A documentary about the Italian filmmaker Dario Argento, who specialises in violent and bloody thrillers and phantasmagorical horror films.
Dario Argento's movies are an acquired taste. You need a darkness to your psyche to begin with, and you have to be willing to consider violence rendered on film as art. If not, go watch a nice National Geographic documentary on giant pandas. This documentary focuses chiefly on his mid-period films; Profondo Rosso/Deep Red, Suspiria, Inferno, Tenebre and Phenomena, but also looks at three of his earlier films - L'Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo/The Bird With The Crystal Plumage and the rarely-seen Il Gatto A Nove Code/The Cat O'Nine Tails and 4 Mosche Di Velluto Grigio/Four Flies On Grey Velvet, as well as two movies he produced, George A. Romero's Dawn Of The Dead and Lamberto Bava's Demoni. Production-wise, it's shoddy - the film stock is pretty grotty, the subtitles are poorly-written (Bava is referred to as Rava) and none of the people or the numerous clips are introduced or placed in context. Content-wise however, it's terrific - Argento's comments are truly thought-provoking (and often bizarre), there is some great behind-the-scenes footage, particularly from Tenebre and Phenomena, and the clips will satisfy gore-hounds everywhere. I would have liked a little more insight into Inferno, the middle of his as-yet-unfinished "Mothers" trilogy, which I often think is an overlooked gem and an extremely subtle and chilling work. I love Argento's films because they are so outrageously visual and because his style is simply unique. Whatever its shortcomings, this documentary is a (blood-spattered) window into his twisted imaginings. Shot on film by Soavi, who was the assistant director on several of the movies featured, and subsequently released on video. English title - Dario Argento's World Of Horror. 5/10
Dario Argento's movies are an acquired taste. You need a darkness to your psyche to begin with, and you have to be willing to consider violence rendered on film as art. If not, go watch a nice National Geographic documentary on giant pandas. This documentary focuses chiefly on his mid-period films; Profondo Rosso/Deep Red, Suspiria, Inferno, Tenebre and Phenomena, but also looks at three of his earlier films - L'Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo/The Bird With The Crystal Plumage and the rarely-seen Il Gatto A Nove Code/The Cat O'Nine Tails and 4 Mosche Di Velluto Grigio/Four Flies On Grey Velvet, as well as two movies he produced, George A. Romero's Dawn Of The Dead and Lamberto Bava's Demoni. Production-wise, it's shoddy - the film stock is pretty grotty, the subtitles are poorly-written (Bava is referred to as Rava) and none of the people or the numerous clips are introduced or placed in context. Content-wise however, it's terrific - Argento's comments are truly thought-provoking (and often bizarre), there is some great behind-the-scenes footage, particularly from Tenebre and Phenomena, and the clips will satisfy gore-hounds everywhere. I would have liked a little more insight into Inferno, the middle of his as-yet-unfinished "Mothers" trilogy, which I often think is an overlooked gem and an extremely subtle and chilling work. I love Argento's films because they are so outrageously visual and because his style is simply unique. Whatever its shortcomings, this documentary is a (blood-spattered) window into his twisted imaginings. Shot on film by Soavi, who was the assistant director on several of the movies featured, and subsequently released on video. English title - Dario Argento's World Of Horror. 5/10