Film gives different interpretation to each single person. Some of them are entertained, some are touched, and some are offended. However, I have found that and “Suspiria” (1977) are the films that most attract my attention. Therefore, Suspiria will be emphasized instead of the other films. Film “Suspiria” (1977) is an Italian film that coordinated by Dario Argento, it is the first of a film set of three Argento alludes to as "The Three Mothers". Argento co-composed the screenplay with his companion, Daria Nicolodi, in light of Thomas De Quincey's 1845 paper Suspiria de Profundis. The film based practically altogether around state of mind and the moderate escalation of tension through music and garish color schemes. The film is specific horrors, there is a grouping of homicides and dreadful occurrences at a German ballet dance school. Argento’s film that almost every scene is incredibly awful. Moreover, the film demonstrates Argento’s utilize colour in an astounding ways. A palette of extreme red and blue through the film represent about misrepresent, almost psychedelic and even mysterious surrounding feeling. Normally for horror movies, the images that will appear in our mind which are dark and unearthly. But comes to the “Suspiria” it go for a colourful palate that represent with “fairy tale”vibe.
The story bases on an American ballet dancer, Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) being enrolled to a famous ballet school, then she realize that there is something inauspicious happening behind the scenes. These pretty sum up about the film “Suspiria”. I will discuss the element of the film style, interpret and analyze the film in various aspects, camera movement, sound, Mise-en-scene and so on.
Case study:
From the opening sequence, the scene began with a close up shot that facing on an electronic notice board that act as a decor to tell the audience that the place is taken in an airport. Later on, there is a diegetic sound on, where a male voice appears in the film .It is trying to tell the audience that Suzy is arrived in the airport. Then, the camera slowly pan across the board to the automatic door and at the same time the door is opening. The red colour was first appearing in the scene. We can notice that other people faces are filled with red colour and it is hard for us to notice their features. The colour of red stands out when comes to Suzy and it can clearly see her face when she walked out from the door. It is trying to tell audience that she is the main character. (Image 1) The scene switch into a medium shot when she is walking. She dresses herself in white colour among the others who are dress in red colour. Her costume bring out a meaning that she is an innocence and light-hearted girl. The flawless emerges more among the colour palette. It should also be noted that red colour is a recurring theme as most of the crowd are dressing in red. Furthermore, the capability to stand out the character from a group of people and drag the attention to the character is an important technique for us to obtain.
The camera follows Suzy as she continues her walk. There is a “quite” sound when Suzy and the others are walking. There is no shrieking, noisy talking or cries of child, any ordinary sound you would hear at an airplane terminal. There is some gossiping sound and voices that came from the spokesman which is known as diegetic sound (on-screen). Suzy’s spectacular performance in this particular scene can be discussed as an important element of mise-en-scène. We can hardly see that she does not have any make up on her face as compared to the other girls (JoshNaughton, 2015). Suzy’s facial expression played an important role in this scene when she gets closer to the camera. We can define that she is looking for something from the main exit door when the camera screen to the point of view shot (POV) so we know that what has caught her attention from the outside. The camera then dolly zoom in to the main exit door, we can clearly see that the poster from the exit door are red and the automatic door are written in red colour. As we know that from this film “Suspiria”, red colour does not mean as love, but it mean as dangerous. It indicates that there is danger going to happen on Suzy once she leaves the airport. Furthermore, the scene then come with a background music, which is known as non-diegetic sound. The music gives us an uneasy and mysterious feeling. The camera then switch back to Suzy, there is no background music but there is a diegetic off-screen sound when Suzy and other people walking to the exit door. Furthermore, the music stop when the camera focus back on Suzy and the music restart when focus on the door. This indication that Suzy pulled or seduce to the door and has no considerations of turning back. The scene then switch to the POV shot when the camera is getting closer to the door and a mid-shot show that Suzy is looking for the door. The juxtaposition of putting a group of people behind Suzy and no one before her has highlighted a feeling of abnormity to the setting. (Image 2)
Camera then switch to a full shot while Suzy is walking through the door, then there’s comes a diegetic off screen sound coming from the automatic door when it opens. After the door open, there is a quick switch back to Suzy and then switching back to the closing door. (off-screen sound) The camera then switch back to Suzy with an establishing shot of the outside as Suzy is struggling against the rain and wind then come to a thunderstorm. Then comes an eruption of the music and thunderstorm, which known as non-diegetic and diegetic sound. Then thunderstorm flash in a sudden which appear in blue colour. Colour of blue has represented about moody and mysterious in the scene. The colour of blue and red has more encounters in the opening scene.
As compare to the other scene of Daniel, the blind man, with his guide dog is walking out from a building. As we can see that it is totally different from the opening scene. The colour mode from this scene initiated the way darker than the opening scene, it almost black and grey in range and white which mix with green in this scene. It has shown that it is a sense of death and hopeless. The scene began with an establishing shot and the camera slowly zoom in to the blind man and pan across as he is walking back home with his dog. The sunglasses, a long black guide stick act as a prop to show the audience that he is a blind man. He dresses himself in a black suit. It has conveyed the meaning to the audience that he is a sophisticated person. It is shown in a key lighting. The utilization of key lighting may build the brutality and expand the appearance of shadows over the edge. There do not have any background music appear in this scene. There is a “quite” sound (diegetic on sound) when he use his guide stick to tapped the sidewalk. There is a red poster which has appeared before in the opening scene, and it appears back in this scene. It is trying to tell the audience that the blind man will be in danger. Later on, it has come along the background music (non-diegetic sound) while he continues his walking. The camera then zoom in to the dog with a close up shot and lastly on the floor of the blind man shadow while he is walking. The scene then cut to him with a full shot when he is crossing the road with his dog, the traffic light turns to red colour. The colour of red has represent that there might be something terrible happen to him. The camera then zoom in when he crossing along the road. The scene then switch to a two white building with a high angle shot. The colour for the building can indicate as his funeral. Camera then switch back to the blind man with a high angle shot and the camera slowly zoom in as he walks to the building. (Image 3)
There was a blue light appears in the scene. The colour of blue has provided a mysterious feeling to the audience. The scene was frame in a full shot when the dog barked ( diegetic on screen sound). It has indicated to audience that there is “something” arises in front of them but we could not see it. The screen then switch into a low angle shot of his dog and him. The camera then switch to a high angle shot as he is standing in the middle of the two building. It has create a creepy feeling for the audience. Furthermore, there is an interference between barking sound and the music before camera switch back to low angle shot, and then the soft side light appear in this scene to focus on his whole body. It has lead the audience become more nervous and curious about it. The the scene switch to full shot as he is standing infront of the building. The blind man slowly gets closer to the building and his dog kept barking. The background music keeps on repeat and repeat without an end. The background music is trying to show an emotional tenor to audience to help them interpret the atmosphere which is horrible and frightened. Then, the camera pan across from a building to the building that blind man is walking to. The camera then transmit to a high angle shot of them and later on, it cut back to his dog with a close up shot, it has bring out and uneasy meaning for the audience. Then, the camera switch to him with a close up shot. After that, it has uses a montage editing for this shot which cut from his dog then to the building with a few bird flying on the building then back to him. Daniel performance has done a great job in this scene. He can easily express out the feeling of terror to the audience. The shot then cut back to his dog before cutting back to him.