La sindrome di Stendhal (1996)

Country of Origin: Italy
Year of Production: 1995
Running Times: 114 mins 31 sec (Italy - video)     119 mins (Italy - theatrical)     120 mins (France - DVD; USA - DVD)
Format: Technicolor     35mm
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound: Dolby     Digital SR

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Cine 2000 / Medusa Produzione
Producers: Dario Argento, Giuseppe Colombo
Line Producer: Walter Massi
Unit Managers: Fiore Argento, Renata Paccariè, Maurizio Pigna, Ruggero Salvadori

SCRIPT
Script: Dario Argento
Story: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini
Novel: Graziella Margherini

DIRECTION
Director: Dario Argento
Assistant Director: Nicolò Bongiorno, Fabrizio Campanella, Filippo Macelloni, Daniele Persica
2nd Unit Director: Luigi Cozzi

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Giuseppe Rotunno
Camera Operator: Gianni Fiore Coltellacci
1st Assistant Camera: Lorenzo Tovoli
2nd Assistant Camera: Armando Barbieri
Assistant Operator: Roberto De Angelis
2nd Unit Director of Photography: Roberto Girometti
2nd Unit Camera: Lucio Granelli
2nd Unit Grip: Fabio Carussi
Underwater Photography: Marco Manfredini's Video Film
Gaffers: Renato Sardini, Rodolfo Bramucci
Electricians: Giuseppe Bertucci, Alfredo Bramucci, Stefano D'Offizi, Massimiliano Sardini
Generator Man: Maurizio Cartocci
Key Grip: Roberto Diamanti
Grips: Dario Badia, Claudio Del Gobbo, Mauro Diamanti, Roberto Pecci, Massimo Sergianni
Stills: Franco Vitale
Raw Stock: Kodak S.p.A.
Camera Equipment: Arco Due S.R.L.
Lighting Equipment: Petracca & Co

EDITING
Editor: Angelo Nicolini
Assistant Editor: Carla Funari
Edited On: Lightworks

MUSIC
Music: Ennio Morricone
Misic Co-Ordinator: Claudio Messina (RTI Music)
Music Producer: RTI Music
Music Mixer: Franco Patrignani
Music Assistant: Andrea Morricone
Orchestra: A.M.I.T. - Accademia Musicale Italiana
Recorded At: Forum Studio (Rome)

SOUND
Production Sound Mixers: Carlo Palmieri, Riccardo Palmieri
Boom Operator: Piero Fondi
Additional Sound Effects: Soundtracks S.N.C.
ADR Editor: Nick Alexander
Post Production Consultant: Lillo Capoano
Post Production Facility: International Recording

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Visual and Digital Effects: Sergio Stivaletti
Assistants to Stivalleti: Mischa Koopman, Daniele Auber, Dario Rega, Frabcesca R. Di Nunzio
Special Effects: Giovanni Corridori & Co
Digital Scanning and Recording: Cinesite (Europe) Ltd
Titles and Opticals: Penta Studio

SPECIAL MAKE UP
Special Make Up Effects: Franco Casagni

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Gloria Pescatore
Hair: Ferdinando Merolla
Wigs: MAG. GI Palombi Wigs
Costume Designer: Lia Francesca Morandini
Wardrobe Assistant: Stefania Svizzeretto
Seamstress: Bertilla Silvestrin
Costume House: Sorelle Ferroni (Rome)
Set Furnishings: G.R.P.; Arredamenti Cineteatrali

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Massimo Antonello Geleng
Set Dresser: GiovanniNatalucci
Assistant Set Dresser: Michela Gisotti
Props: Giuseppe Pagnotta, Danilo Pagnotta
Painter: Claudio Tedesco
Carpenters: Dante Precetti, Claudio Quaglietti
Sculpture: Cinears S.R.L.; Cemar S.R.L.

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Maria Anita Borgiotti
Assistant Script Supervisor: Melissa Strizzi
Production Secretaries: Laura Campanelli, Barbara Spoletini
Assistant Production Secretaries: Riccardo Folgore, Tommaso Pantano
Production Assistant: Riccardo Carinci
Dialogue Coach: Dianne Jones
Consulting Accountant: Andrea Tinnirello
Production Accountant: Benito Mancini
Coach Marshall (Florence): Renzo Cantini
Coach Marshall (Viterbo): Sabine Lucarelli
Coach Marshall (Rome): Alfredo Ruffini
Unit Publicist (Italy): Paola Paggetta
Unit Publicists (Abroad): Corbett & Keene Ltd
Insurance Brokers: Studio M for Cinesicurtà S.R.L.
Transportation: Fratelli Cartocci; Consorzio Trasporti Cin.
Production Equipment: Cineservice S.R.L.
Telecinema: Augustus Color

LOCATIONS
Locations: Temple of Arts, Florence, Italy; Tuscany, Italy; Rome, Lazio, Italy; Viterbo, Italy; Cinecittà, Rome, Italy; Uffizi Gallery, Florence; Terni, Italy

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks To: Casa Ediitrice Ponte Alle Grazia; 1st. Liceo Aristico (Rome); The Villa Giulia Etruscan Museum; The Italian National Art Gallery; The Mayor and Principal Authorities of Florence; The Uffizi Gallery, Florence; The Mayor and Municipal Authorities of Viterbo; Pianeta Benessere; Grand Hotel Salus e Delle Terme, Viterbo; The Mayor and Minicipal Authorities of Terni; The Tourist Office, Terni; Enel S.p.A., Terni; Nucleo Idro Elettrico; Props Management Sabina Palmero; For Intesa & Intesa; Telecom Italia S.p.A.; The Italian State Railways; Nokia Italia S.p.A.; Sidauto S.p.A.

CAST
Asia Argento (Assistant Inspector Anna Manni)
Thomas Kretschmann (Alfredo Grossi)
Marco Leonardi (Marco Longhi)
Luigi Diberti (Inspector Manetti)
Paolo Bonacelli (Dr Cavanna)
Julien Lambroschini (Marie)
John Quentin (Anna's father)
Franco Diogene (victim's husband)
Lucia Stara (shop assistant)
Sonia Topazio (victim in Florence)
Antonio Marziantonio (museum watchman)
Lorenzo Crespi (Giulio)
Vera Gemma (policewoman)
John Pedeferri (hydraulic engineer)
Veronica Lazar (Marie's mother)
Diano Mario (coroner)
Eleonora Vizzini (Anna as a child)
Maximilian Nisi (Luigi)
Leonardo Ferrantini (Alessandro)
Sandro Giordano (Fausto)
Cinzia Monreale (Alfredo Grossi's wife)
Michele Kaplan (Alfredo Grossi's son)
Laura Piattella (40 year old woman)
Vincenzo Uccellini (40 year old woman's son)
Elena Bermani (30 year old woman)
Luca Camilletti (hotel porter)
Graziano Giusti (2nd Coroner)
Monica Fiorentini (female doctor in Florence)
Giancarlo Teodori (male doctor in Florence)
Antonello Murru (1st police officer)
Marna Del Monaco (dining car stewardess)
Maria Grazia Nazzari (night watch victim)
Alexys Schwartz (child's voice)

NOTE: Although Veronica Lazar, Franco Diogene and Michele Kaplan are stlll credited, their scenes were removed by Argento prior to the film's release to help the pacing.

PLOT SUMMARY

Policewoamn Anna Manni is hunting a brutal serial rapist / killer but is hampered by her illness, the rare Stendahl Syndrome that causes her to hallucinate whenever she sees certain works of art. The killer lures her into the Uffizi museum where she has a hallucinogenic fit and a twisted relationship begins to develop between the hunter and her prey.

The first half of La sindrome di Stendhal promises a return to form for Argento after the dreadful Trauma (1993), though it comes to nothing in a dull second half. It's a complex film, complex in ways that Argento had never tried before, and an ambitious one. In the end though, for all it's virtues, it loses its way quickly and really amounts to very little. There are glimpses here and there of the old Argento magic - certainly more so than in Trauma - but this is still a very long way from Profondo rosso (1975) or Inferno (1980).

France
DVD Distributor: Pioneer

Italy
Theatrical Distributor: Medusa Distribuzione
Video Distributor: Medusa Video (1048601)

Japan
Video Distributor: Columbia Video

UK
Video Distributor: Fox Guild Home Entertainment (G8891) (25 February 1997); Marquee Pictures (MQ 0139) (7 September 1998)
DVD Distributor: Marquee Pictures (DUK 0056)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Troma (7 March 2000)
Video Distributor: Video Search of Miami

Finland
Rating: K-18

Germany
Rating: 18

Italy
Rating: 14

Portugal
Video Rating: M/18

UK
Video Rating: 18
The UK video release was heavily pre-cut by the distributors before even being submitted to the BBFC (who let through what they had received unscathed). The cuts, amounting to 2 minutes and 47 seconds, involve:

• 12 seconds removed from the first rape of Anna by Alfredo showing the latter rolling a razor blade around in his mouth and then removing it. Some of this footage still remains but much of it has gone and so have a few of Anna's responses.
• 14 seconds from the rape of the woman in Alfredo's car. This is perhaps the most infamous cut, featuring as it does the slow motion shot of a bullet passing through the victims mouth and face. The follow up shot, through the gaping wound, has also been removed. The cut is the most jarring in the film, the bungled edit leaving the scene jerky and looking frankly ridiculous.
• The longest cut - totalling 100 seconds - has nothing to do with gore or violence. A scene of Anna returning home to face a frosty reception from her family has been inexplicably removed.
• During Alfredo's rape of the woman from the dress shop, 10 seconds of a scene showing Alfredo hitting the woman in the face have been removed. 6 seconds were also taken out showing a bullet being fired at the woman's head in slow motion, Alfredo's face briefly reflected in its surface.
• In Alfredo's next assault on Anna, 11 seconds were removed showing Anna screaming, a brief shot of Alfredo from Anna's point of view, and a shot of Anna being struck in the face.
• Later, 10 seconds have been removed showing Alfredo cutting Anna's face with a razor blade.
• When Anna beats Alfredo with the butt of his own gun, two of the blows have been removed.

Muddying the waters somewhat was the initial batch of UK DVDs which were accidentally released uncut. The uncut version has a black and white print on the disc while the cut version has a black and red print.

1995
July
17: shooting begins

September
15: Shooting ends

1996
January
26: Italy - theatrical release

April
Day Unknown: Netherlands - theatrical release

September
11: Canada - shown at the Toronto Film Festival

November
19: Norway - theatrical release

1997
February
25: UK - video release (on Fox Guild Home Entertainment)

1998
April
Day Unknown: Portugal - video release

September
7: UK - Video release (on Marquee Pictures)

1999
May
18: USA - video release
24: UK - DVD release

2000
March
7: USA - DVD release

2001
November
11: UK - television broadcast (on FilmFour)

2002
January
23: USA - television broadcast (on The Movie Channel)

The Stendhal Syndrome - UK / USA title
Stendhal's Syndrome

SEE ALSO
Profondo rosso (1975)
Vertigo (1958)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Il mondo di Dario Argento 3: Il museo degli orrori di Dario Argento (1997)

MAGAZINES

Cinefantastique June 1996 p.50
review

The Dark Side 66 p.35
review

Fangoria 149 p.8
note

Fangoria 162 (May 1997) pp.40, 41
review

Flesh and Blood 7 pp.4-6
review

Flesh and Blood 9 pp.63-64
review

Giallo Pages Special Edition pp.7-9
review

Psychotronic 25 p.14
review

Score Filmmuziek Magazine n115 (June 2000) p.23
soundtrack CD review (by JW)

Shivers 8 pp.20-21
note

Shivers 29 p.12
review

Shivers 30 p.12

Shivers 32 p.3

Shivers 38 pp.14-15

Trauma 4 p.6
review

BOOKS

Art of Darkness pp.231-235; 283; 298
illustrated review (by Robert Daniel); credits; video data

book into film; serial killers; rape; serial rapists; police; illness; stendahl syndrome; art galleries; hallucinations