Suspiria
Short description
Suspiria is a horror drama set in 1977 Berlin, where Susie Bannion, a young American dancer, joins the prestigious Markos Tanz company. Under the guidance of the company's artistic director, Madame Blanc, Susie rises quickly through its ranks, but her arrival coincides with the unexplained disappearance of another dancer, Patricia. As Susie grows closer to Madame Blanc and befriends the dancer Sara, she begins to sense that something sinister lies behind the school's respectable facade. A psychotherapist treating one of the students separately starts investigating the company's secrets. The film is a remake of Dario Argento's 1977 film of the same name.
Luca Guadagnino directed the film, his seventh feature in chronological order, following Call Me by Your Name and preceding Bones and All. David Kajganich wrote the screenplay. Dakota Johnson plays Susie, with Tilda Swinton in several roles, including Madame Blanc, Dr. Klemperer and Helena Markos. Mia Goth, Angela Winkler, Ingrid Caven and Chloë Grace Moretz appear among the 41 credited cast members.
The production, backed by Amazon Studios and Italian and American companies, had a budget of 20 million USD and grossed around 8 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.7/10 from about 105,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.9/10 from roughly 2,800 votes. Film critics' reviews average 6.9/10 across 336 reviews, close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- For the scene with the main dance number, Volk, each costume was hand-knitted from red rope. The costume designers specifically trained in bondage techniques, drawing inspiration from the work of Japanese artist and provocative photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, known for his erotic work.
- A significant portion of the filming took place in Germany, however, the main location was the Grand Hotel, which had been closed since 1968 and is located on a mountaintop in Varese (Italy). The building was completely rebuilt to resemble the interior of a dance academy.
- While working on the film’s visual style, director Luca Guadagnino drew inspiration from the works of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Furthermore, Ingrid Caven – Fassbinder’s muse and former wife, as well as a star in over 15 of his films – played a role in “Suspiria”.
- Dakota Johnson dedicated two years to ballet lessons in preparation for her role.
- Before the film’s premiere and for some time afterwards, the filmmakers and Tilda Swinton herself claimed that the actor playing Dr. Klemperer, Lutz Ebersdorf, was a real person. However, even the name itself contains a clue confirming a connection to the Swinton surname: “Eber” means 'boar' or 'swine' in German, and “dorf” means 'town'. This combines to form the actress’s surname – Swine-town, or Swinton.
- The film is set in Berlin in 1977 – the year Dario Argento's "Suspiria" was released.
- Jessica Harper starred in the film, playing the main character Susie Bannion, which she also played in Dario Argento’s film of the same name.
- In 2008, the lead role was offered to Natalie Portman.
Similar movies
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
