The Stendhal Syndrome

Synopsis

The Stendhal Syndrome (Ital. La Sindrome di Stendhal) is a 1996 Italian psychological thriller film written and directed by Dario Argento and starring his daughter Asia Argento, with Thomas Kretschmann and Marco Leonardi. It was a critical and commercial success in Italy, grossing ₤5,443,000,000 Italian lira (US $3,809,977). The title refers to a psychological condition in which a subject enters a fugue state induced by the presence of art. Argento said he experienced Stendhal syndrome as a child. While touring Athens with his parents young Dario was climbing the steps of the Parthenon when he was overcome by a trance that caused him to become lost from his parents for hours. The experience was so strong that Argento never forgot it; he immediately thought of it when he came across Graziella Magherini's book about the syndrome, which would become the basis of the film.

Text license: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Details

Type

Movie

Release date

January 1, 1996

Genres

horror film, mystery film, thriller film, suspense film, psychological thriller film, independent film, giallo

Created by

Dario Argento, Luigi Cozzi

Runtime

120 min

Countries

Italy

Cover: Wikimedia Commons · SunOfErat · CC BY 4.0 · Source