Profondo rosso (1975)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Dario Argento (written by)
Bernardino Zapponi (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 June 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The maker of "SUSPIRIA" now takes you on a journey through the macabre, the bizarre. . . the unnatural.

Plot:

A musician witnesses the murder of a famous psychic, and then teams up with a fiesty reporter to find the killer while evading attempts on their lives by the unseen killer bent on keeping a dark secret buried.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Cut | Dark | Anger | Threat

Awards:

1 win

Cast

David Hemmings	...	Marcus Daly
Daria Nicolodi	...	Gianna Brezzi
Gabriele Lavia	...	Carlo
Macha Méril	...	Helga Ulmann
Eros Pagni	...	Supt. Calcabrini
Giuliana Calandra	...	Amanda Righetti
Piero Mazzinghi	...	Bardi
Glauco Mauri	...	Prof. Giordani
Clara Calamai	...	Marta
Aldo Bonamano	...	Carlo's father
Liana Del Balzo	...	Elvira
Vittorio Fanfoni	...	Cop taking notes
Dante Fioretti	...	Police photographer
Geraldine Hooper	...	Massimo Ricci
Jacopo Mariani	...	Young Carlo (as Iacopo Mariani)

Also Known As:

Deep Red (International: English title)
Dripping Deep Red (USA) (pre-release title)
La tigre dai denti a sciabola (Italy) (working title)
The Deep Red Hatchet Murders (USA) (DVD box title)
The Hatchet Murders (USA) (censored version)

Runtime:

126 min | USA:98 min (R-rated version) | Japan:106 min (theatrical version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:16 (re-rating) (2006) (uncut) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) (1982) (cut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Australia:R | France:-16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:18 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-18

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Rizzoli Film

Trivia:

Director Dario Argento's shop in Rome is named 'Profondo Rosso' after this film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the camera is panning across the record player, when Marcus is playing the 'child's song', the stylus is silver whereas in the next shot when the record is stopped the stylus is completely different (a red one instead).

Quotes:

Rodi: Olga! Come back here this minute!
[Olga walks back to her father]
Olga: What is it?
Rodi: You little witch. I told you not to do that again!
[Slaps Olga across the face]
Rodi: Now off you go- go on!
[Olga gives her father an evil smirk as she backs away]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Grindhouse (2007)

Soundtrack:

Death Dies

Deep Red is a simply brilliant masterpiece.

Profondo Rosso is really the gem among Argento'a work, a film that managed to revolutionize the giallo and at the same moment become the ultimate giallo at that. You may ask what is a giallo? Well, it is basically a genre that combines mystery and horror, so it is basically a violent triller. It is the most plausible and well written film of his career to date and is the film that introduced us to the music of Goblin, a group that has become world renowned for their work on such classics as Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead. But what is really brilliant about Profondo Rosso is that it is the first film we see Dario experiment and gain more confidence. His camera becomes more fluid and gains more movement and elegant, while the angles he chooses become more strange. He begins to pay more attention to color, submerging the film in deep reds and greens which makes this one a feast for the eyes. It is truly a beautiful film to behold, even when the killer's victims are been stabbed and whatever else. Dario in this film also pays attention to architecture. Helga Ulmann's apartment is lushly decorated in black and white marble, plants and also a star shaped table (we later learn she is Jewish so the star is in fact the Star of David). But the true masterpiece of the sets in Profondo Rosso is Dario's replica of the bar in Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. This is in a sense a homage to Edward, as is the school in the film which is called the Leonardo da Vinci. Dario incorporates the style of art nouveau into this film predominantly, which can be in seen the windows of the villa and Giordani's apartment. And I'm not forgetting the black gloves, one of Argento's trademarks. The Performances in Profondo Rosso are very good. David Hemmings and Dario Nicolodi provide great performances. Their chemistry is very evident and they are very believable. Hemmings is able to get across his character's insecurities, especially in the scene where he arm wrestles Daria's character. It is very clear that he is insecure about his masculinity, which is evident in the scene in Gianna's car where the seat breaks and drops and so it seems that Gianna has become the bigger person, much to Marcus' embarrassment. Daria puts in an excellent performance considering this was about only her third or fourth film. She definitely gets across Gianna's independence which provide the film with some comedy. Gabrile Lavia is also good as the alcoholic Carlo, clearly getting across Carlo's drunkenness with his constant movements, such as stumbling. Meril I found fantastic in the conference scene, especially when she says the line: "You have killed and you will kill again." When she revolts back it is so realistic and her hand movements really make us believe she can sense evil in the room, like as though she is feeling the presence. This is Goblin's first score and it is truly a masterpiece. The theme is brilliant and is really driving and fits the film perfectly. It is a really mesmerizing as is the infamous lullaby, a disturbing piece. Profondo Rosso is truly a brilliant piece of art. A great plot, fantastic music, breath-taking visuals, great performances and perfect direction. Not to be missed! 10/10