DOOR INTO SILENCE
Italy | 1991
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Starring
John Savage
Sandi Schultz
Richard Castleman
Color | 87 Minutes | Not Rated
Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC)
Severin Films
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Review by
Troy Howarth
Film:5
DVD:6
Hotshot businessman Melvin Devereux (John Savage) takes the ride of his life on a sweltering summer day in New Orleans...
    Based on one of his own short stories, Door Into Silence marks the final directorial work of Lucio Fulci. The one-time "Godfather of Gore" found his career in tremendous jeopardy in his final years — declining health had taken him out of the limelight for a period, and when he returned to the fold he found himself mostly forgotten. Forced to work on a shoestring, with many of his strongest collaborators off doing bigger if not always better things, the ailing filmmaker continued to push the boundaries of "good taste," but the end results were often tepid. In hindsight, it's safe to say that the kinky S&M melodrama The Devil's Honey (1986) was his last really accomplished picture, but there is something peculiarly fascinating about a couple of his final films, including this one.
    John Savage, a long way from his early triumphs in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978) and Oliver Stone's Salvador (1986), takes center stage. Rumor has it that Fulci did not get along with the actor, but then again this is really nothing unusual in Fulci lore; it was a rare actor he truly did respect. Even so, Savage gives a credible performance as the panic-stricken yuppie. He doesn't exactly make Devereux warm and cuddly, but that seems to be part of the Fulci's scheme — he is a man with a dark side, albeit one fighting desperately to understand the peculiar circumstances in which he has found himself. Sandi Schultz is the only other actor given much to do, but unfortunately she lacks the mysterious allure to make the femme fatale really come to life. She and Savage also lack chemistry, and the potential for sexual attraction is lost in the process. The remainder of the cast is comprised of unknown American acting talent, with much of the soundtrack done "live" without post-synching. Indeed, one would be forgiven for not realizing that this was really an Italian production.
    Sadly, the Anglicization extends even to Fulci, who is robbed of credit on his last motion picture. Given the high falootin nom de plume of "H. Simon Kittay" as director, Fulci is forced into utter anonymity during his last time in the saddle. Fortunately, however, he handles the material with efficiency and some small measure of style. True, the film doesn't have the luster of his peak period movies of the '60s, '70s and early '80s, but it looks far more professional and polished than most of his other films of the late '80s. Giancarlo Ferrando's cinematography is sharp and mobile, making the most of the limited potential for dynamic framing and camerawork. The pacing isn't exactly breakneck, but it does move along far better than it should given its awkward structure.
    ...Which brings us to the film's Achilles heel: the story itself. While Fulci's original short story was undoubtedly a capably told page turner, in terms of translating it to the screen it would have fared far better as an episode of an anthology film. There's only so much to be done with footage of Savage sweating profusely as he drives about the backroads of Louisiana — it ultimately comes off as a low rent Duel (1971) without the advantage of a scary truck looming in the background. The final twist is predictable, and a moment of revelation involving Schultz's mysterious character reminds one that subtlety wasn't always Fulci's strong suit. The end result is understandably uneven, with Fulci the director doing a better job by the material than Fulci the writer set down on paper in the first place.
Severin's release of Door Into Silence marks the film's DVD debut in the US. The film is presented fullframe, which seems to be correct — the film received only scant theatrical play in the first place and with some foreign TV money invested, it may well have been planned as a TV movie. The source print is in excellent shape. Colors are accurately rendered, detail is sharp and there is very little to report in terms of speckling or other damage. There are no distracting authoring defects to report, either. The mono English soundtrack is a bit flat, but no doubt sounds as good as one could hope for. Franco Pianna's jazz score is intermittently effective, though it sometimes makes the film sound much older than it really is; the live sound recording sometimes results in some minor background noise, but this is how the film has always sounded. There are no extras — zip, zero, none. 8/10/09
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