What can you say about Dario Argento? Alot! I remember viewing my first Argento film Creepers(aka Phenomena) and saying "that was pretty good". I then ran across a lengthy article in Fangoria magazine and read about his praises and other films that he had directed. I was soon on the prowl for his other works and began hitting all the local video stores in search of his films.
But it wasn't until I heard that Suspiria had finally gotten released on video for the first time in the U.S., that I really got excited. I hit all the video stores and found one that was going to get the film. Needless to say I was the first person in my town to rent the video. I had to wait for the owner to unwrap and enter the video into his computer before I could walk out the door to rush home and view what was said to be his "masterpiece". I wasn't dissapointed in the least.
Dario Argento has been deemed the "Italian Hitchcock" by many in the film and horror industry. He has been critisized by many for making the same film over and over again. Even though his first few films, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage through Deep Red might follow the same storylines, each one was carried out with conviction and was treated with Argento's special touch. Thus making each film stand alone outings that showcased Argento's ever improving visual style.
As a director, Argento's storytelling relys mostly on his ability to convey his ideas through the use of sound and colors. From the turning of an old rusty doorknob, the terrifying shrill of a telephone ring, to the haunting strains of a beautiful soundtrack, he gives the audience a sense of urgency and suspense to an otherwise normal setting. His use of color is also a strongpoint. A perfect example of this is in the film Suspiria. The cab ride in the beginning was filmed using red, yellow, and blue lighting gels. This gave an almost surreal setting to the inside of the cab. The first murder in the film set in a hotel whose foyer is painted in brilliant tones of red and overshadowed with a stained glass window. These elements all came together to create one of the most terrifying scenes in horror films.
His understanding of the camera is his trademark. A mixture of angles, point of view, and close ups push the viewer to the edge. In the film Tenebrae, a girl hears strange noises outside of her apartment window. As the camera pulls away it begins an acsent up the outside apartment wall, over the roof, and descends the other side to the opposite window where the gloved hand of the killer is trying to break into. This shot was done with a camera mounted on a special crane and was filmed without any cutaways. Accompanied by a pounding, almost unforgiving musical score, this has become one of Argento's most celebrated scenes.
All of Dario Argento's films come highly recommended, but only in there UNCUT form. Many of his films have seen the cutting room floor once they landed in the U.S. for distribution. I suggest searching video retailers for his better known work now that they have finally been released in widescreen, UNCUT formats, or check out my links section to find independent dealers who have UNCUT foriegn, english language prints of his more obscure films. Words cannot express the extent of his work. Argento's films must be seen to be fully appreciated.
Low and behold I found The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, I was blown away, especially the beginning when Tony Musante witnesses the first murder. What a memorable piece of cinematic genius! Then came Deep Red, again I was almost speechless from the visual assault I had witnessed. So many odd camera angles, and disturbing close-ups that really put me at an unease while watching the film in my darkened living room.
Blown away by previous Argento films, I was obliterated by Suspiria. The astounding use of color, a killer soundtrack and the ultrviolence that permeated through the film was the greastest thing I had ever seen!
Last, but not least, is the ultrviolence that is portrayed in his films. The use of unrelenting bloodletting doesn't take away from any of his films, it adds even more. The violence gives his villians an aura of the perverse that builds the character to the monster they are meant to be. In the film Four Flies On Grey Velvet, they demise of the killer is an astounding piece of work. Speeding away from the authorities in a car, the killer runs into the back of a parked loading truck. When the car makes contact with the raised loading platform, the scene goes into a hypnotic slow motion shot where every bend of sheetmetal and every crystal of shattered glass is displayed in detail. Almost like a morbid fireworks display, until the platform reaches the driver and is decapitated.
The Bird With The Crystal Plumage
The Cat O'Nine Tails
Four Flies On Grey Velvet
The Five Days Of Milan
Deep Red
Suspiria
Inferno
Tenebrae
Phenomena
Opera
Two Evil Eyes
Trauma
The Stendhal Syndrome
The Phantom Of The Opera