Hello all,

Something crazy was happening in Italian cinema back in the 70s. Given sudden freedom, directors started making films that were simply impossible up until that point. The visuals in these films were mostly highly stylized and the moods were uncanny and decadent...and the stories ventured out into unknown territories. They were called Giallo or \"yellow\" films, and the Italian cinemas were almost overnight suddenly flooded with them.

With wild plots which were garnished with transgressive sexuality and weird violence these B-films almost always had amazingly hip soundtracks which remain some of the best in cinema history and which were often done by professionals like Ennio Morricone.

So over the course of the next months we will once and awhile take a look back at a few of the classics from this genre.....and next Monday we will screen a film by one of the giants of the field, Dario Argento....

- Jeffrey

MONDAY MARCH 2nd

PROFONDO ROSSO (DEEP RED) 1975
Directed by Dario Argento
126 minutes
In Italian with English subtitles

To connoisseurs of horror films this one is already well known. It\'s considered by many to be Dario Argento\'s first masterpiece. British star David Hemmings (Blow-Up) plays an American jazz pianist who witnesses a brutal, bloody murder from afar and turns detective to find the killer. Female Italian journalist Daria Nicolodi joins him in his quest, but the real costar is Argento\'s high style: gliding camera, razor-sharp editing, wild music and gorgeous but gruesome set pieces. The story is convoluted, to say the least- but its vivid, horrific imagery is perfect for a thriller driven by haunting memories.

As with other Argento giallos, the accent in \"Deep Red\" is on the visuals: the artsy sets, the gary colors, the tendency for the camera to dwell on brutal details. Images are stark, with high contrast in lighting. And there\'s lots of visual symmetry. Emotionally, \"Deep Red\" is cold, which is entirely appropriate, given that the theme relates to the psychological coldness of a killer. The frantic music soundtrack is brilliant, and its done by the legendary Italian group GOBLINS.

There are few contemporary horror films that compare to those of early Dario Argento. His giallos are: Gothic, brutal, impressionistic, artistic, and bordering on the surreal. \"Deep Red\" is one of his best....and it is a real gem especially in these days of the SAW 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 films in that it has STYLE. Here the violence is eerie and psychological rather than forced and blunt.

We will be screening the uncut version, of course.

THE NEW ANITA
Frederik Hendrikstraat 111 (Hugo de Grootplein)
Doors open at 19:30
The film starts at 20:30 sharp



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