Suspiria (1977)

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Dario Argento (writer) and
Daria Nicolodi (writer)

Release Date:

12 August 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Only Thing More Terrifying Than The Last 12 Minutes Of This Film Are The First 92.

Plot:

A newcomer to a fancy ballet academy gradually comes to realize that the staff of the school are actually a coven of witches bent on chaos and destruction.

Plot Keywords:

Lamp | Dream Like | Light | Nipples Visible Through Clothing | Dog Attack

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jessica Harper	...	Suzy Bannion
Stefania Casini	...	Sara
Flavio Bucci	...	Daniel
Miguel Bosé	...	Mark
Barbara Magnolfi	...	Olga
Susanna Javicoli	...	Sonia
Eva Axén	...	Pat Hingle
Rudolf Schündler	...	Prof. Milius
Udo Kier	...	Dr. Frank Mandel
Alida Valli	...	Miss Tanner
Joan Bennett	...	Madame Blanc
Margherita Horowitz	...	Teacher
Jacopo Mariani	...	Albert
Fulvio Mingozzi	...	Taxi Driver
Franca Scagnetti	...	Cook

Also Known As:

Dario Argento's Suspiria (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

98 min | Germany:88 min | USA:92 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | Russian | English | German | Latin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) (1990) (uncut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | New Zealand:R16 | USA:R | Australia:R | Canada:R | France:-16 | Italy:VM14 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 | Argentina:18 | Ireland:18 | Norway:(Banned) (video rating) | Norway:(Banned) (1977-2003) (cinema release) | Finland:K-18 (DVD rating) | Norway:18 (DVD rating) (uncut) (2005)

Filming Locations:

BMW Building, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Seda Spettacoli

Trivia:

It is often incorrectly assumed that, to achieve the rich color palette, the film was shot using the outdated 3-strip Technicolor process. This is untrue: no film after the mid-1950s was shot using this method. The film was instead shot on normal Eastman Color Kodak stock and was then printed using the 3-strip Technicolor process, utilizing one of the last remaining machines. This issue has been confused somewhat by the fact that, on the 25th anniversary documentary featured in the 3-disc DVD set, a discussion of the printing process by cinematographer Luciano Tovoli was incorrectly followed by a diagram showing a 3-strip camera.

Goofs:

Continuity: We see that when Pat's host leaves the room, there is a pink bag sitting on the side of the table, to the right of the window. Later, when Pat walks over to the window, the bag is now gone.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Suzy Banyon decided to perfect her ballet studies in the most famous school of dance in Europe. She chose the celebrated academy of Freeborge. One day, at nine in the morning, she left Kennedy airport, New York, and arrived in Germany at 10:40 p.m. local time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Finding Nemo (2003)

Soundtrack:

Markos

The Masterpiece of Dario Argento

In a stormy night, the American dancer Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) arrives in Freiburg coming from New York to join a famous and expensive ballet school for a three years training. On the next morning, she is informed by the direction of the school that a student she met leaving the place on the previous night was violently murdered and the police is investigating the crime. She becomes friend of another student, Sara (Stefania Casinia), and she realizes that the house is indeed a coven of evil witches. It took me twenty-eight years to have the chance of watching "Suspiria". This masterpiece of Dario Argento has never been released on VHS in Brazil, and only a couple of months ago a new Brazilian distributor released this magnificent double DVD, recorded on DTS and having lots of extras, including a documentary about Dario Argento. "Suspiria" is outstanding, and has exceeded my best expectations: the story is excellent, its atmosphere recalls a nightmare, with the amazing use of strong colors and the soundtrack from the Italian band Goblin is very scary. The cult actress Jessica Harper has another great performance and her character Suzy seems to be trapped in a nightmare. I certainly include "Suspiria" among my favorite horror movies and I only regret the time I have missed without having the chance of watching this stunning work of one of my favorite directors. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Suspiria"