Dario Argento's LA TERZA MADRE (The Third Mother)

[LowercaseE]

So has anyone else seen this one? It's the final installment in Argento's "Three Mothers" trilogy, which was started with SUSPIRIA and INFERNO. I recently got it with English subs and I gave it a watch. Now, first I have to say that SUSPIRIA and INFERNO are 2 of my favorite films. Masterpieces of mood and atmosphere that don't rely too heavily on story but rather visuals to drive them along. This one tries to wrap things up and explain things but ends up falling short. Visually, it's nothing like the previous 2 films which were awash in bright red, blue, yellow, etc. hues and absurd camera angles. LA TERZA MADRE is a much darker film and more straightforward in presentation. Argento's lovely daughter Asia is the star of the film and does a good job in the role. It's also nice to see Daria Nicolodi and Udo Kier pop up. One thing the film has going for it is violence and gore. There are some brutally nasty scenes and Argento holds NOTHING back. In particular, the killing of 2 lesbians is almost too over the top. There are plenty of other nasty deaths as well. A big minus goes to the CG used in the film. It's quite obvious and not very well done. Also, the score is completely forgettable save for Claudio Simonetti's contributions. Overall, I'm still undecided on my feelings on this film. I need to see a nice DVD copy before I can make a final judgement.

Anyone else seen it?

[Harrison]

I've now seem any of these films, so will definitely be downloading them. Will have a look for them later.

As you say, a poor copy of a film can sometimes give a bad impression of something that when good quality turns out to be a good film.

[LowercaseE]

If you're going to watch them, you might as well watch them in order: SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, then LA TERZA MADRE. The rip of LA TERZA MADRE is actually quite good in quality, it's just too dark (compression I'm guessing?) and it can be a PITA to make out certain things. Hopefully when the DVD is released, that problem will be rectified. Also, there is an English sub track for the film that you'll need if you don't know Italian. It's out there but can be hard to find. If you need it, just let me know. It's a fan sub so there is some dialog missing, but it's enough to give you the gist of what's going on.

SUSPIRIA was the film that originally got me into Euro-cult cinema in the first place. Everything about it is just wonderful! Also, if you have a decent audio setup, it will make the experience that much better as the soundtrack helps drive the film. The whole film is a work of art. I was lucky enough to see this in a theatre a year or so ago, AWESOME!

The same basically holds true for INFERNO, and it's even more of a mind f@#$ than SUPSIRIA. There is an underwater scene in it that scared the pants off of me the first time I saw it. It's just so beautifully executed! Don't bother trying to make much sense of either film, they're better enjoyed just experiencing them.

[Harrison]

Great. I will let you know if I need the subtitles. I will have a look for the films later tonight.

[Demon Cleaner]

I've the DVD of Susperia, and for me the movie was Ok. The first Argento I saw was Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) which I prefer to Susperia. Haven't seen Inferno yet. I also like the musical score by Goblin, fantastic.