While this blog has been relatively quiet recently due to my ongoing work on Home Video releases and other projects (you can find more about them here), I couldn't resist sharing an interesting discovery from my daily research. It's a reminder to myself that I should write more of these informative snippets in the future!
So, while I was perusing photographs from the world of Italian cinema during the 1980s and 1990s, I stumbled upon an image featuring Dario Argento with ex-girlfriend, Sonia Topazio. Her name might not immediately ring a bell, but a closer look revealed her roles in several of Argento's films, making her a minor but noteworthy figure in his filmography.
Born in the picturesque town of Potenza, Italy, in 1969, Sonia Topazio's early years were marked by her unwavering dedication to athletics. As a skilled middle-distance runner, her talents led her to Rome, where she signed with the athletics team Cises Frascati. Her future in the world of sports seemed bright, promising a successful career ahead.
However, fate took an unexpected turn when, at the age of 18, a tendon injury abruptly dashed her athletic dreams. However, this injury opened up new opportunities in Topazio's life. She chose to embark on a different path, redirecting her passions toward cinema and theatre. A chance meeting with a film agent opened up various opportunities, notably as a model for various magazines. Success arrived a year later when she won the role of Nina Ciampa in Luigi Pirandello's comedic play, Berretto a sonagli staged by the Sicilia Teatro company and directed by the esteemed Italian director, Mauro Bolognini.
Over the next eight years, Topazio immersed herself in a multifaceted career, leaving her mark on both stage and screen while also working as a secretary at Luciano Martino's Dania Film. Her roles during this period included collaborating with Mauro Bolognini once again, portraying a prostitute in his 1991 erotic drama, Husband and Lovers. She revisited the role of a prostitute in Alfonso Brescia's erotic giallo, Omicidio a luci blu, in 1992 and reunited with the director in 1995 for the beach comedy, Club Vacanze.
Among her work during this era, she took part in other sensually charged productions such as Marco Ferreri's The Flesh and Mario Gariazzo's Ultimi fuochi d’estate. Furthermore, she made small appearances in comedies like Michele Quaglieri's Una donna da guardare. Her television contributions included Ezio Pascucci's Il mago and the TV series Europa Connection, starring John Philip Law, Ray Lovelock, and Vittoria Belvedere. Beyond these projects, she continued to thrive in her stage-acting pursuits.
In the mid-1990s, Topazio crossed paths with Argento, leading to a passionate yet relatively short-lived romance spanning around a year. This relationship had its share of difficulties, notably Asia Argento's disapproval, although Topazio's connection with Fiore Argento was considerably smoother. Despite Topazio's previous ventures into the world of acting, Argento initially resisted the idea of her pursuing an acting career. Nevertheless, he ultimately cast her in two of his films. Their relationship coincided with the production of two significant projects: The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) and The Wax Mask (1997), which Argento produced and Sergio Stivaletti directed. In the latter, Topazio portrayed a nurse, while in the former, she delivered a memorable performance as one of Alfredo Grossi’s victims who is brutally raped and murdered in front of Asia Argento's character, Anna Manni, on the backseat of a white Volvo.
While the scene is notorious for its unflinching portrayal of violence and sexual sadism, it's the climactic intensity of this moment that renders it truly unforgettable within Argento's body of work. In this sequence, Topazio's nameless character becomes the focal point of a shocking act. A gunshot pierces her cheek, depicted through a CGI representation, illustrating the bullet's entry and exit through her mouth. The result is a disturbing image, as the gruesome hole becomes a macabre window through which Grossi mocks Anna.
In an enlightening interview with Claudio Bartolini (linked below), Topazio provides insights into the production of The Stendhal Syndrome and her collaboration with Dario Argento. Particularly, she sheds light on the scene in which her character meets a brutal end. Originally slated to be filmed in just two days, Argento's vision ended up necessitating four days to complete, underscoring the scene's paramount importance and the technical complexity involved in bringing it to life.
The filming process involved coordination with the second unit, helmed by Luigi Cozzi, and was extended due to Argento's dissatisfaction with the initial results from the first two days of shooting. One of the chief challenges for Argento was the use of fake blood and how it translated on camera, specifically in the depiction of the visceral moment when Thomas Kretschmann's character, Alfredo, bites Topazio's lip, unleashing a deluge of red liquid.
While the scene incorporates groundbreaking (at the time) CGI effects, notably the first-ever employed in an Italian film, it also integrates practical effects to enhance its realism. To depict the moment when a bullet strikes Topazio's cheek, a combination of practical techniques were employed. This involved the use of a prop gun discharge, followed by the application of compressed air and talcum powder to authentically simulate the impact of the bullet on her cheek.
Creating the exit wound for the scene demanded a more intricate approach, involving the crafting of a cast of Sonia Topazio's head to accurately replicate a realistic bullet hole through the cheek. This finicky task fell under the capable hands of Sergio Stivaletti, who fashioned the cast, matching it to the actress's likeness. Topazio herself was notably impressed by the resemblance when she laid eyes on the final result.
Beyond the specific filming of Sonia Topazio's scene, she offered valuable insights into Dario Argento's approach as a director and his unwavering commitment to the authenticity of his films. For instance, The Stendhal Syndrome, which delves into psychological depths, was created by Argento in consultation with a psychiatrist. The focus was keenly directed toward capturing the splintering of Anna Manni's psyche in a believable manner.
Moreover, Argento placed importance on authentic reactions from his cast. To prepare for her role, Topazio found herself under Argento's watchful eye, as he would unexpectedly spring out from the shadows to gauge her genuine fear reactions.
The filming process encountered its share of challenges. Initially, Dario Argento's decision to dismiss several people from the production raised eyebrows, with Sonia Topazio perceiving it as a somewhat excessive reaction. Fortunately, as time progressed, the production settled into a more collaborative and harmonious working environment.
However, Topazio herself didn't escape Argento's discerning eye. She received a critique from the director regarding her costume for the role, with Argento deeming it too provocative, despite it having been selected by costume designer Lia Francesca Morandini. This observation offers a glimpse into the rationale behind the limited visibility of Topazio's body in the film, as it is largely obscured by Thomas Kretschmann's character, Grossi.
Sonia Topazio's role in The Stendhal Syndrome, though brief, undeniably leaves a lasting impression thanks to the grim fate that befalls her character. Within the context of the film, the female victims depicted within it often occupy a somewhat anonymous and eerie space, their lifeless, bloodied bodies strewn across the dimly lit streets of both Rome and Florence, devoid of distinct identities. Topazio's nameless character embodies this macabre imagery and the superfluous nature of victims like her to killer, Alfredo. Despite the brevity of her appearance, her contribution to the atmosphere of foreboding and dread emphasises the psychological intensity that Dario Argento's thriller is renowned for.
So what became of Topazio after her tenure in the macabre world of Dario Argento? Following their parting in 1997, she ventured into a new career path as a television presenter on the local Lazio network, Telelazio, where she hosted Runners, a sports program dedicated to the world of running and athletics enthusiasts. In television, her acting career persisted with a role in Sergio Martino's TV film, A due passi dal cielo, as well as appearances in popular television series like Turbo and Ricominciare.
Topazio continued to act, returning to the thriller genre once again with a role in Antonio Bonifacio’s 1998 giallo, Il delitto di Via Monte Parioli, and taking on a role in his 2000 thriller, La stanza della fotografia. Her journey through the thriller genre culminated in 2000 with her appearance in Corrado Colombo's La donna del delitto.
Although comedies such as Stressati, Besame mucho, Ogni lasciato รจ perso, and Ti spiace se bacio mamma? became a staple of her career during this period, erotic cinema remained her forte. Notably, she appeared in productions like Tinto Brass Presents Erotic Short Stories: Part 2 and Joe D'Amato's Top Girl.
In 2001, Topazio posed for Playboy magazine, marking a notable point in her association with the erotic genre. Subsequently, she completed her studies, earning a degree in Literature and Philosophy from Sapienza University in Rome. Her acting career supporting her academic pursuits. Topazio then transitioned into a role at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, where she assumed the position of head of the press office in 2004. Alongside her responsibilities in this role, she contributed scientific articles to newspapers and magazines and authored a book in 2005 titled Il taglio nell'anima, featuring a foreword by Dario Argento. Despite the conclusion of their romantic relationship, the two maintained their friendship and stayed in regular contact, and Topazio looks back fondly on their time together.
Exploring characters like Topazio, who may seem like minor footnotes in Argento's career, often reveals stories that deepen our appreciation of his work. These overlooked figures offer fresh perspectives and insights into the artistry behind Argento's films, and for that, I'm truly grateful.
Sources
https://web.archive.org/web/20121230184704/https://www.ilsecoloxix.it/p/italia/2012/06/18/APxT6ckC-requisiti_topazio_difende.shtml
http://www.bietti.it/riviste/dario-argento/la-storia-nella-storia-intervista-a-sonia-topazio/
https://www.palcoscenico.biz/2012-06-sonia-topazio-vittima-di-una-caccia-alle-streghe/
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Thanks for the the background info on Sonia in this nice little write-up.
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