Suspiiia film ieview

Biiecteu by Italian piouucei Baiio Aigento,

Suspiiia is a tale of hoiiifyingly wickeu witchciaft
in a faiiy tale gone hoiiibly wiong. Suzy Banyon is
a Ameiican ballet-uancei who has tiavelleu to
ueimany to attenu a piestigious uance acauemy.
Pictuieu left in Figuie 0ne we obseive the English
veision of the oiiginal postei ait. Piesenteu in a
black, white anu ieu contiast of texts, the postei
inuicates a uaikeneu anu uistoiteu uepiction of a
ballet piouuction. The uancei is in white
piesumably as she is pait of the expeiience,
connecting to the title but being consumeu by ieu.
This ieu tuins out to actually be a bloou splattei
that coveis the bouy of the image, tiickling uown
the peifoimeis fiame.

Argento's masterpiece is a movie in which
nothing and nobody makes
sense.Crocker,J(2012)

Why did we choose this quote for our review?
Well because like most films that show psychotic
dementia, Suspiria consists of various elements
and signifiers that form the plot. Discovering
these is key to dissecting the actual meanings of
the film. Argento is a visionary whom hid these
symbols in plain sight.
Figuie 0ne: Suspiiia theatiical ielease postei
ait
Figuie Two: Bung out to uie




It is uuiing the night in the seclusion of the giil's quaiteis that the hoiiois of the night come foith
like hoiioi templates uictate. The music playeu uuiing these sequences is extiemely uisoiientating,
non-fitting to what is occuiiing on the scieen, hinting at chaos anu making the auuience
uncomfoitable to its exposuie. Above in Figuie Two is a unfoitunate victim of these teiiois who
has been hung ovei the halls aftei being stabbeu iepeateuly. We as obseiveis can infei that this
still may have ielevance to the uesign of the ielease postei. Biipping uown onto the flooi is hei
bloou anu she is elevateu just like how a uancei shoulu look to be on stage to hei auuience.

There is little logic in 'Suspiria,' just the exuberance of individual scenes.
Levit,D(2012)


0nce we aie shown this muiuei of this pooi uefenseless victim we aien't even given an inuication
oi hint of what the muiuei was anu theii motives. 0sually this is a tiait given to all films in the
genie but as Bonalu Levit has stateu, Suspiiia is a film without any sense of logic anu thus neeus to
be watcheu 'covei to covei' to expeiience Aigento's intentions.


Figuie Thiee: 0nconnecteu colouis
To elaboiate these uieam sequences in moie uetail, once the builu up is complete the lighting anu
colouis subtly altei to ieveal a uieam state, wheie the nightmaies come ieality. In Figuie Thiee is
an example of this; the giil in uistiess is attempting to wake hei fiienu to confiont this teiioi
togethei. A mystical eneigy is keeping hei fiom waking anu is pushing the giil away on hei own
into seclusion. Puiples anu blues aie emitteu bioken by a light, peihaps to symbolize a bieak in
the minu, two siues one foi sanity anu the othei foi insanity.

Argento's skilful use of unsettling, intense colour and stunning set designs adequately
obscure the film's numerous structural flawsUnknown-Film4(2008)

On the other hand these colours maybe introduced for two reasons, strengthening elements
of mise-en-scene and the actual set. The installation itself is made from separate rooms;
many mistakes have been made in its design. This uses the best from a bad situation and is
effective in Suspirias presentation.
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Ciockei,}(1u.1u.12) Total film ciitic At: http:www.totalfilm.comieviewsblu-
iaysuspiiia-2 accesseu on u7.12.1S

Levit,B(29.u4.12) Reeltalk movie ieviews At:
http:www.ieeltalkieviews.combiowseviewitem.asp.type=ieview&iu=S896
accesseu on u7.12.1S

0nknown(19.1u.u8) Film4 At: http:www.film4.comieviews1976suspiiia
accesseu on u7.12.1S



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Figuie 0ne: Suspiiia theatiical ielease postei ait (u1.11.1S) at:
http:thegiallogoon.woiupiess.com accesseu on u7.12.1S

Figuie Two: Bung out to uie at: http:www.filmueviant.com2u1u1uS1-
nights-of-hoiioi-night-thiity.html accesseu on u7.12.1S

Figuie Thiee: 0nconnecteu colouis (19.1u.u8) at:
http:www.uvuactive.comieviewsuvususpiiia.html accesseu on u7.12.1S