Sunday 25 June 2017

Turin Locations for Dario Argento’s ‘Profondo Rosso’

Friday, 15 July 2011





I recently had the pleasure of being shown around Turin by Roberto and Maurizio Opalio of My Cat Is An Alien, together with their longstanding collaborator Ramona Ponzini. One surprising discovery was that Dario Argento set some of the scenes from his 1975 giallo masterpiece Profondo Rosso aka Deep Red in the city, most notably round the back of the massive Piazza San Carlo, where the top two pictures were taken, and at the Villa Scott, across the Po River in the Turin Hills. Fans of this fabulous movie will have no trouble in recognizing the locations. More photos of the Villa Scott exterior can be found by visiting my blog or by clicking here.

PS - I am adding the following text to this post as Blogger does not seem willing to accept a comment from me in response to Mr Eldritch’s welcome observation:  I know what you mean, Tristan - I was also surprised to discover it was an actual public location. I think what makes it seem like a studio set is that you are only being shown one part of a much larger symmetrical arrangement. The statue is a male representation of the River Po and is partnered by a female figure, representing the Dora tributary, in a pose that exactly mirrors his. Add the fact that both statues are located at the back of two separate but similar rococo chapels separated by a paved avenue that leads into the main piazza, and you get some idea of the whole effect. A Dario Argento guide to architecture is long overdue... 

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