Sunday, September 11, 2016

Tenebrae

http://synapse-films.com/synapse-films/tenebrae-single-disc-blu-ray/
http://synapse-films.com/dvds/tenebrae-single-disc-dvd/
http://synapse-films.com/
http://www.cavd.com/product.php?productid=2679 Blu-Ray
http://www.cavd.com/product.php?productid=2680 DVD
https://www.amazon.com/Tenebrae-Blu-ray-Anthony-Franciosa/dp/B01HP2FAMS/ref=sr_1_1_twi_blu_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473614026&sr=8-1&keywords=tenebrae Blu-Ray
https://www.amazon.com/Tenebrae-Anthony-Franciosa/dp/B01HP2FALE/ref=tmm_dvd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1473614026&sr=8-1 DVD

...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes)

                Forced to return to his Giallo roots after the financial failure of “Inferno”, Argento returns with a bang. “Tenebrae” follows the story of Peter Neal, a famous American author visiting Rome on a publicity stretch only to find himself and his novel the target of a deranged killer.
 “Tenebrae” is one of Argento's most straight forward affairs, especially for the time. It also manages to be one of his most violent. The violence in “Tenebrae” is done in artistic splashes; the blood is the paint, the knife is the brush, and the canvas is the white walls and attire. The result of this concoction is morbid art at its finest.  The violence isn’t the only thing done artfully, however, the camera work, acting, writing, special effects, and the score all share the praise. The best camera work is the voyeuristic shots; the camera creeps around the outside of a house looking at potential victims. It’s these extra steps that make “Tenebrae” a cut above a lot of its predecessors, being one of the last in the genre. The script is well thought out, filled with traditional red herrings. Yet, unlike some Giallo we are afforded all pieces of the puzzle and some wonderful hints, including one by the lead when he quotes a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story. The movie doesn’t make guessing our killer as easy as one would think, managing to feed scenes that would put its viewers off the right path. The script also seems to have a playful edge, poking fun at the director’s detractors by putting Argento, himself, in the shoes of Peter Neal. Peter Neal is accused of misogyny because of his latest novel as was Argento for his elaborate murder scenes of women in his films.  The film also brings up the idea of blaming violent crimes on violent media, which Argento has scoffed at in the past. The cast of the film helps in abundance, bringing several familiar faces from all around the globe to be slashed to ribbons including John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi, Giuliano Gemma, Anthony Franciosa, John Steiner, and Christian Borromeo. The actors do well with their characters and even come off sympathetic at times, which isn’t a Giallo strong point. Three members of Goblin bring a vastly high energetic and memorable score to the film, pulsating during moments of mayhem and shattering glass.
The restoration on the disc looks really good; the set design, wardrobe, and well-lit scenes finally are on display in a top notch way. Also on display is the film's bleak, harsh nature. The sound comes in well and delivers no noticeable pops or hisses.  Included on the Blu-Ray is a wonderful feature length documentary entitled “Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of the Giallo”. This doc assembles a good amount of film makers and experts to dig into the Giallo genre with a focus on Argento. In an interview in the doc, Richard Stanley brings up some interesting ideas involving the career or Argento, placing him as the metaphoric lead in nearly all his early films. The disc also features the rare English inserts in HD, a few trailers, and an informative commentary by a film historian.    

                                “Tenebrae” is a great film with a great release, sure to please fans. Here is to looking forward to more Argento on Blu-ray.




American mystery author Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) comes to Italy to promote his newest novel, TENEBRAE.  Unfortunately, a razor-wielding serial killer is on the loose, taunting Neal and murdering those around him in gruesome fashion just like the character in his novel. As the mystery surrounding the killings spirals out of control, Neal investigates the crimes on his own, leading to a mind-bending, genre-twisting conclusion that will leave you breathless!

Featuring an amazing synth-music score from Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli and Massimo Morante (formerly of Italian progressive-rock band, Goblin), this all-new TENEBRAE release was created from the original uncut camera negative. Also stars John Saxon (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), Daria Nicolodi (Dario Argento’s PHENOMENA) and John Steiner (CALIGULA).

Special Features:


All-new Synapse Films supervised color correction and restoration of a 1080p scan from the original camera negative, presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1
Dual English and Italian language options with newly-translated English subtitle tracks for both
Audio commentary track featuring film critic and Argento scholar, Maitland McDonagh
Rare high-definition 1080p English sequence insert shots, playable within the film via Seamless Branching
Feature-length documentary, YELLOW FEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GIALLO by Rising Productions, chronicling the Giallo film genre from its beginnings as early 20th century crime fiction, to its later influences on the modern slasher film genre
Original UNSANE (U.S. version of TENEBRAE) end credits sequence
Alternate opening credits sequence

Theatrical trailers


No comments:

Post a Comment