Ti piace Hitchcock? (2005) (TV)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Dario Argento (writer)
Franco Ferrini (writer)

Release Date:

1 July 2005 (Sweden)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A college film student, obsessed with the works of Alfred Hitchcock, investigates a murder committed in the apartment building across from his and suspects that his seductive neighbor hired a girlfriend to commit the deed.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Film Student | Hitchcock | Broken Foot | Peeping Tom

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Elio Germano	...	Giulio
Chiara Conti	...	Federica
Elisabetta Rocchetti	...	Sasha
Cristina Brondo	...	Arianna
Iván Morales	...	Andrea
Edoardo Stoppa	...	Inspector
Elena Maria Bellini	...	Giulio's Mother
Horacio José Grigaitis	...	Inspector
Giuseppe Lo Console	...	Federica's Boss (as Giuseppe Loconsole)
Milvia Marigliano	...	Sasha's Mother
Giampiero Perone	...	The Fiancee
Antonio Mazzara	...	Cleaning Man
Anna Varello	...	Doctor
Carla Gambino
Lorenzo Federici

Also Known As:

Do You Like Hitchcock? (International: English title)
T'agrada Hitchcock? (Spain: Catalan title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Certification:

Germany:16 | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Torino, Italy

Company:

Film Commission Torino-Piemonte

Trivia:

On the door to the video store hangs a poster for Argento's previous film, Il cartaio (2004). Next to it is taped up the sleeve from a copy of Scarlet Diva (2000), a film written, directed by and starring Dario's daughter Asia Argento, and produced by Dario and his brother Claudio Argento. (The Scarlet Diva video is also displayed behind the counter).

Movie Connections:

References Marathon Man (1976)

Minor but entertaining Argento

Make no mistake, this is a made-for-TV movie so don't expect the usual Argento-gore and a lot of stylized violence. If that's what you're looking for, look somewhere else!

It also shows sometimes that he is working in another medium (television), style-wise. But apart from that, this is a playful and lightweight homage to Alfred Hitchcock, that works fairly well within the constrains of the medium.

It has a sympathetic lead in Elio Germano (but the female are more formulaic) and most actors are a lot better that what is common in an Argento-movie. The beginning of the movie is very well set-up when you get a peak into several apartments a la "Rear window". The script is full of references to different Hitchcock-movies, but there are also nods towards Brian dePalma and...Dario Argento himself! There are scenes that seems to have been lifted more or less intact from his other creations like "Deep red", "Opera" and "Inferno". But this is not necessarily a negative thing since all this is mostly woven into the plot with a lot of skill. There is only one murder (but two death scenes), but it is quite violent and the scene leading up to it is very suspenseful. The final 10 minutes are also edge-of-your-seat material.

Also worth mentioning is the nice cinematography by Fasano (especially the shots at night are very nice to look at). And the score by Pino Dinaggio is absolutely top-notch! It's certainly a lot better than the anonymous music he put together for Dario in "Trauma" and might remind you of his work for Brian de Palma.

But some things don't work, for instance the scene where our "hero" breaks his leg. It is too drawn out even though it's suspenseful in the beginning. The pace flags occasionally and is generally erratic. And even if the climax is exciting, I cannot shake of a feeling that it could have been even better with a tighter script. It seems that Argento/Ferrini lost interest somehow in their intriguing little tale of terror. And finally, the usual quibble when it comes to an Argento film...the dubbing is sometimes truly bad, at best it's acceptable. And note that I saw the Italian version! God only knows why italians often prefer to dub instead of using the original sound?!

But all in all, a very decent outing by Mr Argento. It certainly doesn't top "Suspiria", "Inferno", "Deep red" or his other masterpieces (it doesn't even top the underrated "Trauma" which is resembles sometimes), but it is absolutely one of the best things he's done since "Opera".