Sleepless
by Dario Argento
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chiara Caselli, Gabriele Lavia, Max von Sydow, Rossella Falk, Stefano DionisiDirector: Dario Argento
Cinematographer: Ronnie Taylor
Producer: Dario Argento
Writer: Dario Argento
Editor: Anna Rosa Napoli
Producer: Claudio Argento
Writer: Carlo Lucarelli
Writer: Franco Ferrini
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 117 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-12-18
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Artisan
Movie Reviews of Sleepless
Movie Review: A Recipe for Horror
Summary: 5 Stars
For the eclectic palate. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt in a saucepan: ½ cup Italian opera (preferably Verdi, Puccini, or in a pinch, Mascagni). Stir into it until dissolved: ½ cup shameless late-night slasher flick (the gaudier the better here). Cool these ingredients slightly, then beat in well: 1 epiphany-laden stroll through the ambered afternoon halls of a baroque art museum and ½ cup wall-rattling, neighbor-disconcerting speed metal (cranked up to 11). Sift, then measure: ½ teaspoon stunningly influential visual style and ¾ cup unresolved mother-issues manifesting as beautiful, yet disturbing horror films featuring maniacal black-gloved serial killers. Stir these ingredients into the original mixture, allow to thicken.How's your appetite? It's true Dario Argento movies aren't for every taste bud. If you know yourself to have a weak tolerance for cinematic horror, please stay far, far away from this latest film from the Italian maestro of mayhem. But if horror happens to be your cup of cappuccino and you're looking for that special something for your next midnight snack, you've stumbled upon the right recipe.
"Sleepless" (originally released in Italy under the title "Non Ho Sonno") is the fifteenth feature film directed by former film critic and spaghetti western screenwriter Dario Argento. It's one of his giallo films-the Italian word for "yellow," which also names a sub-genre of ultra-violent Italian-style murder-mysteries-and is his best effort in that genre since 1987's "Opera".
Like most of Argento's giallo films, "Sleepless" follows a faceless black-gloved killer compelled by a scarring childhood trauma to commit terrible acts of murder. This time out, the police's number one suspect is a dwarf writer of mystery novels. Seventeen years in the past, a series of murders, thought to be committed by the dwarf in question, were left officially unsolved. Now, after years of silence, the murders have started up again. The only problem is that the dwarf is now dead. The chief inspector of that case, now retired, finds himself drawn back into the one case he never solved.
I think it's safe to say that no one watches a Dario Argento movie for the great acting-Argento has always been much more interested in creating imaginative, nightmarish worlds than in peopling them with believable characters. Yet "Sleepless" contains by far the best performance in an Argento picture. As Chief Inspector Morreti, veteran actor Max von Sydow ("The Exorcist," "The Seventh Seal," "Strange Brew") puts in a subtle, nuanced performance that is just a pleasure to watch.
Other highlights of the film include the score by long-time collaborators Goblin (at times reminiscent of their score for George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead"). Ronnie Taylor's cinematography is also an important ingredient in the mix. So if you're feeling adventurous and are looking for something of a decidedly un-American flavor, "Sleepless" could be just what your palate is craving.
Pour the mixture into a greased pan and bake for just under two hours. Allow to cool, then slice into small pieces and enjoy.
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