Phenomena - The Film Debate

[Paul@TheOverlook]

Originally Posted by Almar@Cult Labs

Good point - some nice camerawork there indeed. What happened to Boswell - he was all over this and Stage Fright and Hardware...

Pretty sure Boswell scored Clive Barker's (underrated) LORD OF ILLUSIONS too.

[Gojirosan]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

What have you got against Iron Maiden?

Just not a fan...well, not quite true, I am not a fan of their stuff with Bruce Dickinson. "Flash Of The Blade" is probably their best song of the Dickinson era though, and is expertly used in Phenomena

I adore their first album when they were a bit punky and rough and had a singer one didn't need to have dog's hearing to listen to!

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Paul@Lovelockandload

Phenomena is quite an oddity, even for Argento. A lot of it takes place during the day, the plot is completely nonsensical, the music score is eclectic and some of the acting/dubbing is best described as dubious but it’s a film that I have a lot of love for. It’s not even one of those films that’s good because it’s bad – it’s just “is”. It’s really hard to describe the reasons I like it and why I rate it among my favourite Italian horror films, but it’s definitely something that should be seen by those that like their Eurocult films.

All very good points and it is strange that despite all of the reasons why the film shouldn't work and should be a complete mess, it somehow succeeds and manages to be a completely engrossing and enjoyable watch that stands up to repeated viewings. It's one of those intangibles that you will never know and can't describe to someone.

Let's face it, if you described the plot of Suspiria to a horror fan who hadn't seen it and said that some of the acting was far from Olivier-esque, it doesn't quite hang together as a complete film and the score is completely overbearing, they may not want to watch it but that doesn't stop it being an absolute masterpiece!

I think it's a trait of all of Argento's films that the plot is sometimes subservient to the visuals and the acting leaves a lot to be desired but you can't fault the camerawork, the sense of ambition and the feeling you have when it is finished -- this goes for Phenomena as well.

[Paul@TheOverlook]

I wouldn't make that comparison with Suspiria simply because I believe any criticism that could be layed at Phenomena's door is probably down to Argento going a little too far into the realms of the fantasique.

I love it, as I said before, and have owned three VHS versions (Palace UK, Palace Australia, EVC Netherlands) one LaserDisc (Roan Group) and two DVDs (Anchor Bay US, Dragon Germany), so I really do have a lot of time for it. I must have seen the film seven or eight times too!

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Paul@Lovelockandload

I wouldn't make that comparison with Suspiria simply because I believe any criticism that could be layed at Phenomena's door is probably down to Argento going a little too far into the realms of the fantasique.

I take your point but there are many Argento films in which he embraces the fantasy element, one of which is Suspiria - 'a fairy tale for adults' as he described it. Films like Sleepless are very reality-based, as is Stendhal Syndrome, but then there are others like Inferno, Phenomena and Suspiria that almost exist in a different universe!

[Paul@TheOverlook]

I appreciate your point, but aside from witchcraft and alchemy, there’s little else that’s as fantastical in Suspiria or Inferno. Yes, Suspiria and Inferno are very surreal but Argento explores some altogether bizarre concepts in Phenomena, and it is easy to see why it took some flak from the critics of the time. It really deviates from what Argento had done up to that point by some margin and there were many fans who dismissed it at the time of the release. My guess is he wanted to make a film that was similar to Suspiria (especially given the school setting) and run with it. I’d go as far as to say that Phenomena is the film where Argento indulges the fantastic more than in any other.

I know a lot of people who like these films and not one of them dislikes Phenomena. Some of them didn’t like it upon first viewing but it’s grown on them. Others, myself included, have had a lot of time for it from the start.

[Almar@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Paul@Lovelockandload

I appreciate your point, but aside from witchcraft and alchemy, there’s little else that’s as fantastical in Suspiria or Inferno. Yes, Suspiria and Inferno are very surreal but Argento explores some altogether bizarre concepts in Phenomena, and it is easy to see why it took some flak from the critics of the time. It really deviates from what Argento had done up to that point by some margin and there were many fans who dismissed it at the time of the release. My guess is he wanted to make a film that was similar to Suspiria (especially given the school setting) and run with it. I’d go as far as to say that Phenomena is the film where Argento indulges the fantastic more than in any other.

I know a lot of people who like these films and not one of them dislikes Phenomena. Some of them didn’t like it upon first viewing but it’s grown on them. Others, myself included, have had a lot of time for it from the start.

I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of the film when first watching it back in the 90s but over the years it has grown on me and let's face it with what has generally followed it's become one of his better works. Also thinking it through just now it has some great set pieces and also feels like a cinematic Argento than the more TV-movie style he seems to have fallen into.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Paul, I see what you mean and it does seem as if Argento uses Phenomena to explore themes and elements of the supernatural to an extent that he hadn't previously done (or has done in any movie since then).

To coin a popular phrase, he was 'pushing the envelope' to see what he could do in a film and, to an extent, it failed as the film was not a critical or commercial success upon release.

Like many other films, it has found an audience in the home video market and has benefited from word-of-mouth so, although it is Argento being more experimental than ever, it all fits together in a film that many of his fans love to bits and that's why I think (and hope) that this release will be a massive hit.

[Paul@TheOverlook]

Originally Posted by Almar@Cult Labs

I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of the film when first watching it back in the 90s but over the years it has grown on me and let's face it with what has generally followed it's become one of his better works. Also thinking it through just now it has some great set pieces and also feels like a cinematic Argento than the more TV-movie style he seems to have fallen into.

I agree. But as I keep adding, I’ve liked Phenomena from the get-go, but that’s probably because I saw it before seeing any of his masterworks. There was no point of reference for me, and I just enjoyed its sheer absurdity. Even when I saw it for the second time (probably five or six years later), I’d still not seen any of his other films. I also agree that Phenomena is better than any of his subsequent films, Opera and The Stendhal Syndrome aside. There are films that were made later on--and I’ll be honest, I have absolutely no love for Phantom of the Opera and The Mother of Tears--that I will never, ever sit through again!

I think the point that I am getting at here is the film has been the target of a lot of criticism over the years and while I cans see where it comes from, I completely disagree. I don’t think anyone who has a problem with this film would like any movie in which a young heroine utilises her telepathic powers to control insects in order to uncover the secret identity of a serial killer.

...and it's got Donald Pleasance playing a Scottish professor and a homicidal chimpanzee. There really is a lot to love.

[Paul@TheOverlook]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

...and that's why I think (and hope) that this release will be a massive hit.

I hope so too. It's had shocking treatment at the hands of uncaring distributors for far too long. If this is the definitive version I'm hoping for, you can definitely count on me buying a Blu one.