Nonhosonno (aka Sleepless)
(Medusa DVD Region 2)
reviewed by Suspiriorum

Poor old Dario Argento has had a pretty rough time of it from critics & fans during the ‘90s with a series of films mostly starring daughter Asia that, whilst not without interest (I don’t believe Argento could make a truly bad or boring film), weren’t perceived to be up to the standards of his best work. Thankfully, Nonhosonno, despite typically mixed reviews from the Italian critics, sees him returning to the giallo mould of old & back on something like his old form.

The film is set in Turin (like Profondo Rosso & 4 Flies), where two people are haunted by their past when their paths last met – a famous series of murders committed in the early ‘80s, apparently by a dwarf. They are Ulisse Moretti (Max Von Sydow) the now retired detective who cracked the case, & Giacomo Gallo (Stefano Dionisi), son of one of the victims who witnessed his mothers’ slaughter. But now a new series of murders have begun in the same style. Is this a copycat, or was the wrong person blamed all those years ago? Whichever, the blood is flowing, & Giacomo & Moretti must work together to solve the case before the body count rises any more.

It’s quite temping to see a bit of Argento in Moretti – a character who was thought a genius with his triumphs in the late ‘70s & ‘80s, but who has now forgotten most of it & remembered only for his heyday, but who rediscovers his old ways for one last triumph. Of course, it’s not as simple as that, but it’s an interesting thought. Argento himself is haunted by his past triumphs – complaining that fans always just ask for another "Profondo Rosso", or the final three mothers film, unwilling to let him move on. And the ghosts of Argentos' earlier films loom large over Nonhosonno, a film haunted by a profusion of images from Argentos’ past work. Indeed, there are so many images & ideas in the film that are very similar to his earlier stuff that it sometimes become hard to see where this new film exists, & what identity of it’s own it has. But that is a part of its’ identity – constructed almost Frankenstein-like from the body parts of past films. It’s a startling, audacious conceit that simultaneously allows Argento to fulfil his fans request by making a film literally "like" Profondo Rosso, & also to push new ground as an artist, reworking & reinventing some of his strongest ideas, giving them new meaning & new life. It’s also quite likely to catch out & disappoint those fans who expect the film to simply be Profondo Rosso 2.

One of the most impressive things about the film is the manner in which Argento integrates the older ideas – elements that were once tangential or even almost randomly irrelevant are now centrally integrated into the narrative. As two examples, there’s the gloved hands cutting paper shapes. In Inferno, they’re the disturbingly unexplained prelude to a murder that has little rational connection to the main body of the film. Here, they’re the animal cut outs that help to place each murder into the nursery rhyme that forms the pattern of the murders. Or there’s the teeth bashing. In Profondo Rosso it’s "merely" an unpleasant method of killing. Here, the teeth themselves are vital as the connection to the rhyme that forms the very reason for the killing. The conceits may be familiar, but they’re never simply thoughtlessly tossed in, rather always refreshed, changed enough to give them new meaning & resonance that ties them totally to the new film. Given the sheer number of references to his earlier films, it’s actually quite surprising to note that he has managed to provide an all-new narrative that is actually tighter, more focused & more coherent that we have come to expect, if pleasingly no more plausible.

But this is far from just a simple self-plagiaristic recycling effort (which I admit that last paragraph has really made it out to be), as there is plenty of new stuff to savour as well (most notably the rather for focused narrative line). There’s also an unusual emphasis on childhood & an almost childish tone. The motive, the nursery rhyme, is some childish game, rather than the typical twisted psychological motives Argento usually gives us, & there are many references to the amount of damage that can be done to children. A child who has not learned the difference between right & wrong can be like a psycho, unaware of the full implications of, & responsibility for, their actions. And the young leads are all in their ‘30s, but for the most part look & act a good 5 –10 years younger.

But wait. I seem to have got slightly sidetracked. When I started this review, all I wanted to talk about was how here we can see Argento reinventing his style into a most structured & streamlined film. About how neatly executed the murder sequences are, with a remarkably free & active roving camerawork (which may or may not be POV), & gloriously soggy gore effects by Sergio Stivaletti. About how well handled the shocks are – with one at the climax to rival that at Tenebre’s dénouement, & how genuinely tense, exciting, & even scary this film is. And I don’t want to fail to mention how it even manages to generate genuine emotional sympathy for some of its characters. Phew. I think this is turning out to be quite a long review.

Performances are mostly pretty good, most notably Von Sydow, challenging David Hemmings’ crown as the best turn in any of Argentos’ films. Dionisi is also fine, & it’s great to see Gabriele Lavia back on the screen. One of the big pluses of the film is the score, by the original four members of Goblin, their first since Zombi/Dawn of the Dead in 1978. Its’ a pounding, throbbing, memorable score that appropriately recalls the sound of their earlier music, whilst still being definitely a new work. It has a slightly heavier rock sound at times, & the childish feel of the film is accentuated by a lullaby-styled theme. The film is gorgeously photographed by Ronnie Taylor (who shot Argentos’ two Opera films) – aside from a brief interlude in a night-club there’s none of the stylised colouring many expect from Argento, instead opting for a more reality-based look which is still very beautiful.

There are a couple of negatives I feel I must mention, though. The pace lags slightly in the middle, & the rest of the film can’t quite match the terrific first half-hour. The climax is also a little disappointing, despite a tense build-up, a clever series of final twists, & an amazing (if unlikely) head explosion. Mind you, Suspiria & Inferno also suffer from weak climaxes, & that hasn’t stopped them from becoming two of my favourite films of all time. The Asia films had a very female-orientated viewpoint, so as if to change that, Nonhosonno is an unusually (for Argento) male-centric film. The ostensible female lead is the beautiful Gloria (Chiara Casselli), but she doesn’t turn up until late, & even then is given precious little to actually do, whilst the other female member of the group simply disappears halfway through. The only female allowed to make much of an impression is Rossella Falk as the dwarf’s mother. Also, this is a much more structured & rigid film that we have come to expect from Argento, & as such is lack those audacious conceits, implausible in the real world, & disturbing, seemingly unconnected moments, such as the dog attack in Tenebre, the barbed wire in Suspiria, or the hanging in Inferno. These supremely disorientating images are a big part of Argentos’ appeal (to me at least), & in comparison Nonhosonno is perhaps a little too structured & (dare I say it?) conventional for it’s own good. But now I’m being the fan wanting Profondo Rosso 2, not wanting Argento to evolve. Oh, & I’m as big a fan of comedy dwarves as the next man, but I can live without the comedy dwarf music. Still, taken in the childish tone of the film it’s weirdly appropriate & kinda works. There’s also the Bird… problem, of characters being introduced blatantly just to be killed straightaway. This makes it hard for us to feel for them when they get killed, but Argento is admirably shameless about this (check out the harp that introduces the Rabbit character), & it doesn’t seem to be the effect he is seeking in those scenes. When he want us to be emotionally affected by characters demise, we are.

Nevertheless, even if this isn’t quite up to Argentos’ very highest level, it’s an audacious piece of work that nestles fairly high up. Go in expecting Profondo Rosso 2, & Argento’ll have you since that is not what this film is about – you’ll only be disappointed. But if you are prepared to see Argento celebrate his past & move free in a new way (not to mention recall that his last film was Phantom of the Opera), you’ll enjoy it a whole lot more. This film seems like a real grower that will only gain in reputation over the years as people start to fully appreciate it for what it is, rather than be disappointed by what it’s not.

This is the Italian DVD I’m reviewing, released by Medusa in R2/PAL format. The 16x9 enhanced widescreen image is very good. I’ve not seen any other versions as yet, but I can’t see how they could make much improvement on this. The biggest draw for this release is the audio, since this is the only release so far to include the original Italian dialogue track, in either Dolby or DTS 5.1. English or Italian subtitles are optional. I haven’t got the facilities for DTS, but the Dolby track is very good indeed. Also included is the English dub, in Dolby 5.1. In comparison, this track is slightly quieter than the Italian, & suffers from some poor voicing (although it’s actually one of the better dubs around), particularly for the young leads. Interestingly (or not), one of the weakest voices (for Giacomo's romantic rival) seems to be provided by the same actor as the theatre manager in Opera.

There’s one big drawback with the extras, in that they’re all in Italian only. We get a neat enough trailer, & extensive filmo’s & bios for the principal cast, Argento & Goblin. Max Von Sydows’ runs 12 pages, & even includes Minority Report. Unfortunately, these are accompanied by rather cheesy "Supermarket" muzak. The best extra is a 15 minutes "behind the scenes" special. Again, there’s no English option, so unfortunately I couldn’t understand any of it, but it’s really great to see so much filming & watching Argento on set, & intriguing to note that in some scenes the Italian actors were all speaking English.

For extras, this can’t really compete with the UK version, unless you already own "An Eye for Horror", & can understand Italian. Still, it’s the presentation of the film that really counts, & the lure of having both English & Italian tracks is enough to tip the balance in Medusa’s favour as far as I’m concerned. And that’s it. Sorry it was so long, but well done for reading this far.