Review by Gary Tooze / Colin Zavitz

Production:

Disc:

Video (both):

Audio:

DTS-HD High-Res Audio Italian 2046 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2046 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD High-Res Audio English 2046 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2046 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Commentary:

• Audio Commentary by Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• "He Never Sleeps" - Interview with Director/Co-Writer Dario Argento (18:30) Freak-O-Rama
• "Don't Go To Sleep" - Interview with Actor Paolo Maria Scalondro (17:05)
• "The Cop and the Parrot" - Interview with Co-Writer Franco Ferrini (11:10)
• "Blood on the Tracks" - Interview with Set Designer Massimo Antonello Geleng (15:47)
• "Killed Three Times" - Interview with Actor Gabriele Lavia (12:32)

Bitrates:

 

Description: Dario Argento's Sleepless is an unexpected delight: an involving, scary, enthralling thriller that is nevertheless hurt by some undeniable flaws. As usual, trumped-up plot contrivances and behavioral inconsistencies infect an Argento outing like the bubonic plague, which some fans defend as irrelevant in the Italian horror genre known as the giallo, of which Argento has contributed some good (Suspiria), passable (Tenebre), and bad (Phenomena) entries. I disagree. No film is impervious to common criticism, and since Sleepless isn't some blood-and-guts showcase -- it's a suspense thriller with a serial killer at the center of it all -- illogic and implausibilities do indeed qualify as demerits here. But for the most part the film is gruesomely affecting in all the ways intended, successful at enveloping the viewer from start to finish. Overall, it isn't a particularly great piece of work; yet as a work of gut-wrenching terror, it gets the job done. And unlike his fellow giallo counterpart's nadir, Lucio Fulci's The New York Ripper, which featured a dastardly fiend slicing up beautiful women while quacking like Donald Duck during the acts, Sleepless is assured stuff and devoid of insufferable unintentional laughs. (Not to mention, it scares you exactly when intended -- an accomplishment not to be taken lightly in light of all the botched thrillers that come our unfortunate way more often than not.)

 

The Film:

Excerpt from VideoVista located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Sleepless, also known as "Non ho sonno", is on Blu-ray out of Germany offering a vibrant, rich, textured image in 1080P. The single-layered transfer has a modest bitrate but the image quality offers decent contrast, sharp visuals and fine grain. The film is relatively modern and the visuals are ultra- clean, and very film-like with a consistent heaviness coupled with a highly detailed presentation. This Blu-ray has a strong HD image producing an rewarding presentation.

NOTE: From HERE: There are two different versions of Dario Argento’s shocker “Non Ho Sonno” worldwide.
One international version (IntV) and one Italian version (IV).
The difference between these two versions can only be found in takes with book titles or texts.
In the IF are only Italian titles/texts whereas the titles and texts are in English in the IntF version.
Because of the existing material it is not possible to say whether Argento produced both versions and the alternative material or if one of the two right holders arranged localization.
In the IntF one can see Italian texts in the background very often, newspaper clipping are in Italian, too.
In the Italian version one can see a book title in English for a second when Moretti takes out some books from a box but when he takes out the specific book, the title is in Italian. The German Blu-ray version is based on the international version.

NOTE: Kaloyan tells us: " This BD has the cut FSK 16 version of the film" verified HERE, (Thanks Kaloyan)

Dario Argento's "Sleepless" now comes to us in a Region 'A' Blu-ray, featuring a much-improved transfer and some notable extras. When compared to the older German Blu-ray, a few things stand out as noteworthy. The first (and most obvious) is the boost in contrast with the image now showing a much healthier color spectrum, thanks in part to deeper blacks. This image is helped along by a thoroughly maxed out bitrate and a dual-layered Blu-ray housing the film. The 1.85:1 1080p image shows more on all sides of the frame, most likely due to a better source. A worthy upgrade for those looking for this title.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample - Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Tiberius Film - Region FREE - Blu-ray  TOP 2) Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No original Italian track but DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround in both English and German DUBs (16-bit) with a lossy German Dolby stereo option. The audio is strong as well - a notch below the superlative video but still exporting some heavy bass depth and a decent high-end in the score credited to the legendary band Goblin (The Other Hell, The Bloodstained Shadow, Deep Red, Suspira) that runs beside the film with plenty of Giallo charm. There is a segment with Tchaichowsky's Swan Lake. There are optional German subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE playable worldwide.

The film opens with a title card stating: "We used the best available source materials to create the best possible viewing experience. Some of the English audio track is not perfectly aligned with the picture but we did our best with what we had to work with. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you enjoy the presentation of SLEEPLESS."
While there did seem to be a few moments of syncing issues, thankfully it was never too distracting from the film itself. The film has two options for audio, both 24-bit 5.1 DTS-HD Hi-Res audio. The channel separation is effective in either Italian or English. The score is thanks to Goblin. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray from Scorpion Releasing.

Extras :

 

Kino-Scorpion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Sleepless is a solid Argento Giallo. I watched this years ago and was unimpressed but via the higher resolution the film's genre charms burst alive. Suspense, action, a buddy-investigatory relationship, splashes of nudity, introduced characters expiring all over the place, dwarves!, Max von Sydow... The Blu-ray is a great way to see this Giallo - and it's a stellar presentation with an English DUB option. Sleepless is an easy recommendation - especially at the present give-away price. Go for it!

While perhaps not the comeback film that Argento intended, this is still an intriguing title for Giallo fans. Max von Sydow is as good as ever. This newer Blu-ray from Scorpion features a better image than the older German Blu-ray and the extras are also worth checking out - especially the commentary. Recommended for fans.

Gary Tooze

November 8th, 2017

Colin Zavitz

March 22nd, 2021