THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is probably the most linear Dario Argento movie since THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE. The story is very Hitchcokian, in the way it's filmed and the way the main character (played by Asia Argento) goes through a series of life altering events that lead to its eventual conclusion. I didn't dislike STENDHAL. In fact, compared to Dario's recent movie, the woeful SLEEPLESS, STENDHAL SYNDROME is positively fantastic. It's refreshing to see an Argnto movie that doesn't open with a murder. It's about time Dario started moving away from his formula filmmaking. But there are several problems with this movie that prevents it from being great.
The first problem is that Asia is simply too young for the role. She looks like a teenager. That doesn't mean Asia, the actress, is not up for the challenge. She is. For the first time ever in an Argento movie(?), Asia's Anna is actually a 3 dimensional person. The characterization ain't perfect but characters in Argento movies are usually so flat and one dimensional that Anna looks, in comparison, positively fleshed out. But I wish Dario and Asia had waited a couple of years before making this movie. Asia is, at times, totally unconvincing because of her youthful appearance.
The second problem is the look of the film. It looks drab and flat. What happened to the director who did visually stunning films like DEEP RED or SUSPIRIA or INFERNO?!?! The camerawork is basically serviceable. In some instances, it's actually quite good but there's almost no memorable shots or scenes in the whole thing.
The third problem is the supporting characters in the movie. The psychologist, the police officers, Asia's brothers and father, and even the rapist, are all unremarkable. The police officers all look alike and is difficult to identify with any of them. In the psychologist case, his character is borderline silly.
And the fourth and biggest problem is the structure. Structurally speaking, STENDHAL SYNDROME is extremely flawed. Almost two thirds of the film is devoted to the rapist character (the catalyst) and the last third is about the "new" Anna. It shouldn't have been like this. It leaves little time for the new "Anna," which should have been the main part of the movie. STENDHAL SYNDROME looks like a character driven movie. It should have been a character driven movie. But Dario Argento is uncomfortable dealing with people and their emotions, and by concentrating so much time on the harrowing events that messes up Anna and not on Anna herself, the film feels flat and predictable. Like it's on cruise control. The excellent music by Ennio Morricone reinforces this as it is monotonous and the same tune is used repeatedly throughout the film. In the end, it feels like a one-note flick rather than a true 3 dimensional portrayal of Anna's decent into insanity.
After watching STENDHAL SYNDROME, I had the impression that Dario was only interested in the surprise twist ending of the "new" Anna and that everything leading up to this was just filler. Dario's direction can be described as too fatalistic. It's a shame STENDHAL SYNDROME is not better because the idea of "transferring" insanity is a very interesting one. STENDHAL SYNDROME is okay late Argento, nothing more.
The first problem is that Asia is simply too young for the role. She looks like a teenager. That doesn't mean Asia, the actress, is not up for the challenge. She is. For the first time ever in an Argento movie(?), Asia's Anna is actually a 3 dimensional person. The characterization ain't perfect but characters in Argento movies are usually so flat and one dimensional that Anna looks, in comparison, positively fleshed out. But I wish Dario and Asia had waited a couple of years before making this movie. Asia is, at times, totally unconvincing because of her youthful appearance.
The second problem is the look of the film. It looks drab and flat. What happened to the director who did visually stunning films like DEEP RED or SUSPIRIA or INFERNO?!?! The camerawork is basically serviceable. In some instances, it's actually quite good but there's almost no memorable shots or scenes in the whole thing.
The third problem is the supporting characters in the movie. The psychologist, the police officers, Asia's brothers and father, and even the rapist, are all unremarkable. The police officers all look alike and is difficult to identify with any of them. In the psychologist case, his character is borderline silly.
And the fourth and biggest problem is the structure. Structurally speaking, STENDHAL SYNDROME is extremely flawed. Almost two thirds of the film is devoted to the rapist character (the catalyst) and the last third is about the "new" Anna. It shouldn't have been like this. It leaves little time for the new "Anna," which should have been the main part of the movie. STENDHAL SYNDROME looks like a character driven movie. It should have been a character driven movie. But Dario Argento is uncomfortable dealing with people and their emotions, and by concentrating so much time on the harrowing events that messes up Anna and not on Anna herself, the film feels flat and predictable. Like it's on cruise control. The excellent music by Ennio Morricone reinforces this as it is monotonous and the same tune is used repeatedly throughout the film. In the end, it feels like a one-note flick rather than a true 3 dimensional portrayal of Anna's decent into insanity.
After watching STENDHAL SYNDROME, I had the impression that Dario was only interested in the surprise twist ending of the "new" Anna and that everything leading up to this was just filler. Dario's direction can be described as too fatalistic. It's a shame STENDHAL SYNDROME is not better because the idea of "transferring" insanity is a very interesting one. STENDHAL SYNDROME is okay late Argento, nothing more.