The Arcane Sorcerer 1996/Italy/96min Staring Carol Cecchi, Stefano Dionisi and Arnaldo Ninchi Directed by Pupi Avanti Common is the cinematic period piece. Less common is the film that feels as if it was lensed years before it actually was, with cinematography, pacing and storytelling all seemingly from another era. Such is The Arcane Sorcerer (a.k.a. Larcano incantatore). The measured mood piece is drenched in forlorn atmosphere, brimming with complex ideas about the nature of good and evil and couched in visuals that show an amazing amount of attention to historical detail- from the melancholic shots of the desolate country side to the towering mysterious old tomes. Perhaps the ageless visual style is due to the fact that the writer/director Pupi Avanti, got his start during the 1970s, before horror largely succumbed to the modern excesses of gore and music video-style editing. The film- about a young accolade who, after doing the naughty with a nun, is relocated to a remote tower to serve an excommunicated priest with ties to the occult- has a mysterious force at play within it. As strange things begin to occur the audience as well as the monk himself may find their faith and fears tested, as if soon it becomes clear that the whispered rumors of evil may be more then hearsay. This obscure little gem that is a personal favorite of Guillermo del Toro and included it in his 2011 Toronto Master Class Series, is a master work. It reminded me of the classic horror writer that I love, Machen, Blackwood, Lovecraft, and James. Its stuffed with details on demonology and alchemy. I was amazed by the accuracy of the occult background. Shawn of the Dead writer, Edgar Wright, calls this the Barry Lyndon of horror movie. I wholeheartedly agree. Its going to be almost impossible to find a copy due to distribution problems out of Italy. But if you do, The Arcane Sorcerer leaves such an indelible imprint on those that have seen it. Find it.... watch it.... love it.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 18:36:22 +0000
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