Suspiria (2018 film)

Based on the 1977 film by Dario Argento that was written by Argento and Daria Nicolodi that partially based on Thomas de Quincey’s essay Suspiria de Profundis (Sighs from the Depths), Suspiria is the story of an American ballet student who travels 1977 West Berlin to enroll at a prestigious dance academy unaware that it’s run by a coven of witches. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and screenplay by David Kajganich, the film is a homage to Argento’s film while exploring the many mysteries a young woman encounters at this dance academy. Starring Dakota Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia Goth, Angela Winkler, Ingrid Craven, Sylvie Testud, Fabrizia Sacchi, Malgosia Bela, with special appearances from Jessica Harper, Lutz Ebersdorf, and Tilda Swinton. Suspiria is an enthralling and horrifying film from Luca Guadagnino.

Set in the fall of 1977 in Berlin during one of the city’s most tumultuous events relating to the German Autumn involving the kidnapping and murder of industrialist Hanns Martin Schyleyer as well as the Lufthansa Flight 181 hijacking. The film is about an American ballet student who is accepted at a prestigious dance school unaware that it’s run by a coven of witches as mysterious disappearances and events occur during the school. While the film is similar to its original film by Dario Argento in 1977, it’s told in a different take as it is set during a moment in time where a generation of young Germans cope with the sins of World War II and the guilt they have over the events of the past. Even as this coven believe they have something that can bring them back to prominence following a period of seclusion following World War II.

David Kajganich’s screenplay is told through six acts plus an epilogue as it explore the life of a dance studio in 1977 Berlin where it’s divided by the Berlin Wall as the studio is set in West Berlin just close to the wall. The main protagonist in Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) is a newcomer to the studio as she is revealed to come from a Mennonite community in Ohio where she is dealing with the her ailing mother (Malgosia Bela). Bannion’s arrival comes in at the right moment when a dancer in Patricia Hingle (Chloe Grace Moretz) had left the school mysteriously where lead choreographer Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton) takes great notice of Bannion’s gift as a dancer believing she has something special to offer for a special dance piece she wants to direct. While Bannion would adjust to her new living situation and befriend fellow dancer Sara Simms (Mia Goth), she would notice that something is up as would Simms who becomes concerned with another disappearance of a dancer.

Hingle would play a key element to the plot early in the film as she drops off a diary and notes to psychotherapist Dr. Josef Klemperer (Lutz Ebersdorf) who is dismissive of her claims until he notices that she has disappeared where he believes something isn’t right as he would later turn to Simms for help. During the course of the film, there is a discussion among those who run the school about who should become the coven’s new leader as many prefer the mysterious Mother Markos (Tilda Swinton) instead of Madame Blanc who is concerned with this venture just as many in the coven believe that Bannion is the one to bring the coven back to prominence with Madame Blanc watching closely. Even as the eventual performance would play into everything Madame Blanc has been preparing for, it also has these elements that prove that it’s something much bigger in what is to come for Bannion to discover.

Luca Guadagnino’s direction is definitely riveting in terms of the setting, the time period, and the sense of intrigue that is happening in and out of the dance academy along with bits of scenes at Ohio which Bannion would think about from time to time. Shot on various locations in Varese, Italy and parts of Berlin, the film does play into this moment in time where it is chaotic with protests over what is happening in Germany in relation to the events of the times. Guadagnino’s direction would emphasize on stylistic shots that do bear elements of what Dario Argento did with the original film but it’s more restrained in the compositions with an emphasis on the physicality of the dancing. With the aid of choreographer Damien Jalet, the dancing and ballet has an intensity in the movements where it helps tell the story as well as play into something much bigger relating to the world of the witches as well as the mysteries that is happening inside the dance studio. Guadagnino would use wide and medium shots for some of the dancing to get a scope of the performances as well as some terrifying moments in Bannion’s performance in close-ups that would be inter-cut with something else happening that play into what the coven wants.

Guadagnino would also emphasize on atmosphere since the film is set during the autumn and winter of 1977 where there is a more realistic look rather than the more heightened usage of colors that Argento did in the original. Particularly as it help play into the sense of terror that is coming relating to this ceremony where Bannion is at the center of the ceremony unaware of what her role is. There is not just this idea of surrealism but also horror of the most extreme with revelations about a world that proves to be no different from what is happening in 1977 Germany with the political and social turmoil that is happening. Even as it emphasizes this element of guilt of past actions that a future generation has to cope with as well as the idea of motherhood in what one expects to teach a younger generation right from wrong. Overall, Guadagnino crafts an evocative yet visceral film about a young American woman being accepted at a prestigious dance academy run by a mysterious coven of witches in 1977 Berlin.

Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key colors and lighting that help play into the eerie tone of the film without being overly stylized as well as using light for the interiors as well as the big dance number in the film. Editor Walter Fasano does amazing work with the editing as its usage of rhythmic and jump-cuts help play into the energy of the dance and suspense as well as in some of the film’s dramatic moments. Production designer Inbal Weinberg, with set decorators Christin Busse and Merissa Lombardo plus art directors Merlin Ortner and Monica Sallustio, does excellent work with the look of the dance studio as well as some of the rooms and secret places including the room of mirrors and the homes of Dr. Klemperer in both East and West Berlin. Costume designer Giulia Piersanti does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish late 1970s dresses the women wore when they go out to the costume they wear for the dance scene.

Prosthetic makeup designer Mark Coulier does incredible work with the makeup for some eerie sequences that include elements of the third act in the unveiling of Mother Markos as well as other things including a horrendous scene early in the film. Special effects supervisor Franco Ragusa and visual effects supervisor Luca Saviotti do superb work with the special effects that include some of the moments of horror as well as bits of set-dressing in some parts of the film. Sound designer Frank Kruse does marvelous work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations and dance numbers to showcase how sparse the sound of movements are as it is one of the film’s highlights. The film’s music by Thom Yorke is phenomenal for its mixture of low-key piano-based orchestral music, ambient, and Krautrock-inspired cuts as it help play into the suspense and drama while music supervisor Robin Urdang provides a soundtrack that features bits of classical music pieces and some of the music that was popular in Germany at the time.

The casting by Stella Savino is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Fred Keleman and Mikael Olsson as a couple of police investigators who try to investigate the academy following claims from Dr. Klemperer, Malgosia Bela as Bannion’s ailing mother, Alek Wek as one of the dance teachers in Miss Millius, Vanda Capriolo as a dancer in Alberta who shows Bannion how to jump high for the dance, Sylvie Testud as the big glasses-wearing yet mysterious Miss Griffith who never says anything, Renee Soutendijk as a teacher in Miss Huller, Ingrid Caven as another teacher who kind of runs the place in Miss Vendegast, and Jessica Harper in a brief yet terrific one-scene cameo as Dr. Klemperer’s wife Anke. Elena Fokina is superb as a Soviet dancer in Olga Ivanova who is despondent over Patricia’s disappearance as she suspects the school staff while Angela Winkler is wonderful as Miss Tanner as a teacher who is Madame Blanc’s most trusted confidant as she knows something doesn’t feel right. Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as Patricia Hingle as it’s a small yet crucial performance of a dancer who is on the run as she’s made some discoveries about the dance academy.

Mia Goth is excellent as Sara Simms as a dancer who befriends Bannion and becomes her closest confidant while being aware that something isn’t right as it relates to the disappearances where she would help out Dr. Klemperer. Dakota Johnson is brilliant as Susie Bannion as a young American dancer who travels to Berlin from a sheltered environment as she deals with her gifts as a dancer as well as her own sexual awakening through the dance and coping with the mysteries surrounding the academy. Lutz Ebersdorf is amazing as Dr. Josef Klemperer as a psychotherapist still pondering about the whereabouts of his wife as he deals with what Hingle has discovered believing that some form of evil is emerging. Finally, there’s Tilda Swinton in an incredible dual performance as Mother Marko and Madame Blanc as she only appears briefly as the former due to its look while provides a straightforward yet maternal approach in the latter as someone who is trying to run a school and do things for the coven while being aware that something is off just as she is becoming concerned for Bannion’s physical and mental state of mind.

Suspiria is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino. Featuring a phenomenal ensemble cast, eerie visuals, Thom Yorke’s intoxicating score, brooding sound design, and a provocative story that touches upon many themes of guilt, identity, and motherhood. It’s a film that is confrontational in its themes but also play into the idea of a world that a young woman is about to venture into that is just as terrifying as the real world that is happening around her. In the end, Suspiria is an outstanding film from Luca Guadagnino.

Related: Suspiria (1977 film) - (Goblin-Suspiria OST) - (Thom Yorke-Suspiria OST)

Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me by Your Name - The Staggering Girl - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)

© thevoid99 2018

Vengeance (2009 film)

Directed by Johnnie To and written by Wai Ka-Fai, Vengeance is the story of a former gangster who learns that his family has been attacked by a triad gang as he travels to Macau with three hitmen to help him get revenge. The film is a simple tale of revenge as it plays into the world of triad culture and influences in Asia. Starring Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Wong, Lam Ka-Tung, Lam Suet, Simon Yam, and Sylvie Testud. Vengeance is an evocatively stylish yet intensely powerful film from Johnnie To.

Following the attack of a French woman and her family in Macau, a former gangster who has reinvented himself as a chef goes to the city to avenge the attack on his daughter as he hires three hitmen to aid him. While it’s a premise that is simple and could be told in a very conventional manner. It’s a film that plays more into a man who is trying to find redemption as he hires these three professional killers who part of a triad gang as they learn that the job they’re asked to do would have complications involving the men they’re targeting and who they work for. Adding to the turmoil is the fact that the Frenchman known as Francis Costello (Johnny Hallyday) is losing his memory as he uses Polaroid pictures as reminders of who is friend and who is foe.

Wai Ka-Fai’s screenplay does have a traditional structure in the way it explores vengeance where its first act is about the attack on Francis’ daughter Irene (Sylvie Testud) as Francis sees the work of three hitmen who had just killed with wife of a renowned triad leader in George Fung (Simon Yam) under Fung’s orders. The script uses flashbacks of what had happened as the hitmen who are hired to work with Costello have an indication of how things happened. Though these three men in Kwai (Anthony Wong), Fay Lok (Lam Suet), and Chu (Lam Ka-Tung) who are professionals who will do jobs for money and whatever they’re asked for by their boss. They are men of morals as they know on what not to do which is something the men that attacked Irene and her family aren’t. A showdown does occur in the second act but once it becomes clear who these men are and who they’re working for. Complications begin to emerge which adds to some of the dramatic stakes of the film’s third act.

Johnnie To’s direction is very stylish in not just the way he presents the world of crime and gunplay as it’s set in Macau and in Hong Kong. It’s also in the way the impact of the film’s violence that helps drive the story as it opens up with this very innocent scene of Irene cooking as her husband and their two children come home getting ready for dinner. Then comes this moment where a break-in occurs as Irene and her family are attacked as it’s swift and intense. To’s approach to action and suspense is very slow yet deliberate as it would include some amazingly choreographed gunplay in the showdowns such as the first showdown involving Costello and the hitmen against the three men involved in the hit on Irene and her family. It’s among one of several sequences where To’s direction has this flow in the way the action is presented that feels very poetic in its rhythm and scope.

Much of the direction involve some elaborate uses of crane shots to capture the look of Hong Kong and Macau as well as scenes where To uses a lot of wide shots as well as some compositions in the way he would frame his actors in a shot. While in the dramatic moments, there is an intimacy in To’s approach to close-ups and medium shots as well as scenes that play into the suspense such as the lead-up to the first show down that is set in a park at night. Even in the set-ups of the hits that are unveiled showcase how efficient and professional these characters are as To uses a lot of stylistic shots to play into the set-ups and momentum as it would have this major pay off. Overall, To creates a very thrilling yet exhilarating film about a man who joins three hitmen to seek vengeance for his daughter’s near-fatal attack.

Cinematographer Cheng Siu-Keung, with additional contributions from Hung Mo To, does brilliant work with the film‘s stylish cinematography from its usage of colorful lighting in some of the nighttime location scenes as well as the use of shadows and lights for some interior and exterior scenes at night as it is among one of the film‘s highlights. Editor David M. Richarson does fantastic work with the editing with its rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s flashback sequences as well as these intricate slow-motion cuts and fast-paced cuts to play into the action as it has this air of poetry that is entrancing to watch. Art director Silver Cheung does superb work with the set pieces from the look of the home of Irene in its destroyed state as well as the ragged home of Kwai‘s cousin on the outskirts of the Macau.

Costume designer Stanley Cheung does nice work with the costumes from the lavish clothes that the women wear to the suit that Costello wears along with the clothes of the men including the triad men. Visual effects supervisor Ken Law does terrific with some of the minimal visual effects that involve some of the film‘s violent moments as well as the showdown at the park at night. Sound editor Martin Richard Chappell does excellent work with the sound from the layer of gunfire that occurs in the gunfights to the sounds that happens in the many locations as it help plays to the film‘s suspense and action. The film’s music by Lo Tayu is incredible for its mixture of jazz, electronic, and bombastic orchestral music to play into the drama and suspenseful moments in the film.

The film’s phenomenal cast includes notable small roles from Maggie Shiu as a police inspector trying to solve the case, Vincent Sze as Irene’s husband, Gwendolyn Chen as Fung’s wife, and Michelle Ye as a pregnant friend of Kwai who would watch over Costello late in the film as his memory loss becomes severe. In the roles of the three men who did the attack on Irene and her family, there’s Cheung Siu-Fai, Berg Ng, and Felix Wong in superb performances as they each display a very dark presence as three men who find themselves being confronted as they manage to be formidable opponents for Costello and his men. Sylvie Testud is wonderful as Costello’s daughter Irene who is severely wounded from the attack as she asks for her father to get revenge.

Simon Yam is excellent as the triad boss George Fung who runs a lot of the crime syndicates in Macau and Hong Kong as he is a man with no sense of moral nor any sense of remorse. In the roles of the three hitmen, Anthony Wong, Lam Suet, and Lam Ka-Tung are brilliant in their respective roles as the intelligent Kwai, the comical yet dangerous Fay Lok, and the chameleon yet cool Chu. Finally, there’s Johnny Hallyday in a remarkable performance as Francis Costello as this former gangster who reinvented himself as a chef as he tries to get revenge for his daughter’s near-fatal attack while coping with his own memory loss that becomes very severe as the film progresses as it’s a very quiet yet engaging performance from Hallyday.

Vengeance is a tremendously gripping and rapturous film from Johnnie To. Armed with a great cast, a compelling script by Wai Ka-Fai on the idea of vengeance, and some amazing technical work. The film is truly one of the most riveting and stylish presentation in the crime film genre. In the end, Vengeance is a magnificent film from Johnnie To.

© thevoid99 2014

La Vie En Rose

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/20/07.

The name Edith Piaf to the French is a name they all know as the late singer is a beloved icon who sings songs of heartbreak and tragedy. Though her death at the age of 47 in 1963 was a sad moment, she was still beloved by her country as her fame had also grown around the world and in the U.S. during World War II despite singing for German forces in occupied France while she claimed she was supporting the resistance. In 2007, a film bio-pic was made about her life named after one of her most beloved songs entitled La Vie En Rose.

Directed by Olivier Dahan with a script he wrote featuring additional dialogue from Isabelle Sobelman based on numerous books. La Vie En Rose is the story Piaf's life from the streets of Paris to the world as she gained fame and infamy through her tumultuous life. Playing the role of the legendary singer is Marion Cotillard who had been previously seen in Tim Burton's Big Fish, Jean-Pierre Jeuneut's A Very Long Engagement, and Ridley Scott's A Good Year. Also starring Emmanuelle Seigner, Jean-Paul Rouve, Clotilde Courau, Sylvie Testud, and Gerard Depardieu. La Vie En Rose is an enthralling, enchanting portrait of one of France's enduring icons.

It's 1959 as Edith Piaf is in New York City singing but her health problems have finally caught up to her due to an addiction to injections. After collapsing, Piaf is sent to return home to France with her American boyfriend Doug (Harry Hadden-Paton) where she parties and makes more appearance before a car crash that killed Doug and left her injured. A few years later in 1963, the very ill Piaf reflects on her life as she recalls the time as a child (Manon Chevallier) living in the poor streets of Paris as her mother Anetta (Clotilde Courau) abandons her for a singing career. Forced to live with her maternal grandmother, her father Louis (Jean-Paul Rouve) returns from the war and takes her to live with his mother Louise (Catherine Allegret) who houses prostitutes. With Louis leaving for his job at the circus, Edith is in the care of her grandmother along with fellow prostitutes including Titine (Emmanuelle Seigner) who treats her like her own daughter.

When the young Edith is suffering from a disease that nearly caused her to go blind, it is with the help of the angel Therese that would make her eyes heel as her father would return to take her to his circus tour. For the next few years until she was 10 (Pauline Burlet), her father, who is a contortionist, quits the circus to go alone where he would find something in Edith's voice as she starts to sing. Years later in the mid-1930s, Edith is still a street singer singing for food and such with help from Momone (Sylvie Testud). During one day singing at a street corner, Edith suddenly gets the attention of a club owner named Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu) who books her at his club and brings her attention. Things go great until his sudden death in connection with the mob whom Edith is unaware she’s connected with. After that brief period of scandal, Edith is helped by her songwriter Marguerite Monnot (Marie-Armelle Deguy) and a new manager named Raymond Asso (Marc Barbe), Edith's fame rose.

In 1949 with a new manager in Louis Barrier (Pascal Greggory), she arrives to New York City where she falls for a French boxer named Marcel Cerdan (Jean-Pierre Martins) as they go on a date despite the fact he's married. Just as her life and fame was growing, tragedy would struck as Edith's life is suddenly in turmoil. After getting married and still touring the U.S., Edith's world starts to lose control as the Edith in her final years reflect on things she lost and such as she then recalls the final moment she sang to an audience.

With movies about singers starting to wear thin a bit with the typical cliche. Director and co-screenwriter Olivier Dahan wisely chose to not go convention by taking the film approach by taking the story back and forth to Piaf's own life from her final moments to her childhood to her last days, and so on. While that approach might take general audiences to be baffled by this approach, it works to tell the story of Piaf though some stories about her life are left out. Something that's likely to upset Piaf's hardcore fans but still, there's enough for them to watch and listen to. The structure of the script and Dahan's stylish direction works to reveal her humble beginnings, her discomfort towards worldwide fame, and notorious affairs including the one with Marcel Cerdan. Dahan's stylish direction definitely works to reveal the world that Piaf is in as it strays from becoming a bio-pic that is seen now lately in a lot of films. Yet, Dahan does fantastic work with the film and telling Piaf's story from her triumphs and tragedy.

Cinematographer Tetsuo Nagata does some great work with the film's tinted look of blue-green exterior shots in the streets of Paris and some of its country exteriors in Normandy to the more sepia-toned look for the film's interiors to convey the 40s-50s look of Paris and the U.S. Nagata's photography may be emphasized on style but it works to convey that dream-like look. Editor Richard Marizy does excellent work with the film's pacing that is very leisurely while using cuts to convey the moments of drama in Piaf's own life. Production designer Olivier Raoux does fantastic work in the design of the clubs and music halls that Piaf sings to the various environment she is in. Costume designer Marit Allen is also great for the look of Piaf's slender, thin dresses that she is famously is known for. Sound editor Pascal Villard does some wonderful work in capturing the sense of atmosphere in the music halls and clubs while conveying each moment in time.

Visual effects supervisors Seb Caudron and Hugh Welchman help in creating the film's look with its re-imagining of 1940s-1950s New York and Paris and the boxing scene as well. Music composer Christopher Gunning brings a plaintive yet dramatic score led by piano to emphasize the dramatic journey of Piaf's life. The rest of the music is largely driven by many of Piaf's famous songs that are played throughout the entire film that works for the film.

The film's cast is brilliant with small yet memorable performances from Andre Penvern as Jacques Canetti, Mario Hacquard as Charles Dumont, who are both two of Piaf’s songwriters, Marie-Armelle Deguy as Marguerite Monnot, Harry Hadden-Paton as Doug, Caroline Raynaud as Piaf's friend Ginou, Catherine Allegret as Edith's grandmother, Clotilde Courau as Edith's neglectful mother, and Jan-Paul Rouve as Edith's supportive father. Marc Barbe is excellent as Raymond Asso, Edith's manager who would make her sing with discipline while Pascal Greggory is brilliant as Louis Barrier, her manager to the end as he contends with her declining health. Sylvie Testud is good as Momone, Edith's street friend who just likes to drink with her while dealing with the presence of Marcel Cerdan. Jean-Pierre Martins is wonderful as the late Marcel Cerdan who charms Edith while becoming the love of her life for a brief moment.

In the child roles of Edith Piaf, Manon Chevallier and Pauline Burlet are great in conveying her innocence with Burlet doing the singing as the 10-year old Piaf. Emmanuelle Seigner is great as the prostitute Titine who becomes an unlikely maternal figure for Edith as a child. Gerard Depardieu is brilliant as Louis Leplee, the man who would discover Edith and become a father figure to her as he would pave the way for her brilliant career. Finally, there’s Marion Cotillard in what has to be a true, star-making performance as Edith Piaf. Cotillard's performance is spellbinding as she conveys the innocence of Piaf in her early years as well as her wild, drunken persona. In the other half of the film, Cotillard displays all of Piaf's performance mannerisms as well as her loud, drunken, diva-like behavior as it's shocking to see that it’s the same woman as Cotillard's performance is truly amazing.

The Region 1 DVD that presents the film in aspect ratio of 2:35:1 anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 Surround Sound in French that includes English, French, and Spanish subtitles. The only special feature, that is with optional English and Spanish subtitles, is a 10-minute special entitled Stepping Into Character is about Marion Cottilard's transformation into playing Edith Piaf in which the actress had to shave her eyebrows and the front parts of her hair while wearing loads of makeup for the character. Director Olivier Dahan talks about trying to convey each period of Piaf's life from her frizzy look early on to the regality of her great years to the decline where she has orange hair and such. It's a fine bonus feature on the DVD.

La Vie En Rose is an excellent and enchanting film from Olivier Dahan led by Marion Cottilard's performance. Those who don't know or barely know who Edith Piaf is will definitely have the urge to find her songs after this film. With film bio-pics about singers and musicians starting to become formulaic, credit goes to Dahan for not delving into conventions while giving audiences something to enjoy. For Marion Cottilard, this is truly a performance that will hopefully get some attention that is deserved. In the end, La Vie En Rose is a wonderful film to see.

(C) thevoid99 2011