plot is weak, and plot elements are not really explained. The acting is largely irrelevant. And while the background music is suitably gothic, it is also frantic and monotonous.

The best approach to this "art-house" film is to ignore the superficial plot, and focus instead on the fabulous cinematography, and the gothic images as conceptual metaphors.