Do You Like Hitchcock?

Film: Do You Like Hitchcock? (Ti piace Hitchcock?)

Year: 2005

Director: Dario Argento

Writer: Dario Argento and Franco Ferrini

Starring: Elio Germano, Chiara Conti and Elisabetta Rocchetti

Review:

This is an interesting work. It is a made for television film from Dario Argento. I believe this is technically the only one he’s done as well. This is another foray into the giallo genre for him as well. I decided to revisit this movie as an Italian Horror Month watch as well as a Voyage through the FiVes watch, having seen this once almost a decade prior.

Synopsis: A college film student, obsessed with the works of Alfred Hitchcock, investigates a murder committed in the apartment building across from his and suspects that his seductive neighbor hired a girlfriend to commit the deed.

We start this with a boy riding his bike in the woods. He sees a woman and follows her to a cabin. It is here she meets up with another. They’re doing a ritual where they sacrifice a chicken. The act freaks the boy out, alerting them to his presence. He then flees back to his bike as they curse and chase him.

It then shifts to the present. Film student Giulio (Elio Germano) is dating Arianna (Cristina Brondo). He frequents the local video store, run by Andrea (Iván Morales), where he meets Sasha (Elisabetta Rocchetti). Giulio spies on Sasha from his window and has seen her naked. At the store, Sasha and Federica (Chiara Conti) both reach for Strangers on a Train. Sasha takes it, promising to return it the next day.

Sasha lives with her nagging mother. When someone murders her, life imitates art—specifically the movie Sasha rented. Giulio misses being a witness to the murder from his window, regrets not intervening, and becomes intrigued by the movie's similarity. He begins following Sasha to prove his theory, putting him at odds with Arianna and making him the killer's next target.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. I want to lead off stating that, if you didn’t know, Argento is one of my favorite directors. This film is lacking though. There are good story elements that I find interesting. This is a mashup of Strangers on a Train, Rear Window and picking other things from other works from Hitchcock. It is truly a love letter from the master of giallo to the master of suspense.

Giulio's theory may be incorrect. The cold open establishes him as an inquisitive boy and a voyeur, watching two women in a cabin. This fits his nature as an adult, where his voyeurism causes trouble. It's a classic giallo element: a non-police officer investigating a crime. However, the tension is underdeveloped since he isn't the main suspect. Suspense only builds when the killer targets him or he alerts others. This needs tightening to increase suspense and make this work better.

Now what I did like though is that as a cinephile myself, I connected with Giulio. Even more so that his original thesis is on German Expressionism, which I did a presentation on in college. We see him watching The Golem from 1920. He has a poster from Nosferatu on his wall. I believe he also watches scenes from that film as well. This is just a personal connection that I have.

That should be enough for the story, let’s go over to the acting performances. Germano is miscast as Giulio; his appearance doesn't suit his abusive behavior toward Arianna, which is shockingly tolerated. Brondo is attractive and adequate as the girlfriend. She disappears for a significant portion though. Rocchetti, as the neighbor Sasha, and Frederica are intriguing. Giulio follows them, and they are made sympathetic despite his maintained theory. Morales and the rest of the cast deliver understated performances.

All that is left then would be the filmmaking aspects. This is something that I was disappointed by, if I’m honest. The cinematography and framing are fine. I do like capturing Giulio looking out of his window. That variation on Rear Window is good. Seeing him spy on the women is creepy, but fitting for the concept. There is a good sequence when a storm rolls in while he’s watching Frederica. There are limited effects. I don’t have major issues there. This is just generic.

Something else shocking is that the soundtrack was done by Pino Donaggio. This soundtrack didn’t stand out. It doesn’t hurt the film, but it doesn’t do much in the way of building tension though either. It was quite forgettable.

In conclusion, despite paying clear homage to Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train and Rear Window, Argento’s Do You Like Hitchcock? disappoints. The film's concept—a cinephile investigating a murder inspired by a Hitchcock plot—is interesting, but the execution is generic. Germano is miscast as the voyeuristic Giulio, and the suspense is weak. Even Donaggio’s score is forgettable and fails to build tension. While a loving tribute to film history and giallo cinema, its technical and narrative shortcomings mark it as disappointing Argento fare.

My Rating: 6 out of 10