Deep Red

With the release of his fifth feature film, Deep Red, Dario Argento was probably starting to believe his own hype.  As the “Italian Hitchock,” he’d proven himself a bankable director of international thrillers (and one obscure Western) who’d inspired hundreds of imitators in his own country and abroad.   The competition was getting fierce.  So Argento fired off one last salvo into the crowded giallo genre that would end the debates and put him firmly back on top.  Deep Red is one of those films that catches a director working at the top of his game with deceptive ease.


David Hemmings, in a variation of his role in Blow Up, is the witness to a brutal crime who believes he saw a vital clue to the killer’s identity…but can’t quite recall the evidence of his own eyes.  With the help of a nosy reporter (possible killer #1) and a fellow musician (possible killer #2), Hemmings stays one step ahead of a string of vicious murders that target anyone involved in the crime.


Unlike many gialli to follow (even Argento’s) the plot of Deep Red actually makes sense and serves as a template for Italian filmmakers in the second half of the decade.  Starting with a creepy childhood flashback (with equally creepy music to match from Goblin), several operatic murder sequences punctuated by Argento’s unmatched visual flourishes, the film is exactly what the director set out to create: a giallo to end all giallos.  From here Argento went on to the supernatural suspense of Suspira and Inferno, then returned to the genre in the 1980s with all the same tricks…but none of the magic.  

 


The latest home-video incarnation of Argento’s classic is a deluxe Ultra-HD edition from Arrow Films featuring a new 4K restoration of both the original 127 minute Italian version and the 105 minute export version.  Both are impressive to re-watch with the Dolby Vision HDR encoding with add some real pop to the colors and copious nighttime scenes.  Besides the all new commentary, three hours of new interviews and archival extras from previous releases there’s also a collector’s booklet, fold out poster and new limited edition packaging.   

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