DEEP RED (1975)
Label: Arrow Video
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: 18 Certificate:
Duration: 127 Mins (Director's Cut) 106 Mins (Export Version)
Audio: Italian DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, Italian DTS-HD MA 5.1, English/Italian Hybrid DTS-HD MA Mono, English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, English LPCM Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Méril, Eros Pagni, Giuliana Calandra, Piero Mazzinghi, Glauco Mauri, Clara Calamai, Aldo Bonamano, Liana Del Balzo, Nicoletta Elmi
Dario Argento's directing career began auspiciously with three brilliant and bloody whodunits in just the span of a few years, this trio of films included The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), Cat O' Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), each one an electric and stylish genre defining film. After this trio of films the director spread his wings a bit and would direct the mid-1800's period comedy The Five Days (1973) which bombed at the box office, and still stands as the only Argento film I have not seen, as it is widely available on home video. Still licking his wounds following that disappointment Argento would returned to the stylish whodunit subject that launched his career with a film that many consider to me his defining masterpiece, Deep Red (1975).
The story is pretty familiar, an everyday sort of guy finds himself mixed-up in the dealings of a black-gloved murderer, it's a standard issue giallo set-up and one that Argento mined thoroughly with his previous films. This time our amateur sleuth is an English musician working in Rome named Marucs (played by David Hemmings fresh off Antonion's Blow Up). Marc is out for a drink when he runs into drunken friend Carlo (Gabriele Lavia, Inferno)outside a piano bar when both men hear a frightful scream ring out in the night. Carlo merely raises a toast to the "deflowered virgin" and heads back to a nearby bar. Marc remains a bit longer and witnesses the murder of a woman from the street below her apartment window. The woman is struck with a hatchet to the back of the head and crashes through a thick pane of window glass, her throat slashed by the jagged glass. Marc makes a mad dash up the stairs of the apartment to the woman's aide but is too late to save her. Through the window he spots a figure fleeing the scene in a brown rain slicker and hat which obscures the killer's identity. It turns out the woman was a psychic medium named Helga (Macha Méril, Night Train Murders) who earlier in the evening attended a conference for paranormal psychology when she sensed the thoughts of a murderer among the attendees. The traumatic experience left her quite frightened, with the murderous minded figure leaving the conference unnoticed, but they follow the psychic back to her apartment where she's attacked after hearing the strains of a creepy children's lullaby. After the police arrive at scene of the murder Marc meets bubbly tabloid journalist Gianni (a never lovelier Daria Nicolodi, Phenomena). The pair develop a playful relationship as Gianni vies for Marcus's attention while he's a bit of chauvinist jerk at times, but they're a fun, dynamic duo and easily stand as Argento's most defined character pairings. In typical giallo fashion the police prove to be largely inept and most of the sleuthing is left to the amateur mystery-solvers Scooby-Doo style. As the intricate thriller plays out Marc is dogged by the fact that he cannot recall a crucial piece of the puzzle, something is missing from the scene of the crime that he cannot quite put a finger on. Together he and Gianni follow the clues beginning with the psychics death which lead them to some truly improbable deductions that lead them further down the mystery laden path, with the killer seemingly one-step ahead of them, each of the following murder preceded by the familiar haunting refrain of a children's lullaby.
Argento is often singled-out as a visually stylish director who forgoes proper narrative elements in favor of striking imagery, and I wouldn't disagree a lot of the time I see it strongest with the visually delightful but narratively-challenged Suspiria (1977), but Deep Red is an exception. The characters are interesting and particularly defined, especially the two leads, and the plot is full of intricate twists and turns but Argento's signature style is ever present, each camera shot is meticulously staged and framed by Luigi Kuveiler's (Flesh For Frankenstein) fluid cinematography. The killings are magnificent, with great staging and sharp editing along with some very fine special effects that hold up very well. A particularly brutal scene involves a man having his teeth repeatedly smashed on the corner of a marble table after being attacked by a nightmarish porcelain-faced mechanical doll which charges at him from out of the dark. Then there's a gorgeously shot drowning in a tub of scalding hot water, and a decapitation by necklace, it's all great stuff.
Audio/Video: Dario Argento's Deep Red gets the UHD upgrade from Arrow Video with a new 4K restoration from the OCN for both the original 127-minute Italian version and the 105-minute export version; presented in glorious 2160p UHD and framed in 2.35:1 widescreen. It's a gorgeous release with lush film grain that looks more refined thanks to the uptick and resolution, and the Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grading advances it even further with deep more uniform blacks that are more nuances, and the depth and contrast is more layered with bolder, deeper color saturation that absolutely renews this giallo essential on home video. We get both the shorter (106 min) export version and the longer (127 min) director's cut, both derived from the same 4K restoration, presented on separate discs.
Audio options are the same as the 2018 Blu-ray, no Atmos upgrade, but it's still a rock solid selection of audio options. The director's cut gets Italian DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0 and Surround 5.1, English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, or an English/Italian hybrid with optional English subtitles. The phenomenal Goblin score sounds fantastic, and comes across deep and resonating. The dialogue and effects also come through crystal clear, I give the surround mix the edge for the use of the surrounds, as it really fleshes out that terrific Goblin score. The export version gets an English PCM Mono 1.0 mix with optional English subtitles.
Arrow Video carry-over all the fantastic extras from previous editions, plus we get a brand new Audio Commentary by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson who continue to be a favorite commentary team-ups for me. Archival extras kick-off with a 23-min Introduction from Goblin composer Claudio Simonetti for the export version, the composer voicing his pleasure at being involved with a film he rightfully considers a masterpiece. Then onto Lady In Red: Daria Noclodi Remembers Profondo Rosso (18 min). The late former lover of Argento and mother of his children discusses not only her involvement with Deep Red but her other works, Argento's career and the director himself; who she described rather unflatteringly several times throughout, it's a great piece. Music to Murder For! Claudio Simonetti on Deep Red (14 min) an interview with the Goblin Composer who is nearly as much a part of Argento lore as the master himself, they're inextricably linked. Like Nicolodi I always find the Simonetti interviews to be quite interesting and revealing. Rosso Recollection: Dario Argento's Deep Genius (12 min) features the maestro himself speaking about his family and the film. Rosso: from Celluloid to Shop (15 min) is a tour of the Profondo Rosso Shop in Rome with filmmaker Luigi Cozzi (The Black Cat), the place is a museum to all things Argento and rounding out the special features are both an Italian and U.S. trailer for the film. It's interesting to note the difference in approach between the two markets. There's also an Audio Commentary from Argento expert Thomas Rostock, and honestly while it is absolutely info packed I find his delivery and tone to be dry and monotonous, the content is good but the delivery is just dry.
Additionally we have the 33-min Profondo Giallo video essay by Michael Mackenzie featuring an in-depth appreciation of Deep Red, an in-depth and detailed look at the film documenting the influence of Argento on the whodunit films, his early success and returning the gialli after the failure of The Five Days (1973), I'm quite a fan of the Mackenzie video essays which turn up on quite a few Arrow releases. Other interviews include the 47-minute 16 Year In Red - Interview with Production Manager Angelo Iacono, the 14-min Death Dies - Interview with Composer Saudi Simonetti, the 16-min Carlo Never Dies - Interview with Actor Gabriele Lavia, the 8-min I Am the Screaming Child - Interview with Actor Jacopo Mariani, the 5-min Bloodstained - Interview with Actor Kino Capolicchio, Argento's Original Choice To Play Marcus Daly, plus the 2-min Italian Trailer, 2-min Arrow Video 2018 Trailer and five overstuffed Image Galleries. We were only sent the "check disc" sans packaging and artwork, but they are detailed below per the press release.
4K UHD Limited Edition Contents:
- New 4K restoration of both the original 127-minute Italian version and the 105-minute export version from the original negative by Arrow Films
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of both versions in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring originally and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Alan Jones and Mikel J. Koven, and a new essay by Rachael Nisbet
- Fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative
- Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards
Disc 1: Deep Red - Original Version (127 Minutes) 2160p UHD
- Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
- Optional lossless 5.1 Italian soundtrack
- English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- New audio commentary by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
- Archival audio commentary by Argento expert Thomas Rostock
-Deep Into the Red - Interview with Dario Argento (2018) (58 min)
- The Medium Wore Black - Interview with Macha Méril (2018) (21 min)
- 16 Year In Red - Interview with Production Manager Angelo Iacono (2018) (47 min)
- Death Dies - Interview with Composer Saudi Simonetti (2018) (14:min)
- Carlo Never Dies - Interview with Actor Gabriele Lavia (2018) (16 min)
- I Am the Screaming Child - Interview with Actor Jacopo Mariani (2018) (8 min)
- Bloodstained - Interview with Actor Kino Capolicchio, Argento's Original Choice To Play Marcus Daly (2018) (5 min)
- Italian trailer (2 min)
- Arrow Video 2018 trailer (2 min)
- Image Galleries: Posters, Lobby Cards, Promotional Stills, Japanese Pressroom and Flyer, Soundtracks
Disc 2: Deep Red - Export Version (106 Minutes) 2160p UHD
- Restored original lossless mono English soundtrack
-Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Archival introduction to the film by Claudio Simonetti of Goblin (23 min)
- Profondo Giallo – an archival visual essay by Michael Mackenzie featuring an in-depth appreciation of Deep Red, its themes and its legacy (33 min)
- Rosso Recollections: Dario Argento’s Deep Genius– the Deep Red director on the creation of a giallo masterpiece (12 min)
- The Lady in Red: Daria Nicolodi Remembers Profondo Rosso (18 min) HD
- Music to Murder For! Claudio Simonettion Deep Red (14 min) HD
- Profondo Rosso: From Celluloid to Shop– a tour of the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome with long time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi (15 min)
- The Lady in Red: Daria Nicolodi Remembers Profondo Rosso (18 min) HD
- Music to Murder For! Claudio Simonettion Deep Red (14 min) HD
- Profondo Rosso: From Celluloid to Shop– a tour of the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome with long time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi (15 min)
- US theatrical trailer (2 min)
