Dario Argento: 10/26/03 - 11/01/03

Morticia · 10-28-2003, 04:53 AM

Just as a change of pace, and at your request, we are discussing bodies of works by a particular actor or director. Let's see how you like this!

So -- let's compare and contrast early works by the same director, discuss film techniques and choice of cinematographer or composer, what have you.

Because it's October, I've picked two of my favorite 'neo-classic' horror movie stars, and two very intriguing horror movie directors. So don't forget to add what makes them so scary.

Run wild, shall we? Discuss!

Dario Argento: Horror-film director and cult favorite credited as influencing most latter-day "splatter" films. Argento incorporat[ed] the influence of Italian horror movie maestro Mario Bava into his already ornate visual style, which celebrated striking imagery and idiosyncratic use of color over plot and structure.
Quote by Leonard Maltin, provided by imdb

MooglePorn · 05-05-2004, 09:53 PM

Any man who gets his daughter buck naked in his movies deserves some respect...

Lex M · 05-05-2004, 10:41 PM

Thanks for that scholarly dissertation, Moogle.

Seriously, though, Argento is probably the epitome of a love/hate director, a guy with a fervent cult that can't be denied, but even more detractors who are left baffled by the very things his cultists embrace -- the completely illogical narratives, bizarro shock imagery, obsessions with sight, animals, insects, art/paintings, and gloved killers, conspicuous musical scores often at adds with the onscreen action, etc.

Of the Argento flicks I've seen -- and I'll cop to only having seen SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, PHENOMENA, TENEBRE, TWO EVIL EYES, and STENDHAL SYNDROME -- SUSPIRIA is not only probably the most accessible, but the most successful overall. Its use of sound, geography, composition, and architecture are almost Kubrickian in terms of directorial contol.

INFERNO has a brilliant opening act, then devolves into the standard illogical Argento nonsense, replete with killer rats, crazy synth score, extended murder scenes. Like too many of his films, events seem almost arbitrary, with no logic -- which maybe isn't a negative thing if one takes his films in the spirit they're intended -- as filmed dreams. They follow a nightmare logic where everything's just a bit off, something that needs to be kept in mind when a literal-minded viewer might ask, "Why is this woman diving into a murky underwater chamber in the middle of the night?"

TENEBRE would be pretty awesome, were it not for the lead character being played by the very miscast and unhip Tony Franscioca. Argento, like most suspense directors, fares best when women are in peril. TENEBRE takes a nifty turn on this tradition, as the director implicates himself, making Franscioca's character something of a stand-in for Argento himself, and confronts the issues of sexism that had been levelled at him thru his career. Unfortunately, the author doesn't make a very exciting anti-hero, and the film's best scenes are most tellingly the ones of women in danger. Excellent use of the color white though, and a great image of a lightbulb being cut with a razor blade, which for some reason always sticks with me.

PHENOMENA is just Argento unleashed, owning up to all his queasy obsessions. Bonus points here for fans of jailbait era Jennifer Connelly. My problem with PHENOMENA is merely that, despite the great setpieces -- think the almost hypnotic scenes of Connelly walking to the creepy remote house, following the insects, etc. -- Argento slips on his trademark use of colors here. As opposed to the painterly compositions of SUSPIRIA and INFERO, PHENOMENA is a grimy, colorless, murky looking movie; Also, Dario's partnership with his comrade George Romero is showing its signs here, as the last act and the decayed corpses look like something out of CREEPSHOW.

TWO EVIL EYES -- his segment definitely is the highlight here, even though I think Romero has a far better body of work, and obviously a better command of narrative (if not as painterly as Dario.) This is just Dario goofing, a fun lark, but Keitel comes ready to play, and the usual obsessions with artists, animals, and sight are in full force.

STENDHAL SYDNROME -- If you can't buy the out-there narrative conceit of "fresco fever," or whatever it's called, in which a spectator becomes so overwhelmed by art that their personality transforms, then forget it. Definitely queasy to see him directing his daughter thru such exhausting and unpleasant circumstances, but Asia is quite good, and the score by Ennio Morricone is brilliantly incessant.

Enjoy.

MooglePorn · 05-08-2004, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lex M

Thanks for that scholarly dissertation, Moogle.

Yeah... I didn't mean to overshadow your smaller post... sorry about that

Emos-Edud · 10-21-2004, 11:45 AM

I love the guy. Even his bad movies are better than most American horror releases. Call me crazy, but I just realized that I like his "Phantom of the Opera."

And, Jesus Christ, his daughter is so friggin' hot. And smart. And horny.

10-28-2003, 04:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
Morticia Administrator Emeritus Film Class Goddess Part-Time PRN Princess Panty Thief Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Devil's Point. Burn baby burn!	Dario Argento: 10/26/03 - 11/01/03 Just as a change of pace, and at your request, we are discussing bodies of works by a particular actor or director. Let's see how you like this! So -- let's compare and contrast early works by the same director, discuss film techniques and choice of cinematographer or composer, what have you. Because it's October, I've picked two of my favorite 'neo-classic' horror movie stars, and two very intriguing horror movie directors. So don't forget to add what makes them so scary. Run wild, shall we? Discuss! Dario Argento: Horror-film director and cult favorite credited as influencing most latter-day "splatter" films. Argento incorporat[ed] the influence of Italian horror movie maestro Mario Bava into his already ornate visual style, which celebrated striking imagery and idiosyncratic use of color over plot and structure. Quote by Leonard Maltin, provided by imdb __________________ Nope, you really haven't lived until you've fed a naked Fire Dancer a S'more...cooked from her own flaming baton. I reject your reality and substitute my own! "Freeze dried moles. Price as marked." -- Nixon, Suicide Girl

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05-05-2004, 09:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
MooglePorn Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Philadelphia, PA	Any man who gets his daughter buck naked in his movies deserves some respect...

05-05-2004, 10:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
Lex M Actor Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Los Angeles	Thanks for that scholarly dissertation, Moogle. Seriously, though, Argento is probably the epitome of a love/hate director, a guy with a fervent cult that can't be denied, but even more detractors who are left baffled by the very things his cultists embrace -- the completely illogical narratives, bizarro shock imagery, obsessions with sight, animals, insects, art/paintings, and gloved killers, conspicuous musical scores often at adds with the onscreen action, etc. Of the Argento flicks I've seen -- and I'll cop to only having seen SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, PHENOMENA, TENEBRE, TWO EVIL EYES, and STENDHAL SYNDROME -- SUSPIRIA is not only probably the most accessible, but the most successful overall. Its use of sound, geography, composition, and architecture are almost Kubrickian in terms of directorial contol. INFERNO has a brilliant opening act, then devolves into the standard illogical Argento nonsense, replete with killer rats, crazy synth score, extended murder scenes. Like too many of his films, events seem almost arbitrary, with no logic -- which maybe isn't a negative thing if one takes his films in the spirit they're intended -- as filmed dreams. They follow a nightmare logic where everything's just a bit off, something that needs to be kept in mind when a literal-minded viewer might ask, "Why is this woman diving into a murky underwater chamber in the middle of the night?" TENEBRE would be pretty awesome, were it not for the lead character being played by the very miscast and unhip Tony Franscioca. Argento, like most suspense directors, fares best when women are in peril. TENEBRE takes a nifty turn on this tradition, as the director implicates himself, making Franscioca's character something of a stand-in for Argento himself, and confronts the issues of sexism that had been levelled at him thru his career. Unfortunately, the author doesn't make a very exciting anti-hero, and the film's best scenes are most tellingly the ones of women in danger. Excellent use of the color white though, and a great image of a lightbulb being cut with a razor blade, which for some reason always sticks with me. PHENOMENA is just Argento unleashed, owning up to all his queasy obsessions. Bonus points here for fans of jailbait era Jennifer Connelly. My problem with PHENOMENA is merely that, despite the great setpieces -- think the almost hypnotic scenes of Connelly walking to the creepy remote house, following the insects, etc. -- Argento slips on his trademark use of colors here. As opposed to the painterly compositions of SUSPIRIA and INFERO, PHENOMENA is a grimy, colorless, murky looking movie; Also, Dario's partnership with his comrade George Romero is showing its signs here, as the last act and the decayed corpses look like something out of CREEPSHOW. TWO EVIL EYES -- his segment definitely is the highlight here, even though I think Romero has a far better body of work, and obviously a better command of narrative (if not as painterly as Dario.) This is just Dario goofing, a fun lark, but Keitel comes ready to play, and the usual obsessions with artists, animals, and sight are in full force. STENDHAL SYDNROME -- If you can't buy the out-there narrative conceit of "fresco fever," or whatever it's called, in which a spectator becomes so overwhelmed by art that their personality transforms, then forget it. Definitely queasy to see him directing his daughter thru such exhausting and unpleasant circumstances, but Asia is quite good, and the score by Ennio Morricone is brilliantly incessant. Enjoy.

10-21-2004, 11:45 AM	#5 (permalink)
Emos-Edud Banned Join Date: Sep 2004	I love the guy. Even his bad movies are better than most American horror releases. Call me crazy, but I just realized that I like his "Phantom of the Opera." And, Jesus Christ, his daughter is so friggin' hot. And smart. And horny.