Profondo rosso (Deep Red)

Directed by Dario Argento, starring David Hemmings, Gabriele Lavia, Daria Nicolodi, Glauco Mauri, Eros Pagni, Italy, 1975, 127’

This is a case when a location becomes the protagonist of a movie: Piazza C.L.N. It is the setting of some of the most significant scenes in Deep Red and of Dario Argento’s entire film opus. It is where the protagonist Marc lives. It is where Helga, a psychic, is killed. And it is where the Blue Bar is located (actually, the bar doesn’t exist; it was inspired by Howard Hopper’s famous painting, Nighthawks). It is where Marc meets his drunken friend Carlo, who sits down by the Fontana del Po, one of the two fountains which dominate the piazza. It is here that one of the movie’s most important and revelatory dialogues takes place. And it is here that the movie’s many fans come to visit what could be defined as one of the most important locations in Italian film history.

Dario Argento’s ties with Turin are well-known. The director has shot many movies here, from The Cat O’ Nine Tails to his recent film, Giallo. Other city locations featured in Deep Red include Villa della Regina, Villa Scott, Galleria San Federico, Via San Pietro in Vincoli and the Teatro Carignano.