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61

Everything Else / Re: Dario Argento and others thrillers/horror movies directors

« Last post by cthulhu on December 04, 2025, 01:41:40 PM »

That's right, i just watched Stendhal Syndrome then and i kind of remember that it used digital effects and that kind of threw me off. Now i think that the german actor Faßbender was in it? I have vague memories of that movie but i cannot judge it in memory, maybe i should also give that one another go.

I love to rediscover old movies i know somehow on blu ray, giving it restoration and a decent or good sound and mostly it's like seeing it for the first time. I had a blast with Phenomena and also Tenebrae which i saw this year for the first time on blu after having seen it only on VHS or maybe DVD.

I want to recommend, maybe you have already mentioned it here in this thread somewhere:

"Un Tranquillo Posto Di Campagna", i don't know the english title in german it's called "Das Verfluchte Haus" by Elio Petri.

It's from 1968 with Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave with music by Ennio Morricone and it's a unique, bizarre, great movie. I wouldn't see it as a giallo more of an artistic thriller.

62

Everything Else / Re: Michael Mann

« Last post by cthulhu on December 04, 2025, 01:25:00 PM »

Only 2 songs? And they carry the whole movie?
I found a Box Set:

Pilots of Purple Twilight (Remastered 2020)

And on Disk 10 is the whole Soundtrack from The Keep. You should buy that, the price is only 928€ 

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Everything Else / Re: Dario Argento and others thrillers/horror movies directors

« Last post by Guillaume on December 04, 2025, 01:21:17 PM »

I kind of feel, but i have to check that, that the newer Argento movies are different from his early ones regarding the use of light and scenery.

Re-reading the thread, it seems you stopped watching Argento films after TRAUMA/THE STENDHAL SYNDROME?
Argento's films from the 70s and 80s are the most visually impressive because he had big budgets and a generous/large shooting schedule.
From the 90s onward, he had more modest/small budgets and tighter shooting schedules, which partly explains why his films from then on are less flamboyant in style. That doesn't stop me from liking the films he's made over the last 25/30 years for various reasons, or at least appreciating certain aspects/sides of some of his films, even if they're visually less astonishing than what he did in the first part of his career.

If you haven't seen anything by Argento since THE STENDHAL SYNDROME in 1996, I advise you to watch DARK GLASSES (2021) first and then THE CARD PLAYER (2004), which are both  in my opinion solid thrillers and films. There are quite a few Argento fans who also like SLEEPLESS/NON HO SONNO (2001), but I remain quite mixed about this thriller.

Ok then, i will give Dark Glasses a chance

It's available on streaming but also Blu Ray,  you can easily find it in its original Italian language, with subtitles.

Thx for that great summary of information. 210min for The Keep..i cannot imagine where this would have gone but it sounds really like a total different movie. Very sad that it also had to be cut from 120min to the 95min because of a test screening, stupid audience it must have been;-)

The 210-minute cut might just be a rumor; Mann never confirmed that his film was originally 210 minutes long. It's likely that the 210 minutes was the first cut/work copy of his film. Many films are initially very long but have to be cut before theatrical release. I just remember a French interview with Mann after the release of HEAT in 1996 where he said that THE KEEP had been "butchered in the editing room" and its "original intent largely distorted." Otherwise, indeed, quite a few films suffer from test screenings... it's possible that the film was at least 2 hours long but that 20 minutes were cut/re-edited following audience feedback at test screenings, as Wikipedia states. I have fond memories of THE KEEP, the book by F. Paul Wilson, which is a nice gothic vampire story, but honestly, Mann's film is better and more ambitious in its approach.

64

Everything Else / Re: Michael Mann

« Last post by Guillaume on December 04, 2025, 01:09:02 PM »

I just posted a question about The Keep in the other thread ...
And i will do that. My friend wanted to invite me to that guy and when it happens, i will ask him. I think there will be some information about the rights and distribution and i don't think he is srtill in professional connection with TD and releasing is always about money first, but i will tell him, that i know that at least 10.000 french people will buy an overpriced edition of that soundtrack ;-)

Exactly!! Thank you, and keep us posted when you meet with Tangerine Dream's manager. It's a sure thing that if Tangerine Dream officially released the soundtrack to THE KEEP, they would sell thousands of CDs/vinyl copies, since this music has been eagerly awaited by fans of the film and Tangerine Dream since THE KEEP's theatrical release in 1983. When the american video distributor/label Vinegar Syndrome released the first Blu-ray edition of THE KEEP last year, they sold 12,000 Blu-rays in 24 hours!! Tangerine Dream has released hundreds of albums, but never THE KEEP. In fact, the beautiful australian Imprint 4K Blu-ray edition of THE KEEP includes the film's soundtrack CD, but unfortunately, only two tracks from this CD are present in the film; the rest are tracks by Tangerine Dream, probably composed for the film but ultimately rejected by Mann/Paramount.

65

Everything Else / Re: Anyone starting to feel like you're struggling a bit when it comes to live gigs?

« Last post by cthulhu on December 04, 2025, 01:06:49 PM »

51...and i plan to post something here after the gig in amsterdam..

66

Everything Else / Re: Dario Argento and others thrillers/horror movies directors

« Last post by cthulhu on December 04, 2025, 01:00:16 PM »

Thx for that great summary of information. 210min for The Keep..i cannot imagine where this would have gone but it sounds really like a total different movie. Very sad that it also had to be cut from 120min to the 95min because of a test screening, stupid audience it must have been;-)

Ok then, i will give Dark Glasses a chance, had just a short listening in the soundtrack from your link, sounds promising, but i also don't want to spoil the first impression going along with the movie for me.

67

Everything Else / Re: Dario Argento and others thrillers/horror movies directors

« Last post by Guillaume on December 04, 2025, 10:34:42 AM »

Thanks for the welcome Guillaume and also to Master Ray for his efforts to keep this forum going. I don't want to get sentimental here, but this place and especially this section with mostly you and MR was always a great inspiration for me, we share a very similar taste and fascination of the art of filmmaking.

Thanks for you kind words! 

What can you say more about Dark Glasses

I also recently updated my Argento collection and bought Phenomena.

At the time, it was my favorite Argento film, and I still have a soft spot for PHENOMENA! I love its visuals, its magical, poetic, macabre, and unsettling atmosphere, and Jennifer's innocent character.

 DARK GLASSES/OCCHALI NERI is somewhat reminiscent of the sweet tone, and fairy tale atmosphere of PHENOMENA. I won't reveal too much to Master Ray and you about DARK GLASSES, but I recommend it because it's an entertaining  fast-paced thriller, and also, at its heart/core, the touching tale/story of two endearing outsiders. I had the enormous pleasure of seeing this lovely Argento film in theaters, a great memory for me as a lover of his cinema!The excellent soundtrack of DARK GLASSES/OCCHIALI NERI has been written and performed by our french electro artist Arnaud Rebotini:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YADJXv1azGo&list=RDYADJXv1azGo&start_radio=1

68

Everything Else / Re: Dario Argento and others thrillers/horror movies directors

« Last post by Guillaume on December 04, 2025, 09:37:32 AM »

maybe you have some more information about The Keep. Is there a longer version or more of a director's cut available?

There is no "Director's Cut." Mann himself doesn't seem interested in reworking the film with any scenes or shots to incorporate. He said there might be some material on the film in his archives, but he's not sure. You can find a longer ending on YouTube than the one you saw on the Blu-ray:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMpDerTdnNY

I read that Michael Mann is not satisfied with the version due to financial shortcuts and his vision was a much longer version of the film and that much material he shot has not made it to the final cut/theatrical version.

Visual effects specialist Wally Veevers died during post-production, after filming had wrapped on THE KEEP, so apparently some shots/scenes had to be abandoned or left incomplete, and other scenes/shots had to be reshot after Veevers' death. Mann said that the special effects work begun by Wally Veevers was never completed and that the film also suffered from script problems (according to Mann, his screenplay wasn't fully finished before filming). He said he needed more shooting time before the film's theatrical release, but the major company Paramount refused to give Mann more money after Wally Veevers' death to complete his work.

Filmed in Wales and at Shepperton Studios during the autumn of 1982, The Keep suffered numerous post-production problems, mainly the death of special effects supervisor Wally Veevers before he completed his work on the film. The film was also subject to significant editing troubles, as Mann's original director's cut was 210 minutes long, which its distributor, Paramount Pictures, required be cut to 120 minutes. After test screenings of the 120-minute version received unfavorable audience responses, the film was truncated to its final 96-minute cut, which was released theatrically in December 1983.

Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Keep_(film)

69

Everything Else / Re: what Film / TV are you watching RIGHT NOW

« Last post by cthulhu on December 04, 2025, 09:22:35 AM »

The last movies i saw that i found good, great or watchable, at least not a waste of time were:

Warfare
This one struck me really deep. It almost has no story, there is no score or music for dramatisation, but it kept me interested and thrilled for the whole time.

Daaaaaali!
A Quentin Dupieux movie and i love all of them! It's about Salvatore Dali and it's beautifully filmed, grotesque, strange, funny.

The Phoenician Scheme
Well, this is a Wes Anderson movie and you get a Wes Anderson Movie. I enjoy Wes Andrson movies

70

Everything Else / Re: Michael Mann

« Last post by cthulhu on December 04, 2025, 09:12:01 AM »

I just posted a question about The Keep in the other thread ...
And i will do that. My friend wanted to invite me to that guy and when it happens, i will ask him. I think there will be some information about the rights and distribution and i don't think he is srtill in professional connection with TD and releasing is always about money first, but i will tell him, that i know that at least 10.000 french people will buy an overpriced edition of that soundtrack ;-)