“It was like a book… a BOOK!”
As I mention every time I talk about the man’s work, I prefer my Argento with a touch of the supernatural. My favorites of his films remain Suspiria, Phenomena and (more recently) Inferno. That’s not to say I don’t love his other films – Deep Red is still a masterpiece, after all – it’s just that I think his vision works better when there’s something of the strange in it. It’s easier to let go of the wandering narrative structure or mismanaged/dropped plot elements when there’s a girl summoning flies or witches in the basement.
I think part of my preference may go back to the VHS days, when Argento films (and indeed many foreign horror movies) in the US were always heavily edited. The supernatural stuff just fared better, given that it was already pretty messed up. I saw Phenomena as Creepers, and even with the cuts it still had Jennifer Connelly and a chimp with a straight razor. I saw Tenebrae as Unsane back then, and my general memory of the film was ‘meh.’ It always ranked pretty low in my mental list of “Argento films to own or watch again.”
I’d also heard that the original edit was a vastly improved film, with more character moments, a more comprehensible plot, and a lot more violence.
Speaking of violence, we’ll once again be taking a trip down
The Medium
I have the 2016 Blu-ray release of Tenebrae from Synapse. The picture quality is very good, and the extras are as well, albeit sparse. The documentary on giallos is a good starting point/overview for those who haven’t read much about the genre (I include myself in that group). I’ve only listened to the commentary for a few minutes, but it also seems to be decent. Synapse released a 4k upgrade in 2022 and, much as I hate double-dipping, I might have to pick it up for the much more substantial array of extras.
Tenebrae is currently available streaming for free (with ads) on Tubi, Hoopla, Kanopy, Plex and Darkroom. It is available for subscribers on AMC+, Philo, Shudder, Screambox, Eternal Family, Full Moon, and IndiePix. You can also rent or purchase it on Amazon or Fandango at Home.
The Movie
Peter Neil (Anthony Franciosa), author of crime thrillers, arrives in Rome for a book tour. Shortly before he arrives, a young shoplifter is brutally murdered and pages from his most recent novel, Tenebrae, are found stuffed into her mouth. The police don’t really suspect Neil – his alibi is air-tight – but the killer is obsessed, going so far as to send Neil letters about the killings.
Suspects and red herrings abound, as per usual for an Argento giallo. And, as usual, the main character is a creative type – a writer, in this case, as in The Bird With the Crystal Plumage. Franciosa is a likeable actor and lends Neil more warmth and character than I normally expect from an Argento lead. (And more than we probably would have gotten from Christopher Walken, Argento’s first choice.) Daria Nicolodi‘s role as his ‘girl Friday,’ Anne, is pretty thin for her. She’s a sort of non-entity and not what I expect from Nicolodi, who’s usually more interesting to watch. (She did not want to play the character, and only stepped up when the original actress had to bow out.) The supporting characters are where the most fun is to be had, particularly Detective Giermani (Giuliano Gemma), who can never quite figure out who the murderer is (in mystery novels, at least) and the always entertaining John Saxon as Peter’s agent with a love for his new hat (and Peter’s ex-Fiance).
Tenebrae is restrained for Argento, with few of the more outrageous excesses of style and gore, at least early on. Not to say there isn’t style, it’s just more… realistic. Even the big tour-de-force scene – with a camera roaming around the exterior of an apartment building – is just technically impressive, rather than being overtly extravagant (well, maybe it’s a little extravagant). The film is easy to follow, and the characters aren’t too outré or weird. You may think you know who the killer is fairly early on, and that may initially be disappointing, but as that character is killed about half way through the film you don’t want to get too comfortable.
Argento likes to play with images and symbolism, so there’s a lot going on in Tenebrae below the surface, if you want to look deeper. (There’s a character connection with water, for instance, that informs the words I used in the previous sentence) He plays with light, music, reflections and doubles. Not all of this connects or has a deeper meaning, but it can if you want it to. Those odd fights that seem to break out in the background, for instance. Just added for color? Or representing an inner conflict of one of the characters? Or just antsy extras blowing off steam?
On some level, Argento is also asking questions about art and the responsibility of the creator. At its most basic, the main question is – if you write/draw/film about monsters, does that make you a monster? I think Argento is aware enough to laugh at the question with this film, even as he engages in the cinematic behavior that most of his critics lament. Those who accuse him of misogyny (as a character does with Peter, the director’s stand-in character, early on) will find plenty of ammo.
One element I’ve read about, but that doesn’t really work for me, is that apparently Argento wanted this film to appear to be set in a near future, where the population had been dramatically reduced. While some public areas are thinly populated, there’s very little about the film that communicates this idea, and it seems unnecessary to any part of the story. I think the closest the film gets to “futuristic” is a videophone in an office. If you don’t see it, you won’t miss it.
As always Argento also makes the kills so stylish and interesting that they become art pieces. The violence is pretty restrained, for Argento – there’s still blood and blades and boobs, as expected, but it’s tame compared to previous films. Until suddenly it’s not. There’s a sequence near the end of the film that’s one of the bloodiest scenes in all of Argento’s films – a wall is literally painted in arterial spray. There are dismemberments and axe blows and throat slittings and art piercings (you’ll just have to see it). It’s such a shock after the relatively tame murders that came before – particularly that dismemberment and the blood spray – that the first time I watched this version I blurted out “holy shit” when it happened. I know I’d never seen that scene before, and indeed much of it had been cut from Unsane. (I understand that it was also cut severely in Italian releases after the actress – Veronica Lario – got married to then Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.)
The drawbacks of most Argento films are also on display here – there are jumps in logic and behavior that you have to just go with. There are events that seem unlikely or implausible. The plot – though tighter than some of Argento’s films – still has holes. There are a few sequences – one near the end in particular – that bear no scrutiny whatsoever. And, as with most Argento films, I find the ride more than fun enough that I let it all pass.
The Bottom Line
Each time I watch Tenebrae I’m always astonished at how different my experience is from my first viewing. That’s absolutely due to this being the ‘restored’ or original cut of the film. For one thing, it actually makes sense (for an Argento film). For another, the violence in the end is much more graphic than I remembered (and I would have remembered that arm chopping sequence, had it been in the Unsane cut). It’s also a film that has some depths, and I think it rewards a closer viewing, despite the jumps and twists having been given away. I still prefer the supernatural in my Argento films – but Tenebrae’s pretty good, too.
