The Stendhal Syndrome – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1996
Director: Dario Argento
Writers: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini
Cast: Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, Marco Leonardi, Luigi Diberti, Julien Lambroschini, John Quentin, Paolo Bonacelli, Vera Gemma, Veronica Lazar, Cinzia Monreale

Release Date: December 2nd, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 119 Minutes 44 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Italian, DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (UHD), Region A (Blu-Ray)
Retail Price: $66.98

"Detective Anna Manni is on the hunt for a sadistic serial rapist and murderer when, whilst working her way through the various artworks on display in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, she falls into a trance and faints. After regaining consciousness and returning to her hotel room in a dissociative state, Anna is brutally attacked and raped by the killer before she eventually manages to escape his clutches. In the wake of this ordeal, Anna’s psychiatrist explains to her that she suffers from Stendhal syndrome, a rare condition in which individuals become overwhelmed in the presence of great works of art. Returning to her hometown of Viterbo where she has been advised to rest up, Anna continues to psychologically unravel, all the while sensing that the killer has unfinished business with her…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative."

The Stendhal Syndrome comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 85.5 GB

Feature: 84.4 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

The Stendhal Syndrome comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.1 GB

Feature: 34.4 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Italian, DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Italian and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both audio tracks sound excellent. Dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and Ennio Morricone’s score sounds appropriately robust. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track, removable English SDH for the English language track, and removable English subtitles for scenes only in Italian when watching the English language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with film historians Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth, and Nathaniel Thompson.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an English-language trailer (1 minute 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), English-language opening credits (1 minute 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with special make-up effects artist Franco Casagni titled Inside the Wounds (13 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Asia Argento titled Through Her Gaze (25 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Giuseppe Colombo titled The Price of Vision (17 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Franco Ferrini titled Scripted Visions (15 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with second unit director Luigi Cozzi titled Shadow Unit (15 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with production designer Antonello Geleng titled Architect of Illusion (34 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti titled Behind the Canvas (33 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with director/screenwriter Dario Argento titled Lost in Art (27 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth, and Nathaniel Thompson.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 8,000 units), and a 40-page perfect-bound book (limited to 8,000 units) with an essay titled Art Attack: Voyeurism and Violation in The Stendhal Syndrome written by Michael Blyth, an essay titled The Perils of Perception written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and an essay titled Art and Monsters: Analyzing Dario Argento’s The Stendhal Syndrome written by Francesco Massaccesi.

Summary:

Anna Manni, a detective with the anti-rape squad, receives a tip shortly after arriving in Florence that a serial rapist who she has been pursuing is in town. Anna’s informant agrees to meet her at the Uffizi Gallery with more info about the serial rapist. Shortly after Anna enters the gallery, she is overcome by the paintings, which transform themselves before her eyes, causing her to faint and hit her head on a table. When Anna regains consciousness, an attractive man named Alfredo helps her. Not knowing who she is or why she was there, she refuses Alfredo's help. 

Anna, now in the safety of her hotel recovering from the events early in the day, is confronted by Alfredo, who happens to be the serial rapist she has been tracking. Although he overpowers her as he psychically and mentally rapes her, somehow Anna manages to escape from Alfredo before he has a chance to kill her. Anna, now suffering from the dementia brought on by “The Stendhal Syndrome,” must also deal with the fact Alfredo is still at large, with the possibility that he might come back and finish her off.

For most fans of Dario Argento, there are two periods, before and after Opera. The Stendhal Syndrome, more than any film that came after Opera, divides Argento fans with its gritty and at times too realistic take on events unfolding. The idea that great works of art can overcome a person is a superb premise and Dario Argento flawlessly executes it. What ultimately makes The Stendhal Syndrome even more disturbing is that the things it portrays often occur in the real world and that they are not just the author's imagination.

When discussing the performances, one cannot ignore the role that dubbing plays. The Stendhal Syndrome plays so much better in Italian than in English. Asia Argento is cast in the role of Anna Manni, a protagonist who slowly transforms into the man who violated her. Of the six films directed by her father, Dario Argento, that she appeared in, The Stendhal Syndrome is easily her best. Her character's evolution is outstanding and she never delivers a false note. That said, her character goes through an identity crisis that rivals the two characters from Ingmar Bergman’s Persona.

Although Asia Argento’s performance is the heart and soul of The Stendhal Syndrome, she is surrounded by an outstanding cast who are all excellent in their roles. One performance of note is Thomas Kretschmann's (The Pianist) chilling portrayal of serial rapist Alfredo Grossi. Notable cast members include Cinzia Monreale (The Beyond) in the role of Alfredo’s wife, Marco Leonardi (Cinema Paradiso) in the role of Marco, a co-worker and former lover of Anna, and Veronica Lazar (Inferno) in the role of Marie’s mother.

While music has always played a significant role in the cinema of Dario Argento, The Stendhal Syndrome would reunite Argento with Ennio Morricone for the first time since Four Flies on Grey Velvet. His score immediately grabs you as the opening credits roll, and it does a phenomenal job setting the tone for what follows. That said, Ennio Morricone delivers a hallucinogenic score of cacophonous sounds, which evoke their own Stendhal-like syndrome in the listener.

From a production standpoint, there are not many areas where The Stendhal Syndrome does not excel. The CGI special effects are an area that's lacking; they do not hold up well, and they looked iffy even when the film was initially released. Dario Argento has always delivered visually arresting and picturesque moments, and throughout his career he’s collaborated with several gifted cinematographers. For The Stendhal Syndrome, he works for the first and only time with Giuseppe Rotunno, whose credits include Rocco and His Brothers, The Leopard, Carnal Knowledge, Amarcord, and Popeye. Ultimately, The Stendhal Syndrome is Dario Argento’s most transitional film; it is finally getting the recognition it deserves for its daring and at times innovative take on the thriller genre.

The Stendhal Syndrome gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer