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LA PORTA SEL BUIO was released as a four part TV series in Italy to take advantage of the fact that Dario was becoming a star. The concept was for him to introduce each episode all of which would play on peoples primal fears. The parallels with Hitchcock's similar foray into TV cannot be ignored.
There are four episodes: IL VICINO DI CASA (the neighbour), IL TRAM (the tram), TESTIMONE OCULARE (eyewitness) and LA BAMBOLA (the doll). Interestingly, he wanted to do something a bit different and so in the first episode he is actually picked up at the roadside - his car has broken down - by the couple who then continue into the story.
The episodes are split over 2 discs (2 on each) and run for approx an hour each. Luigi Cozzi supplies an introduction to each one and these are very informative if you can be bothered to listen to them all the way through. He retells the efforts involved in making each episode and certainly likes to talk. These are in Italian with either German or English subtitles. As a point of interest, Dragon have supplied English subtitles that are far better than the very poorly translated ones for their PHENOMENA release.
I won't give too much away but the episodes are:
IL VICINO DI CASA - a couple and their baby move to a new apartment in the country. However, on arrival that night they begin to suspect something is not quite right in the apartment above... This episode is directed by Luigi Cozzi.
IL TRAM - A tram arrives back at the depot and a girls body is found. On investigation no-one on the same journey saw or heard anything unusual. How was she murdered and who did it? Directed by Dario Argento.
TESTIMONE OCULARE - A girl driving home at night almost hits someone who runs in front of her car. She stops and discovers that she has been shot. When she reports it to the police, the body has gone...Directed by Dario Argento - credited to Roberto Pariente.
LA BAMBOLA - A patient escapes from a lunatic asylum. Who is he and where is he? Directed by Mario Foglietti.
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| video | | As you may expect for a TV program made in 1973, the source material is not particularly good quality - although filmed in colour, it was originally broadcast on a black and white TV system. However, the 4:3 picture is no where near as bad as I thought it would be. It is perfectly acceptable and as such I had no complaints except that it appeared slightly cropped at the edges - the LA PORTA SEL BUIO title didn't always fit onto the screen.
It was definitely better than VHS which is probably the only other way you would get to see these programs. |
| sound | | The sound again was nothing special but quite acceptable in the circumstances. The mono soundtrack had no overt distortion and did the job it was designed to. |
| extras | The only extras are an interview with Luigi Cozzi and his introductions to each episode. However, you can learn more about the Italian film industry and Cozzi's relationship with Argento by listening to these than you could read anywhere else. Luigi likes to talk - the introductions can be lengthy - but for any true fan they demand to be heard. He certainly tells a good anecdote. German and English subtitles are available.
There appears to be a hidden extra of a soundtrack. If you go to the episode selection screen and then just leave it, music plays and this is not just the usual loop of music, it consists of several different tracks and carries on for some time.
Of note is the packaging. Dragon have done their usual good job with this and the stylish slipcase contains fold out digipak and a glossy booklet in German. |
| conclusion | | This is an exciting release for Argento fans as these episodes have been seen by very few people since they were first broadcast. Dragon have done a great job supplying something that people actually want as opposed to yet another version of an already available film. |
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DOOR INTO DARKNESS
(LA PORTA SEL BUIO)
RAI TV; ITALY
dvd specification
original year of release: 1973
approximate running time: 273 minutes
aspect ratio: 4:3 ratio
system: PAL (colour)
rating: unrated
sound: italian dolby digital 1.0
dvd release: dragon entertainment
region: 2
region coding: none
dvd extras
english and german subtitles
Luigi Cozzi interview
introduction to each episode |
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