Suspicious of Suspiria

 

Long term readers know that I'm not a huge fan of remakes. Occasionally I do watch them however, mostly out of curiosity.

That's why I decided to sit down and watch Suspiria (2018).

I have previously talked about Suspiria (1977) by Dario Argento but you can't discuss a remake without bringing up the original. So, in both versions an American, Susie (Suzy in the original) arrives in Berlin to attend a prestigious dance academy. There she gets pulled in to the dark plots woven by the witches who run the school. This isn't a spoiler by the way, the 2018 version shows them in the trailer.

Most of the key characters exist in both movies but the 2018 version has more characters as it is almost an hour longer.

This is pretty much where the similarities end. Most of the changes aren't really that important, like how in '77 they studied ballet and in '18 it is modern dance. The slasher style killings in the original are gone, replaced by more methodical, story driven deaths. Things like that.

A big change that I really liked is the way Susie is treated. In the original she arrives and is almost immediately treated as a threat to be dealt with, while in the '18 version she is welcomed and actually trained. Another good change is that the plot makes slightly more sense than the '77 version.

And speaking of trained, Dakota Johnson took two years of ballet to prepare for this role and it shows.

The movie is set, like the original in 1977 and they did try to make it look like the 70's, but the result is a bit weak. They talk about the Baader-Meinhof group and the Red Army Faction in the background, but it did little for me to make it feel the 70's. Likewise, Checkpoint Charlie is featured in a few scenes, but it's less a relevant point than a set piece.

The actors are very good. Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton are the main players in the movie and especially Swinton is a standout, playing no less than three separate characters. Most of the dancers seem to actually be dancers which is a smart move.

The score goes from excellent to background noise, but does the job adequately. The film is scored by Thom Yorke of Radiohead fame.

Where the movie really shines is in its appearance. It is in many ways a gorgeous film and the cinematography is excellent. Some scenes are almost pitch black which is always a shame, but otherwise it is a feast for the eyes.

One thing that annoyed me a bit though is the fact that a large part of the movie is in German. Most of it is in English but lots of scenes are in German, and although I do understand a bit of the language and was able to follow by ear, it seems to be a kind of pointless effort to have so many scenes in another language. Yes, they are in Germany but why not just make the whole thing in German if that detail is so important to you?

The movie was also too long. At two and a half hour it would really have benefited from a leaner cut. Do we really need to see all the teachers eating breakfast? The side plot with the aging Doctor Klemperer also seemed a bit unnecessary to me. I wouldn't cut him from the movie altogether, but there were too many scenes that only made sense in the end and could have been done differently with the same effect. Fun Fact: Jessica Harper who played Suzy in the '77 version makes a brief appearance in the end.

So do I recommend Suspiria (2018)? Dario Argento said of the movie: “Either you do it exactly the same way - in which case, it's not a remake, it's a copy, which is pointless - or, you change things and make another movie. In that case, why call it Suspiria?"

I do agree with him in principle. But I have to ask why he gave his permission to begin with if he was this against it. I did have a good time, and unless you are a diehard fan of the original there is really no reason you couldn't enjoy it. It's far from a masterpiece, but it is more than good enough even though it is too long. So, yes I do recommend it, even though it won't be to everyone's taste.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week and stay safe!