Profondo rosso (1975)

Country of Origin: Italy
Year of Production: 1975
Running Times: 95m (France)/98m (USA - as Deep Red)/100m (USA video and theatrical reissue - as The Hatchet Murders)/100m 32s (UK video - Techno Film/Fletcher)/101m/121m 9s (UK video - Redemption)/123m (Italy video)/126m (USA - DVD)/130m (Italy)
Length:
Format: 35mm/Techniscope/Technovision
Colour Format: Eastmancolor
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound:

DIRECTION

Director: Dario Argento

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Seda Spettacoli Produzione for Rizzoli Films; Lea J. Marks / Radcliffe Associates Ltd (on US posters)
Executive Producer: Claudio Argento
Producer: Salvatore Argento
Production Manager: Carlo Cucchi
Production Supervisor: Angelo Jacono

SCRIPT
Screenplay / Story: Dario Argento, Bernardino Zapponi

DIRECTION
Assistant Director: Stefano Rolla

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Luigi Kuveiller
Cameraman: Ubaldo Terzano
Assistant Operators: Antonio Annunziata, Antonio Tonti
Gaffer: Sergio Coletta
Key Grip: Sergio Emidi
Stills: Franco Bellomo
Laboratory: DiLuciano Vittori, Roma, Italy
Colour: LV - Luciano Vittori
Technical Equipment: E.C.E. (Rome)
Negatives: Eastmancolor

EDITING
Editing: Franco Fraticelli
1st Assistant Editor: Pietro Sozza
2nd Assistant Editor: Ernesto Triunveri

MUSIC
Music: Giorgi Gaslini
Music Performed By: The Goblins
Music Published By: Cinevox Record; Bixio C.E.M.S.A. s.p.a.; Rizzoli Film s.p.a.

SOUND
Sound: Mario Faraoni
Boom Operator: Eugenio Fiore
Sound Effects: Luciano Anzellotti
Sound Studio: Palatino (Rome) with the collaboration of C.V.D.
English Language Version: Nick Alexander (uncredited)

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Key Make Up Artist: Giuliano Laurenti
Make Up: Gianni Morosi
Hair: Nicla Palombi
Wigs: Rocchetti
Costumes: Elena Mannini
Wardrobe: Angela Viglino
Costume House: Sartoria Russo
Shoes: Arditi
Jewelery: Lembo

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Germane Natali, Carlo Rambaldi

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Giuseppe Bassan
Assistant Art Director: Maurizio Garrone
Set Dresser: Armando Mannini
Set Furnishing: G.R.P.; Rancati; Cimino; D'Angelo
Construction Manager: Aldo Taloni

OTHER CREW
Continuity: Vivalda Vigorelli
Production Secretary: Cesare Jacolucci
Administration: Carlo Du Bois
Transport: Romana Trasporti Cinematografici
Special Shooting: Guicar (Milan)

LOCATIONS
Locations: Rome, Lazio, Italy; Turin, Italy; De Paolis Incir Studios

STUNTS
Stunts: Giorgio Ricci

CAST

David Hemmings (Marc Daly)
Daria Nicolodi (Gianna Brezzi)
Gabriele Lavia (Carlo)
Macha Meril (Helga Ulman)
Eros Pagni (Superintendant Calcabrini)
Giuliana Calandra (Amanda Righetti)
Piero Mazzinghi (Bardi)
Glauco Mauri (Professor Giordani)
Clara Calamai (Carlo's mother, Martha)
Aldo Bonamano (Carlo's father)
Liana Del Balzo (Elvira, Righetti's maid)
Vittorio Fanfoni (cop taking notes)
Dante Fioretti (police photographer)
Geraldine Hooper (Massimo Ricci)
Iacopo Mariani (young Carlo)
Furio Meniconi (Rodi)
Fulvio Mingozzi (Agent Mingozzi)
Lorenzo Piani (fingerprint cop)
Salvatore Puntillo (Fabbroni)
Piero Vida (hungry cop)
Nicoletta Elmi (Olga Rodi)

UNCREDITED CAST

Salvatore Baccaro (angry man at market)
Attilio Dottesio (4th tree specialist)
Tommaso Felleghy (surgeon)
Bruno Di Luia (concerned man in rest room)
Mario Scaccia (man at parapsychology conference)

PLOT SUMMARY

English musician Marcus Daly is in Rome when he witnesses the murder of a psychic. Daly begins to follow a trail of obscure clues, convinced that he saw something on the night of the murder that he can't recall clearly. But as he begins to unravel the plot, so the killer closes in on Daly...

Argento's first forray into the supernatural remains one of his best. The ecellent central performance from David Hemmings, loppy and convoluted storyline, pounding progressive rock score from Argento's new-found regular collabrators Goblin and Argento's astounding camerawork conspire to create a hallucinatory and unforgettable experience. A masterpiece.

Australia
Television Distributor: SBS-TV / World Movies - this print is reckoned to be the only copy of the widescreen, full length Italian cut in circulation.

France
Theatrical Distributor: Audi Films / Eurogroup
Video Distributor: VIP

Italy
Theatrical Distributor: Cineriz
Video Distributor: Domovideo

Japan
DVD Distributor: Culture Publishers

Netherlands
Theatrical Distributor: CFM Filmverhuur

UK
Video Distributor: Techno Film / Fletcher (V.188) (1982); Redemption (RETN 015) (1993)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Directors-Howard Mahler Films
Video Distributor: HBO Video Inc (TVC 1428)
Laserdisc Distributor: MCA Home Video (41941) (1994)
DVD Distributor: Anchor Bay

France
Rating: -16; 18

Germany
Rating: 18

Italy
Rating: 14

Netherlands
Rating: 18

Norway
Rating: 18

UK
Rating: X; 18
The first video release, on Techno Film / Fletcher, was the truncated version missing all of the humour while the Redemption video release, though taken from the full length Italian version, was cut by 11 seconds.

USA
Rating: R; unrated (director's cut) - most versions released in the States are missing some 20 minutes, mostly the comic relief and the development of the relationship between Daly and Gianna. Part of the House of the Screaming Child subplot is also removed from these prints.

1974
September
9: Shooting begins

1975
March
7: Italy - theatrical release

1976
April
1: Netherlands - theatrical release

June
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

1977
August
17: France - theatrical release

1980
January
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical re-release

1993
December
3: UK - rated 18 by the BBFC (with 11 sec of cuts, for video release)

2004
August
28: UK - shown at Frightfest, London

When was the last time you were REALLY SCARED!!!?

You will NEVER forget it!!!

When was the last time you were REALLY SCARED!!!? PSYCHO? The EXCORCIST? JAWS? Now there's DEEP RED.

As Sweet As Dying
Bloedlink - Dutch title
Chipsyomega - shooting title
Deep Red - UK / US theatrical / US video title
Deep Red Hatchet Murders
Dripping Deep Red - US advertising title
Frissons de l'Angoisse, Les - French title
Hatchet Murders, The - US re-release title
Rojo oscuro - Spanish title
Rosso - Die Farbe des Todes - German title
Sabre Tooth Tiger - shooting title
Suspiria No 2 - Japanese title
Tigre dai denti a sciabola, La - shooting title

SEE ALSO
The Spiral Staircase (1946)
Phenomena (1985)
Opera (1987)
The Runestone (1990)
Trauma (1993)
La sindrome di Stendhal (1996)
Evil Dead II (1987)

EXTRACTS INCLUDED IN
Il Mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento (1985)
Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987)
Grindhouse Horrors (1992)

PERIODICALS

Delirium no.2
credits, review

European Trash Cinema 2:6 p.30
review

Monthly Film Bulletin no.610 (November 1984)
review (by Kim Newman)

Resto del Carlino 30 March 1975
review (by D. Zanelli)

Rivista del cinematografo 1975
review (by C. Tagliabue)

Video Watchdog 27 pp.10-11
review

BOOKS

Art of Darkness pp.276, 279; 297
credits; video data

KEYWORDS

serial killers, rome, musicians, journalists, children, insanity

Last Updated: 8 January, 2010