Thoughts: Deep Red

We didn't actually finish it tonight, but I've seen it before and I'm not sure if we're going to get to finish it tomorrow or not. So I figured I would write a couple of things tonight. If I actually finish it tomorrow I may write a little more then.

Anyways, on with the writing.

I really like Dario Argento, who directed this movie. I've honestly only seen two of his movies, this one and Suspiria. But I loved both of them. He's definitely an auteur and I really like his style. I really enjoy the colors he uses. Both the movies were decently gory, but it's very stylized. The blood looks like red paint, which could come off as being bad effects and cheesy but I don't think it does, I think he makes it work well.

I actually like this movie a bit better than Suspiria. While Suspiria is definitely more with the horror, this one is a bit more of a murder/mystery type deal, I think this one has a better story maybe? I'm having a hard time finding a way to explain exactly why I like this one better. David Hemmings is in it and I really like him, so that helps a little. But it's more than that. I feel like this one is more intelligent, story wise. It's very complex and I love how it all comes together. I didn't find the ending to be obvious at all, and I think that's very impressive with this sort of movie. The clues are there enough that when you look back on it, you can go "oh yeah! I get it now!" but they were more subtle than most movies make them. I appreciate subtlety.

One thing I like about Argento is what he does with color. His reds are always very red, the blues very blue. I think he uses it very well without going overboard. Again with the being subtle and stylish. Plus the cinematography is in my opinion excellent. Not perfect, but very well done. There are a lot of shots that I really dig. And the atmosphere is always good. He knows how to do creepiness. Another difference between this one and Suspiria is that there is more humor in it. Which is cool, it breaks the tension but it's not overdone. Good stuff.

If you like Argento but haven't seen this one I recommend it. I know some people really don't get into him because his movies tend to be a bit slower, but I don't mind that. From what I've heard this is definitely an Argento that needs to be seen. I also really want to see Opera, I was told that it's even better. That excites me because I really thought that Deep Red was great.

Oh, also, make sure you get an uncut version. Anchor Bay has one out in R 1. They cut over 20 minutes out of the cut ones and it's just not the same. Definitely go Anchor Bay if you can, not only is it uncut, the quality is really, really good. It's a huge improvement over some cheaper DVDs that I've seen.