Dellamorte Dellamore DVD Review

Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man)

Reviewed by SuperNova

DVD released by Medusa Home Entertainment

Horror/Fantasy - 1994
108 minutes/Color
Italian/English
Rated R

Directed By: Michele Soavi

Produced By: Dino Di Dionisio and Conchita Airoldi

Written By: Giovanni Romoli

Staring: Rupert Everett, Anna Falchi, François Hadji-Lazaro, Mickey Knox, and Fabiana Formica

Story:

What is love? Is it a feeling that two individuals naturally and effortlessly seem to express into each other’s soul when the connectivity between them grows into a bond cemented by their sincerity? Is it a desire that we seem to search endlessly for in our lives to discover our own state of tranquility, sovereignty and assurance? Or is it a sensation that’s neither physical nor emotional, but exists to just deprive the human conscious of its unpretentious addiction like an infectious joke stirring laughter from the gathering crowds? In Michele Soavi’s beautiful film Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man) we are introduced to an elegiac character by the name of Francesco Dellamorte (Rupert Everett). Francesco works as a groundskeeper for the Buffalora cemetery in which the dead will not stay buried and the buried long to be alive. His work seems tedious; forever echoing a job incomplete as on the sixth day he must despondently and unrepentantly go about his commerce by killing the recently departed ‘Returners.’

All changes for Francesco though as a beautiful young woman (Anna Falchi) enters his realm of perpetual and desirable ecstasy. She conveys warmth and delight unevenly balancing the forces of nature, which have collided between the sedition of darkness in the heretical cemetery and the forever glowing internal light of her and Francesco’s devotion. She is the medium that separates death the character from manipulating Francesco to believing he is the grim reaper of souls and the harvester of those who sin. His companion Gnaghi (François Hadji-Lazaro) is a mute pawn representing a consecrated friendship built without enthusiasm and greed, but underlined with loyalty and partnership. Francesco knows wherever he goes Gnaghi will always be right there. And although the two are separated by their own differentiating qualities, both complete each other.

Jealousy soon ensues however as Gnaghi feels betrayed by Francesco and his blossoming romance. Gnaghi seeks solidarity through the head of a recently deceased corpse who happens to be the daughter of the town’s mayor. While it appears a bit cynical and tyrannical if one can even imagine, there’s a valid consent to the actions of lonesome Gnaghi. What transpires next is often assumed a dream, but dreams aren’t controlled to conceive perfection regarding social intelligence had they we wouldn’t find ourselves questioning why it is we did what we did. Following the death of his mistress, Francesco begins to slowly crumble under the pressure of wanting to witness love again. It’s not long before he discovers the faithfulness of his various interest don’t have moral intentions. With the reincarnated vision of his first love forever appearing like an hypnotic clown Francesco falls into a state of depravity as the blackness around him grows out of control.

Taking care of the cemetery becomes a chore and the route to escaping outside of his own life and destiny begins to close in on him creating a sense of claustrophobia that Francesco can’t deny or retreat from. In a last effort to find a meaning to all that he has to offer, Francesco and Gnaghi take to the road on a fanatical discovery of ones self only to realize running away from what it is you cower before doesn’t always provide you with the answers you wish to seek. Time changes mistakes, suspicions are often overcome, and life heals past failures, but one thing that always remains the same is the soul. For without life, without breath, and without meaning there is no reason to carry on. And all that we will succumb to is death. During the final few minutes of the movie Francesco looks at Gnaghi and states, “Past this town is the rest of the world.” He then asks “I wonder what the rest of the world looks like?” But only if they knew, it never existed.

Reviewer’s Thoughts:

Can a man ever live in a state of peril, where love is his only fear? Would it be right to place such a neurotic and benevolent species in a world filled with uncertain outcomes, dark doorways, and maniacal obstacles? Should we question what it is we do in life and why we yearn and search for the things we never can seem to have? Fulfillment, satisfaction, implementation, achievement words that produce happiness, but things so few of us truly find. Often described as poetry in motion Michele Soavi’s Dellamorte Dellamore is a film that finds itself placing emphasis on the desire and emotions the human conscious so eagerly wishes to feel. We’ve all been in a position before were words seem to escape us. Thoughts and lyrical obligations aren’t needed to transgress from a beautiful smile to two unclothes bodies sharing intimacy. But if life were this easy we wouldn’t need fantasies. Based upon the comic book Dylan Dog Dellamorte Dellamore defines the end of an area and a genre confined by its own fixations and tedious trends. What this movie offers to the viewer is something many films often searched for and could never quite achieve. A mixture of observation, awareness, and certainty. Through its peculiar story of betrayal and covet Director Michele Soavi appealingly exemplifies a world where the characters are compelled by the manipulation of a never ending crystal ball filled with lingering snow that neither diminishes to fall or ceases to modify its rhythmic ways. The characters are trapped by their own providence, which in this case is the movie and the genre they belong to. Unable to guide their lives down a suggestive path they seem forced to make irrational decisions all the while creating spontaneity that leaves the viewer questioning rather than sympathizing. The story corresponds so delicately and almost fluently to the horror genre one has to consider what’s so horrific about it?

For myself it was never about what Michele Soavi tried to create rather what he portrayed. Dellamorte Dellamore is a romantic novel at heart and underneath it’s fantasy story lies a message about the progression of the soul of a human and how love can often be deceptive and lead to the corruption and breakdown of our own mentality. In life we are lead to believe love is for everyone and someday we will find love, but the reality is that it’s not true and there is no proposed guarantee of such a thing. The expressiveness that we all seem to convey will often go overlooked or misunderstood by those not willing to accept or commit to the severity and technicality of a real relationship with solid and genuine emotions. The heart can be cruel, but not by choice, it’s all about how you control the components similar to Francesco controlling his demons. Francesco is a man with a desire to love and to show affection. A desire that builds inside of him and begins to create anticipation that he himself cannot control and grasp let alone meet. It could be said when Francesco encounters someone he immediately falls in love and ultimately brings everything upon himself, but I look at it in a different way. While expectations are certainly hard to meet and the persuasion of body gestures are inevitable to overlook Francesco is just looking for love in the sense of wanting to feel, taste and smell the living conscious. Every time he gets close to anything that may resemble happiness or filled with life he sadly loses all sensibility and thoughts as his minds rapidly being succumbed by the anxiety of wanting to forever hold that feeling he’s been searching for his entire life and hasn’t been able to firmly get a hold of. It’s sad because it’s true and when Francesco questions himself and why nothing goes right we can’t help but understand him and feel his pain. We know why women betray him, lust for him and then repeat the process as though it was an ominous tease. Women want to be acknowledged, they want someone to rely on, as much as Francesco craves the assurance he offers. He’s being blindly taken advantage of and worse of all his heart is pure enough to accept that as the truth just so he can at least have a passing moment of acknowledgment himself. No one is the victim here; this is life. The trials of love, lust, deceitfulness and the powerful connection we our selves hardly understand and sometimes feel suffocated by.

Gianni Romoli did a great job by not giving Anna Falchi a genuine name in the movie and only referring to her as “She” because it goes to show the tainted love Francesco has for women. There’s an odd sense of appreciation though that you have to understand in order to comprehend the actions of the characters in the film. Rarely do you see a man searching for love openly and expressively. To show this in a horror movie seems almost inept, as the two words are polar opposites. Love promotes tenderness, healing, and a deep spiritual respect, horror on the other hand thrives in an excessive nature. It can be tantalizing, mesmerizing, but down right gruesome and shocking as well. Francesco’s love is fueled by his hatred and no greater abhorrence can be drawn from how the opposing sex can make you feel. Anna Falchi surpasses the definition of beauty and trying to describe her femininity is impossible. She’s enchanting at the very least and unquestionably invigorating. Even though her characters (she plays three different women in the movie) aren’t around long enough to gain a solid understanding from they all produce an arousing effect intentionally aimed to captivate the viewers senses, before rebounding to some unforeseen result. Rupert Everett plays Francesco in such a nonconformist way. Poetically inclined and earnest when it comes to love, Francesco’s behavior is often spasmodic as it is asymmetrical. Often loved, sometimes feared, but always misunderstood he is the bearer of misfortune. I know I haven’t said much about François Hadji-Lazaro and it seems his role is often overlooked by a lot of people who review this movie, but I think it’s because many can’t understand his character Gnaghi. Though he doesn’t say anything until the very end of the movie Gnaghi adds a valuable meaning to the overall message Michele Soavi is trying to display.

Gnaghi is like the imagery friend we all dream of as children or the ignored kid who doesn't know how to express his feelings and instead retreats to an isolated place. It could be that Francesco the tour guide for us as viewers is so wrapped up in his world that whatever Gnaghi says he doesn't pay any attention to. What’s interesting though we as the viewer get to know Gnaghi more than what Francesco perceives him to be, which in this case is a mentally challenged human being. The rationality is that Gnaghi is the only one who’s actually there for Francesco even through his ups and downs. Francesco blinded by lust doesn’t recognize this and it takes almost losing Gnaghi, his best friend to finally wake up. There’s a message about friendship here and how feelings and love can often break apart the bond two people spend a long time creating. But this is life; this is how emotions can get the best of us and how cunning the heart can be. Everything is a result of something; sadly it’s when the outcome isn’t good that you realize your mistakes. Michele Soavi started out as a protégé of director Dario Argento before becoming a director himself. He obviously learned a lot from Dario Argento and the evidence is right here. Dreamy set pieces establish a scenery for erotic encounters, which behold great pleasures and unearthly passions. Glowing orbs add coyness to the overall spectrum of sexual tension. Obstacles flow smoothly around characters and transgress from each other with assured styles and patterns. This is Michele Soavi at his finest and the genre at its most elegant.

The culmination of Dellamorte Dellamore would be considered a faithful adaptation of a true horror fans perception had our taste not been so acquired and meticulous. The foundation that is built shows the diversity between Francesco as a fan and the cemetery as the horror genre. What occurs is a repetitive story, structured to conform to a process that feels tired and clichéd while not really adding much significance to the overall movie. You see Michele Soavi uses Francesco as a representation of conventional moviegoers. This sets a basis for truth and answers as to what really happened to the genre and how the decline affected a lot of directors. Horror has always been about being innovative and risqué, but yet it always seems the outcome creates a diagram that’s purposely and vindictively stolen and then just presented in an opposing and stale form of art focusing on the lack of creativity rather than the reality that could have been. The Italian Zombie sub genre was a thriving hot market in the late seventies and hit it’s pivotal creative peak in the mid eighties, but by the beginning of the nineties the thirst for horror seemed about as dismal as another Fulci and Matei movie. The truth is that Francesco like many has grown tired of the dead and the emptiness of all that surrounds him, which he’s been confined to salvage. The questioning, the contemplating, all moral reasoning and all the more tragic that Francesco seems trapped by this world because it’s all he’s come to discover. It’s so similar to the genre that it’s almost scary. How do you turn away from everything you’ve come to love when the need and the desire has been lost? Michele Soavi brilliantly paints for us this sinister picture of hopelessness, abandonment, and loss.

Video:

Presented here in a gorgeous anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer the print seeps through like a freshly oil painted canvas, blending and harmonizing the right mixtures of colors. Often dream like focusing on the use of haze and myths to create it’s spellbinding atmosphere, Michele Soavi employs a brilliant color palette taking advantage of luscious skin tones and the ethereal living dead. Emotions otherwise invisible to the naked eye drain from each character vibrantly and feverishly as though they were bound inside for eternity. Colors are richly saturated most predominantly the blacks, which fold around corners and fill the smallest of cracks. Day time exterior shots are beautifully landscaped with large headstones and falling leaves, while night time interiors are well lit with bleak and somber highlights. When night falls on the cemetery a world of new metaphors seems to come alive and pulls out the beauty in all things dead. Corpses are distinguishing and often move in sequence with the surroundings appearing more poetic than choreographed. It’s sophisticated, it’s entertaining, and it’s art.

Audio:

Medusa’s release offers two 2.0 Dolby Digital surround soundtracks. One in Italian and one in English. Both tracks are equally impressive and sufficient nonetheless, but the Italian track has the slight advantage here. Dialogue is coherent throughout and comes through quite vibrantly from the front speakers. Although it’s not stunning audio quality what is present is quite impressive. The bass provides adequate range and enough depth to the overall sound. Listening to the film in its native language really makes you appreciate the movie that much more as you become aware of what the actors really sound like. Thankfully Medusa has included English and Italian subtitles in easy to read white lettering that doesn‘t put any strain upon the eyes. The score by Manuel De Sica produces empathy for sorrow. It’s a traditional piece of music remaining committed to its culture by using effective strings and electronic beats to compel the art of the movie to fall together like pieces from a broken puzzle in an assembly of advanced techniques and rhythms. There is no doubt the movie could have benefited from a remastered 5.0 Dolby Digital track or even the massive earth shattering DTS. But as stated above the 2.0 Surround soundtrack is passable.

Special features:

Unreleased in the United States as of yet today I am taking a look at Medusa’s Region 2 release of Michele Soavi’s Dellamorte Dellamore. The fortunate thing about this release is being able to see the movie in a wonderful transfer that surpassed my expectations, but unfortunately the supplements do not contain subtitles and don’t serve a significant purpose to those of us who aren‘t fluent in speaking Italian. However the disc does contain some fascinating special features, an audio commentary by director Michele Soavi and writer Gianni Romoli. A making of featurette and cast and crew biographies and filmographies. There are twenty chapters running the entire length of the movie alongside of an audio selection menu, a subtitle selection menu and the extras material. The main menus are animated, but without sound.

Running close to eighteen minutes in length the making of documentary although in mostly Italian is an intriguing look at some behind the scenes footage of Dellamorte Dellamore. There’s a great collection of interviews with the cast and crew ranging from Anna Falchi, Rupert Everett who speaks in English but is voiced over by an Italian translator and even Michele Soavi. I can’t understand the language of Italian, but I can interpret body language and from what I’ve seen there appeared to be a great sense of passion poured into making this movie. The interviews occur to be taken on the set, one with Anna in full zombie make-up is quite possibly the most interesting to watch. Writer Gianni Romoli accompanies Michele Soavi on the commentary track. There are no English subtitles available, but I can only imagine what the two talk about. Rounding out the disc is a selection of cast and crew biographies and filmographies, which of course are in Italian.

While it may seem the special features bring the DVD a bit down that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is an excellent release, and comes with my highest recommendation. The audio and video quality are vastly superior to “Red Edition” DVD available and it’s certainly a lot better than the old Cemetery Man VHS tapes. At a price of thirty dollars this movie may seem a little steep, but trust me every penny is worth it. This was the last movie Michele Soavi ever directed and though some of us hope he makes a return to the genre, this film was unquestionably a wonderful way to end a long and illustrious career. Don’t hesitate to pick this DVD up (it can be bought through Xploited Cinema courtesy of Tony). You won’t be disappointed.

‘The Making Of Dellamorte Dellamore’

Commentary By Gianni Romoli And Michele Soavi

Biography

Overall:

Many people will never understand horror, not the genre, but the true context of the word. Throughout my experiences of misconceptions and judgmental assumptions, I’ve stood firm in my beliefs and values placed within horror the genre and the element of depravity. Horror doesn’t have to be confined to specific imagery or fabricated critical analysts of our society. What’s unique about this genre and dealing with the manipulation and control you have is the ability to build, expand and portray your most deepest and purest fascinations regardless of compatibility, immorality, and insensibility. Horror is fantasy, horror is science fiction, horror can be powerful, bold, romantic and even poetic. Horror can evoke feelings through rapid imagery of arteries profusely draining the body of it’s natural resource. At times it may be revolting, it may be perceived as offensive, but to the few who stand by and consider what is happening before them as not entertainment or a genuine pleasure, but as a relative form of respectable art vastly comprehend the director’s vision. It’s an appreciation that many will never understand and leave countless questioning. When a film manages to weave it’s artistic ability around my throat like the hands of a black gloved murdered I stand up and take notice. No film that I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing comes as close to sincerity and my perception of horror then Michele Soavi’s Dellamorte Dellamore. It may not be defined as a classic, it may not be an original work of art, but Dellamorte Dellamore is a film that goes beyond the context of terror and surrealism. Its emotions are validating, its story solemn, to me it is the last great Italian horror film ever made and quite possibly the most definitive.

Movie: ****/*****
Video: ****/*****
Audio: ***½/*****
Supplements: ***½/*****