Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Deep Red Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 19, 2016

Dario Argento's "Profondo Rosso" a.k.a. "Deep Red" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the release include original trailers; short introduction by composer Claudio Simonetti; audio commentary with Danish filmmaker and Dario Argento expert Thomas Rostock; conversation with actress Daria Nicolodi; conversation with composer Claudio Simonetti; and more. Also included with this release is a CD featuring Italian progressive rock band Goblin and composer Giorgio Gaslini's complete soundtrack for Profondo Rosso. In Italian or English, with optional English and English SDH subtitles. Region-B "locked".

A British jazz pianist, Marc Daly (David Hemmings, Blow-Up, Lola), living in Rome witnesses the brutal murder of a famous psychic (Macha Meril, Belle de jour, Vagabond). Shortly after, he becomes haunted by a nagging feeling that he might have seen something important that he can’t remember but could possibly lead the police to the killer. Encouraged by one of his best friends, Carlo (Gabriele Lavia, Scandalous Gilda), he begins his own investigation.

Marc is eventually joined in his efforts by a beautiful reporter, Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi, Phenomena), who is just as determined to find the psychic’s killer as she is to get in bed with him. Giordani (Glauco Mauri, L'ospite), a psychology professor who was once close friends with the victim, also joins the investigation and offers to help.

The more time Marc spends studying the case, however, the more confused he becomes. Eventually, a lucky break reveals to him that the murder of the psychic was likely motivated by the killer’s desire to conceal a different, much older crime. He begins digging up various old secrets and the killer goes berserk.

Arguably Italian director Dario Argento’s best film, Profondo rosso requires multiple viewings to fully grasp all of its intricate details. It is quite a chaotic film, resembling a vivid surreal dream, often making very little sense but producing images that are indeed impossible to forget.

The plot is fractured into various small episodes, some good, some not so good. The good ones typically culminate with outbursts of shocking but occasionally also borderline cartoonish violence. They are also marked by the nagging presence of Argento’s trademark spine-chilling atmosphere (which is in fact what makes all of his films so fascinating to behold). The bad ones are characterized by the presence of pointless conversations or various weak attempts at satirizing repression.

The most exciting protagonist in Profondo Rosso is Argento’s camera. There are various scenes where its unusual moves produce awkward viewing angles and unnatural transitions that give the film quite the edge. A few are so bold that they could actually induce claustrophobic reactions. Elsewhere in the film one feels as if one is placed in the camera or, as I assume Argento intended, inside the killer’s head, thus literally viewing the action through the killer's eyes.

As it is the case with practically all of Argento’s films, the music has a very important role. Legendary Italian group Goblin’s soundtrack is deeply atmospheric, at times notably unsettling and dark, complementing exceptionally well Argento’s unique cinematic style.

Note: British distributors Arrow Films’ Blu-ray release of Profondo Rosso contains the film’s Theatrical Cut, which us approximately 105 minutes long, and the Director’s Cut, which is approximately 127 minutes long.

Deep Red Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dario Argento's Profondo Rosso arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

Please note that the screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:

1. Screencapture #1-16: Director's Cut.
2. Screencaptures #18-32: International Theatrical Cut.

This new release of Profondo Rosso is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration of the film which was carried out at at Laboratorio L'Immagine Ritrovata in 2014. I viewed the Director's Cut and then made comparisons with Arrow Video's first release of the film.

The film's overall appearance is much better. Specifically, the light scanner noise that is visible on the previous transfer has been eliminated. As a result, grain is better exposed and also appears better resolved. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Contrast levels are very similar to those of the previous release. Some mild color pulsations remain, but they never become distracting. You can see an example at 00.09:42. The color scheme is different. There are new basic tonalities and various segments look quite different. (Compare screencaptures #9 and 14 with screencaptures #12 and 2 from our review of the previous release). However, there are segments in which the discrepancies are extremely small. (Compare screencapture #18 and screencapture #10 from our review of the previous release). Color balance is good, but occasionally there are shifts towards a wider range of pink hues which are very easy to see in faces (see screencaptures #19 and 23). On the previous release there is a stronger range of dark yellows and browns. During darker sequences depth is very similar to that of the previous release. In most cases shadow definition is also similar, though some objects appear marginally better defined on the new transfer. There are some uneven transitions, but it is even clearer now that they are inherited. Finally, there are no large damage marks, cuts, scratches, or torn frames, but some flecks and tiny blemishes remain. Overall, while I am unsure if the current color grading is more accurate, there is absolutely no doubt that the film's current strong organic appearance is far more convincing. Mu score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Deep Red Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are a number of different tracks on this release. The disc with the Director's Cut has the following tracks: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, and English/Italian (Hybrid) DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track. The disc with the Export Theatrical Cut has an English LPCM 1.0 track. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian tracks and English SDH subtitles for the English track.

I quite liked the the Italian 5.1 track on the previous release of Profondo Rosso, but this time I viewed the film with the Mono track. It is very good. Both depth and clarity are excellent and there is a good range of nuanced dynamics. Goblin's music is probably a bit more effective on the 5.1 track, but stability and fluidity are solid. Because plenty of dubbing was done some unevenness exists, but there are no audio dropouts or digital distortions.

Deep Red Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One: Director's Cut

• Introduction - a short video introduction by composer Claudio Simonetti from the legendary Italian band Goblin. In English, not subtitled. (1 min,.

• Italian Trailer - original Italian trailer for Profondo Rosso. With music and effects only. (2 min).

• Rosso Recollections - in this featurette, the legendary Italian director explains how Profondo Rosso came to exist, and discusses the film's characters, his family, the films he liked while growing up, etc. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (13 min).

• The Lady in Red - in this video interview, the Italian actress discusses her contribution to Profondo Rosso and relationship with Dario Argento during and after the shooting of the film. In Italian and English, with imposed English subtitles where needed. (21 min, 1080p).

• Music to Murder For! - in this video interview, musician Claudio Simonetti discusses his relationship with Dario Argento, the history of Goblin, how the soundtrack for Profondo Rosso was created, etc. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Profondo Rosso: From Celluloid to Shop - a fascinating tour of the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome with long-time Dario Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi. In Italian and English, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (15 min, 1080p).

• Profondo Giallo - in this new video essay, Michael Mackenzie offers a detailed analysis of Profondo Rosso and discusses Dario Argento's career as well as the evolution of his directing style. In English, not subtitled. (33 min).

• Audio Commentary - a very good, very informative audio commentary with Danish filmmaker and Dario Argento expert Thomas Rostock, who discusses Profondo Rosso and the legacy of its creator, the film's unique narrative and characters, production history, the various locations seen throughout the film, etc. In English, not subtitled.

Disc Two: Export Theatrical Cut

• Trailer - original trailer for Deep Red. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Soundtrack

• Soundtrack - 28-track CD featuring the entire Profondo Rosso film soundtrack from Italian progressive rock band Goblin and composer Giorgio Gaslini. The CD is included only with the new Limited Edition Blu-ray release of Profondo Rosso.

Additional Content

• Lobby Cards - 6 x postcard-sized lobby card reproductions.

• Poster - double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artworks.

• Sleeve - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx.

• Booklet - limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film and an archive piece by critic Alan Jones, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

Deep Red Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This upcoming release of Dario Argento's Profondo Rosso is sourced from a new 4K restoration of the film and looks quite a bit better than the 2011 release. The film has a much more stable and better balanced organic appearance now. The release also comes with a CD featuring Italian progressive rock band Goblin and composer Giorgio Gaslini's complete soundtrack for Profondo Rosso. I think that this is a fantastic gift for fans of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.