Cheap La Sindrome di Stendhal [Region 2] (DVD) (Dario Argento) Price

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Customer Reviews of La Sindrome di Stendhal [Region 2]

Don't buy the Troma disc.
UPDATE: Well the specs are out for the BU disc. It will be the longer Italian cut, and there will be English and Italian audio tracks - but no mention of English subtitles. Since the Italian language track is supposed to be greatly superior (the story goes that Asia hates the English dub), the lack of subtitles would be a deal-breaker for me. And with BU there is no knowing one way or the other, as their track record with alternate audio and subtitles is all over the map. If there are no subs, I'll be opting for the R2 Italian disc, which has all of the essentials. <
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>Blue Underground will reportedly be giving this the two-disc special edition treatment, with a new transfer, Italian audio track, and hopefully the slightly longer Italian cut. The Troma disc has an ugly, muddy dubbed transfer, and many of the extras are utterly pointless. <
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>I'd say that this is one of my favorite Argento films, although that may be a minority opinion. While I hate the term "the Italian Hitchcock," I think that this just might be Argento's 'Vertigo," with its traumatized protagonist re-living the most horrible experience of her life again and again, and a fuller than usual exploration of the dangerous art theme that has been a consistent feature of Argento's work since his first film. This has more character development and emotional depth than what we're used to from this filmmaker, and a lot of the credit can go to Asia Argento - who is very good. The occasional awkward effects are here, as are some truly virtuoso moments, and Morricone's simple repetative score is magnificent. <
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>The opening is remarkable. <
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>This movie is well worth seeing, but if a better transfer is on the way, I'd say wait. This is one film for which you want the best possible visual representation.

Difficult and contradictory but occasionally fascinating
The Stendhal Syndrome is probably Dario Argento's most difficult and contradictory film. On one side it's a nasty little thriller about a serial rapist and killer with some unpleasant violence (albeit not as excessive as you might expect). And yet at the same time it does make a genuine effort to build a narrative around the psychological after-effects on one of his victims as she continually reinvents herself in an attempt to run away from the experience. Unfortunately, the fact that she's played by Asia Argento, an actress with more ferocity than subtlety doesn't help. Nor does the fact that the Stendhal Syndrome itself, a form of emotional overload and physical breakdown in the presence of great works of art somewhat similar to the Jerusalem Syndrome, isn't really explored. The bad cgi when it is doesn't help either. Still, it's much, much better than the likes of Argento's pitiful Phantom of the Opera or The Card Player, but it's not essential viewing by a long, long way. <
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>The transfer is disappointing - for all Lloyd Kaufman's boasts of releasing the uncut version, this is in fact the (very) slightly cut international version, offering only the English-language dub. The extras are a mixed bag too - three interviews with Dario Argento (one about Phantom of the Opera), a TV spot, stills gallery, interview with fx man Sergio Stivaletti and, for no discernible reason, Ruggero Deodato on Cannibal Holocaust and far too much Troma crap.