DEEP RED

If anything, it can't be denied that the team at Arrow Video have came on leaps and bounds over the past year or two with listening to genre fans and striving to deliver what they're being asked for with a growing catalogue of very special edition Blu-ray debuts for many horror classics including the works of the once great Dario Argento. Following the 2010 bluray release of Inferno, a mouth-watering presentation it was too, hopes were high for the blu-ray debut of Argento's seminal Giallo Profondo Rosso (here released in it's English territory title of Deep Red) but could Arrow Video continue to meet it's own exacting high standards?

Deep Red/Profondo Rosso follows the investigative misadventures of English pianist Marcus Daly (played by 70's British stalwart David Hemmings) who witnesses a brutal murder take place and with the assistance of a stunningly attractive journalist (a great performance by Argento's ex Daria Nicolodi) set about tracking down the truth about not only this killing but the many that soon follow as the web of intrigue starts to unfold.

There are many reasons why Deep Red has long been (and continues to be) a favourite of genre fans. In the most basic terms, it appeals to the core human interest of the murder mystery and like many equally clever films of it's type has the repeat interest of having clues to its resolution laid out from the outset but only apparent to those who have made it through to the movies end. Add to this the stunning flowing camera stylings of Dario Argento at his vintage best (here maximizing a passionate flair for sumptuous art deco fashions, both in location/set pieces and even the actors themselves - Nicolodi is a living breathing deco masterpiece), some gloriously gory death scenes and the haunting prog rock tones of Goblin's Giallo debut making Deep Red as a whole a pretty much faultless classic Giallo masterpiece - if not the note perfect example of the genre.

Previous home video presentations of Deep Red have been a source of some frustration for Argento's fans with several near perfect but oft subtly flawed DVD editions available (between Anchor Bay's tampering of the closing titles to various NTSC to PAL conversions from Europe) so following the exemplary work from Arrow Video on their Inferno release hopes were high but like its home video predecessors it's another example of nigh on perfection but still not quite there for high definition fans.

Flaws from the previous releases have indeed been taken care of with Arrow's Bluray debut offering both the extended directors cut (still sadly missing some scenes of English dialogue) and the shorter theatrical cut - both with the opening and closing titles correctly presented (with no freeze frame shot at the end) and whilst the image is indeed a improvement on previous presentations (as would be expected for a HD release) I found my comfort zone of acceptable levels of grain tested somewhat in later dark scenes where if I'm to be honest it left me feeling that we're still waiting for that proper HD remastering of this one from someone willing to go back to those camera negatives and spend some time and love on the process.

The DTS Italian audio on the directors cut showcases the Goblin score to great effect with options of stereo Italian and English audio tracks available also (alongside either full or partial English subtitle options depending on which of the directors cut audio options selected).

Also welcomingly included on disc 2 is an HD print of the shorter English language Theatrical print of the film which image wise is on par with the directors cut but sadly only has the old stereo English language audio track (and I would have loved to have seen a DTS track included as for newcomers to the movie this print may have been a preferable first watch option as it flows better with the lack of disjointed audio/subtitle nuances of the directors cut).

The extras included in the set are good, though not fantastic. Spread over the two discs we get four short segments by High Rising Productions, the usual talking head interview stuff with 15/20 minutes given each to Daria Nicolodi, Claudio Simonetti and Argento himself (alongside a tour of the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome) which at times is highly informative (Nicolodi in particular is a fascinating individual) but sadly only scratches the surface leaving viewers wishing more time had been spent pushing those involved in their participation in the movie (rather than focusing on areas that will quickly become outdated such as the rumoured Deep Red 3D remake and Argento himself seems massively disinterested in discussing the movie with any great passion). That said, I wouldn't want to come down too badly on these interview segments as it's clear that those involved are still in their infancy when it comes to such productions and over time I expect will develop some interesting outputs (though still need that strong production steer).

Finally, alongside the American and Italian trailers Arrow have welcomingly included Thomas Rostock's excellent scholarly audio commentary which will make for a stimulating listen for fans of Argento's work and the whole shebang is packaged with a nice wee booklet by longstanding Argento fetishist Alan Jones (always great reading) and the usual uniform double sided poster and optional four way cover packaging (I'm a big fan of Arrow's packaging, always immediately identifiable and presented with great consideration to fans input).

So once again Arrow Video lead the way on blu-ray with yet another exemplary genre release, though on this occasion perhaps not the all singing bells and whistles that I would have hoped for. But until Profondo Rosso gets that full on remastering it truly deserves this will more than satisfy most.

Review by Alan Simpson