# Dario Argento Movies



## Foxbat (Oct 1, 2005)

This month - a chance to discuss all things Dario Argento. His movies, his life, his style.....whatever you like. 

Me? I'm off to watch Suspiria


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## polymorphikos (Oct 1, 2005)

I've only seen Suspiria, which I suppose is okay as everyone says it's his best film. The most frequent topic of discussion seems to be the use of colour, and I'd have to agree. After watching this, I got the impression that Rowan Woods has probably seen it too (he even uses the lightbulb shot in Little Fish).

It's described as a dark fairytale, and Argento apparently wanted to use twelve year-olds in it. The fact that he didn't hasn't hurt the picture, and Jessica Harper is the perfect choice for playing a one-dimensional figure capable of grabbing attention and sympathy from the audience, but it would be interesting to see how such a film came out. Considering the ways in which he milks tension and the absolute unpleasantness of the razorwire scene, it's probably for the best though.

On the topic of fairytales, this film has been criticised for a complete lack of character development and a minimal, nonsensical plot. However, Argento aiming for a cinematic nightmare, it is a perfect representative of a film that doesn't need character-development and a complex plot (just like a fairytale). I enjoy such things in a film as much as the next person, but the skillful manipulation of the senses and the primitive psyche is as much an achievement as being able to detail the emotional breakdown of a gritty detective in LA after the war. It's all a matter of whether the film-makers have succeeded in their goals, as opposed to meeting some proscribed set of criteria. It's a horror/supernatural thriller - it's supposed to horrify/supernaturally-thrill you. 

Most fail at this anyway.

So in summation - it was gruelling and pretty. His stuff is hard to find here, but I'd like to see some more of it.

What a needless, incoherent rant.


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## ravenus (Oct 2, 2005)

Will post more detailed reviews/comments later but to just introduce a bit of trivia...

The evil referred to in Argento's proposed trilogy of Suspiria, Inferno and a third never made film is inspired by a short piece by *Thomas De Quincey* called _*Levena and the Sisters of Sorrow*_, where he describes the 3 women who manifest the various phases of sorrow - *Mater Lachrymarum*, *Mater Suspiriorum* and the youngest and most tumultous *Mater Tenebrarum*.
This is a brilliantly written piece and well worth the read for any horror fan, although don't expect any real degree of connection with Argento's interpretation of the theme.

Link to Quincey's piece:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/quincey-levana.html


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## Foxbat (Oct 2, 2005)

> women who manifest the various phases of sorrow - *Mater Lachrymarum*, *Mater Suspiriorum* and the youngest and most tumultous *Mater Tenebrarum*.


 
Didn't Argento release a movie called Tenebrae or something similar? Just wondering if there is a connection with Mater Tenebrarum.


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## ravenus (Oct 2, 2005)

*Inferno* was the movie for Mater Tenebrarum. *Tenebrae* was another project. Haven't seen it, but it's supposed to be a straight-up giallo, no supernatural elements.


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## Foxbat (Oct 4, 2005)

Well, after watching Suspiria I'm left with somewhat mixed feelings. Not being a particular Connoisseur of the Horror genre I am probably not as knowledgable as some on the subject around here. Still, here's my musings: 

I agree with previous statements about colour - but also texture. Right from the start we are treated to running water, rain against a variety of coloured lighting - and then the colour and texture of the building. Throw some pretty interesting camera angles into the mix (see Poly's point on the lightbulb) and I come to the conclusion that this guy Argento knows how to set a scene. The soundtrack also was superb and set just the right level of menace when required.
Where Argento is lacking (in my opinion) is in the story-telling department. Amongst all this colour and texture, there is a pretty shoddy script and some bad acting. Also, many of the 'horror' scenes feel far too set-piece for my liking and lacking imagination. Which, I feel, is ironic considering the imaginitive photography used getting us to this point. A film worth watching because it is (as previously stated) 'pretty' - but doesn't have a whole lot of substance.


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## ravenus (Oct 4, 2005)

Nodding in agreement to what you've said there, FB. While I did enjoy _Suspiria_ to the extent of buying the DVD for myself, I would not regard it as any more than technically exciting and very atmospheric but messy camp horror.

Which is more than I can say for _Inferno_ which retains all of _Suspiria_'s failings and none of its virtues. While Suspiria glossed over its narrative slipshodness with brilliant set design, fabulous lighting and a genuinely eerie music score, Inferno lands us with annoyingly contrived settings (a sheet lies covering a doorway simply so a stabbed woman can come tearing through it), ultra-bad acting and keyboardist Keith Emerson's bafflingly cheerful and off-cue moog score.
A lot of Inferno's screenplay sounds interesting in an off-the-cuff vein on paper but on actual viewing just ends up annoying me with it's absolute pointlessness and disconnected feeling.


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## Foxbat (Oct 5, 2005)

It seems that Argento leaves us with a sense of frustration at what _could_ have been. One very interesting point about the Suspiria DVD was the documentary about Argento and his movie making. This reinforced my feeling that he was very skillful with setting the scene but lacking an actual story. One scene used a 7 metre extendable dolly and gyroscopically controlled camera. This was used to zoom out from a window in a house, track over the roof and finally enter through a rear window - all in one shot with no cutting or fading! A very impressive scene but I don't know which film it came from. 

Another  movie mentioned in this documentary was _Phenomena_. It certainly looks interesting and I think I might have to hunt this one down


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## conradbrean (Jan 16, 2007)

I don't know about Dario, but his daughter, Asia Argento, was just smoking in Vin Diesel's Triple X.


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## egglap (Oct 13, 2008)

Suspiria is brilliantly shot and the score is superb too. Tenebrae has some classic set pieces but a terrible transfer. Opera has it's moments but the Metal score jars with the imagery although that bullet through a keyhole shot is extraordinary. Deep Red is a frustrating mess. I still need to watch his completion of the three mothers trilogy.


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## Starbeast (Mar 28, 2011)

egglap said:


> Suspiria is brilliantly shot and the score is superb too. I still need to watch his completion of the three mothers trilogy.


 

*Mother of Tears (2007)* was not disappointing, Dario's daughter Asia Argento along with Udo Kier who was in a short scene in _Suspiria_ (1977) were in the film. Very freaky movie, I liked it.


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