La sindrome di Stendhal (1996)

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Graziella Magherini (novel)
Dario Argento (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 January 1996 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Horror

Plot:

A young policewoman slowly goes insane while tracking down an elusive serial rapist/killer through Italy when she herself becomes a victim of the brutal man's obsession.

Plot Keywords:

Policewoman | Trap | Painting | Rapist | Museum

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Asia Argento	...	Det. Anna Manni
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Alfredo Grossi
Marco Leonardi	...	Marco Longhi
Luigi Diberti	...	Insp. Manetti
Paolo Bonacelli	...	Dr. Cavanna
Julien Lambroschini	...	Marie
John Quentin	...	Anna's father
Franco Diogene	...	Victim's husband
Lucia Stara	...	Shop assistant
Sonia Topazio	...	Victim in Florence
Lorenzo Crespi	...	Giulio
Vera Gemma	...	Policewoman
John Pedeferri	...	Hydraulic engineer
Veronica Lazar	...	Marie's mother
Mario Diano	...	Coroner
Eleonora Vizzini	...	Anna, as a child
Maximilian Nisi	...	Luigi
Leonardo Ferrantini	...	Alessandro
Sandro Giordano	...	Fausto
Cinzia Monreale	...	Alfredo's Grossi's wife
Michele Kaplan	...	Alfredo Grossi's son
Laura Piattella	...	40-year-old woman
Vincenzo Uccellini	...	40-year-old woman's son
Elena Bermani	...	30-year-old woman
Antonio Marziantonio	...	Museum watchman
Luca Camilletti	...	Hotel porter
Graziano Giusti	...	Coroner #2
Monica Fiorentini	...	Female doctor in Florence
Giancarlo Teodori	...	Male doctor in Florence
Antonello Murru	...	Police officer #1
Marna Del Monaco	...	Dining car stewardess
Maria Grazia Nazzari	...	Night watch victim

Directed by
Dario Argento

Writing credits
Graziella Magherini		(novel)
Dario Argento		(story) &
Franco Ferrini		(story)
Dario Argento		(screenplay)

Produced by
Dario Argento	....	producer
Giuseppe Colombo	....	producer
Walter Massi	....	line producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Rotunno

Film Editing by
Angelo Nicolini

Production Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Costume Design by
Lia Francesca Morandini

Makeup Department
Franco Casagni	....	special makeup effects
Ferdinando Merolla	....	hair stylist
Gloria Pescatore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Fiore Argento	....	unit manager
Riccardo Folgore	....	assistant unit manager
Renata Paccariè	....	unit manager
Maurizio Pigna	....	unit manager
Ruggero Salvadori	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicolò Bongiorno	....	assistant director
Fabrizio Campanella	....	assistant director
Luigi Cozzi	....	second unit director
Filipo Macelloni	....	assistant director
Daniele Persica	....	assistant director

Art Department
Michaela Gisotti	....	assistant set dresser
Giovanni Naltaucci	....	set dresser
Danilo Pagnotta	....	props
Giuseppe Pagnotta	....	props
Dante Precetti	....	carpenter
Claudio Quaglietti	....	carpenter
Claudio Tedesco	....	painter

Sound Department
Nick Alexander	....	adr editor
Luca Anzellotti	....	sound effects editor
Piero Fondi	....	boom operator
Carlo Palmieri	....	production sound mixer
Riccardo Palmieri	....	production sound mixer

Special Effects by
Giovanni Corridori	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Sergio Stivaletti	....	special visual effects

Stunts
Ottaviano Dell'Acqua	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Dario Badia	....	grip
Giuseppe Bertucci	....	electrician
Alfredo Bramucci	....	electrician
Rodolfo Bramucci	....	gaffer
Fabio Carussi	....	grip: second unit
Roberto De Angelis	....	focus puller
Claudio Del Gobbo	....	grip
Mauro Diamanti	....	grip
Vincenzo Di Gioia	....	electrician
Stefano D'Offizi	....	electrician
Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci	....	camera operator
Roberto Girometti	....	director of photography: second unit
Lucio Granelli	....	assistant camera: second unit
Roberto Pecci	....	grip
Massimiliano Sardini	....	electrician
Renato Sardini	....	gaffer
Massimo Sergianni	....	grip
Lorenzo Tovoli	....	first assistant camera
Franco Vitale	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bertilla Silvestrin	....	seamstress
Stefania Svizzeretto	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Carla Funari	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Angelo Giovagnoli	....	orchestra coordinator
Claudio Messina	....	music coordinator
Claudio Messina	....	music producer
Andrea Morricone	....	music assistant
Franco Patrignani	....	music mixer

Other crew
Daniele Auber	....	assistant: Sergio Stivaletti
Anita Borgiotti	....	script supervisor (as Maria Anita Borgiotti)
Laura Campanelli	....	production secretary
Renzo Cantini	....	crowd marshall: Florence
Riccardo Carinci	....	production assistant
Francesca R. Di Nunzio	....	assistant: Sergio Stivaletti
Riccardo Folgore	....	assistant production secretary
Mischa Koopman	....	assistant: Sergio Stivaletti
Sabine Lucarelli	....	crowd marshall: Viterbo
Benito Mancini	....	production accountant
Paolo Paggetta	....	unit publicist: Italy
Tommaso Pantano	....	assistant production secretary
Dario Rega	....	assistant: Sergio Stivaletti
Alfredo Ruffini	....	crowd marshall: Rome
Alexys Schwartz	....	child's voice
Barbara Spoletini	....	production secretary
Melissa Strizzi	....	assistant script supervisor
Andrea Tinnirello	....	consulting accountant

Production Companies

• Cine 2000
• Medusa Produzione

Distributors

• Alpha Filmes (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Atlantic Film (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Nippon Columbia Co. Ltd. (????) (Japan) (video) (laserdisc)
• Splendid Film (2005) (Germany) (DVD) (dubbed version)
• Troma Team Video (1999) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)

Also Known As:

Stendhal's Syndrome
The Stendhal Syndrome

Runtime:

120 min | Argentina:114 min | USA:113 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:18+ (Ontario) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 | Italy:VM14 | Portugal:M/18 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (cut) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cine 2000

Trivia:

Ennio Morricone's eerie music score for the film follows the same tune played either forward or backward!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La terza madre (2007)

Quite Interesting if a Bit Slow

This movie is structured in such a way that the 'climax' appears to occur much earlier than one would expect. I was left wondering what in the world Argento was going to do to keep the action going. I was eventually thrilled by the result, but I still must admit that there was a 15 minute stretch in the middle when I just couldn't figure out at all where the movie was headed. In this way, the structure reminded me a bit of Vertigo.

Unfortunately, the one thing that is usually the best in Argento's work -- the cinematography -- is obscured by an unbelievably bad DVD transfer by Troma. Compared to Anchor Bay's treatment of films like Deep Red and Phenomena, Troma's release of Stendahl Syndrome looks like a 3rd generation VHS. If you care about your DVD transfer quality, you definately need to preview this one before buying it. Movie 7/10, DVD transfer 2/10.