Dario Argento’s 1977 masterpiece Suspiria to screen 4K version in Italy
While purists still hotly debate the existence of director Luca Guadagnino’s now-in-production remake of Dario Argento’s magnum style opus Suspira (a weird film to remake admittedly, but the cast – Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Grace Moretz and the original star Jessica Harper – is rather tasty), news came down the pike via Variety yesterday that the original film will return to Italian screens in time for its 40th anniversary. And yes, it’s a 4K remaster!
The 1977 masterpiece will be shown in theaters as a special event Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 in a joint venture between Rome-based studio Videa, which owns Italian rights to the film, and Milan-based entertainment marketing company QMI, which is experimenting with event releases in Italy.
Videa hired German lab TLEFilms to do digital restoration on the damaged 35mm celluloid original, which was shot on EastmanColor film and processed using the so-called “Technicolor Dye Transfer” technique that greatly contributed to the film’s garish colors. The original Suspiria screen titles have been also been restored, as they appeared in Argento’s original cut.
“I can’t wait to see it at the movies again with all the young people who will see it for the first time,” Argento said in a statement.
If any horror classic cried for a 4K version it’s Suspiria, with its impossibly saturated color palette and expressionist lighting. And that Goblin score! I’ve seen the film projected in a theater. There simply is no other experience like it.
After its original release in Italy, where it became a smash hit, Suspiria went on to become one of the most successful European horror films ever made, thrilling audiences in the U.S., Japan and beyond.
The freshly-restored Suspiria is also expected to premiere internationally in the Berlinale Classics section at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.
Here’s hoping us dirty North Americans get a chance to see this new version on the big screen too!
