Argento. Dario Argento is the master of Italian Giallo- a horror subgenre. His filmography (mostly on the strength of Suspiria) ranks him 98th and he’s definitely a style-plus auteur. That’s his case (and that’s why it may seem like I’m underrating him at #113 here). He has a single film that’s superior to anything made by Spielberg, The Coen Brothers, Cronenberg, Sirk, or Fincher. In fact, the only directors with a film rated higher on the all-time top 500 list than Suspiria- who I haven’t got to on my list of all-time directors- are Stanley Donen, Oliver Reed, Victor Fleming and Robert Wiene. The case against Argento is there’s a steep drop-off after Suspiria. Suspiria is the only film that landed in the top 100 of its respective decade from Argento. There’s also not a lot of depth here. He only had four archiveable films. That’s obviously a weakness.
Best film: Suspiria
- Splendid Eastman Colour 35mm
- Argento’s 6th film- he never touched this level (or really was that close) before or after
- Horror sub-genre “Giallo” (gore, eroticism, emphasis on visuals over story/dialogue, dubbing, paranoia, beautiful women, elaborate deaths)
- We have the florescent lighting and the rock score by Argento and the band Goblin set it apart- apparently Argento played it full blast on the set of the film to petrify the actors and create atmosphere
- Luciano Tovoli is the DP- from Antonioni’s Passenger– apparently he and Argento were inspired by some of early Disney’s (Snow White in particular) color schemes
- Grand set pieces (the school, hallways straight from Murnau or Caligari)
- So many standout visuals—we have the neon lighting which colors the rain/storm set piece in the opening—shot reflected in a puddle
- Much of the film is Harper walking in the dark in horrifying suspense, with stupendous visuals, and that score pounding in background
- I think that score is superior to 1978’s Halloween and that’s saying something. I also see a bit of that bass in the wonderful score to Apocalypse Now particularly when Sheen arrives at Brando’s camp on the boat
- Stain glass windows and wild expressionistic wallpaper
- Reds, blues, greens, but also gaudy golds, too
- Elaborate deaths
- Red gymnasium is a standout set piece
- When Harper’s character is talking to Udo Kier its absolutely sort of a Hutch moment in Rosemary’s Baby with Maurice Evans with them looking up the history of these characters—the character in Rosemary is even called “Adrian Marcato” and this is Helena Markos
- It’s absolutely packed with some of the best visuals of the decade, horror, or Italian cinema history- it’s actually so loaded that you have to pause and appreciate them because there’s another one coming directly after
- A Masterpiece
total archiveable films: 4
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 1 (Suspiria)
top 100 films of the decade: 1 (Suspiria)
most overrated: Nothing here for Argento. He only has two films that found a spot on the consensus TSPDT top 1000 and that’s Suspiria and Deep Reed. Suspiria (see below) is underrated and Deep Red is #966 and that’s close to where I’d have it.
most underrated: I’ve got Suspiria at #110 and the consensus has it at #366 so that’s the easy and only choice here.
gem I want to spotlight: Deep Rep. It’s easy Argento’s second greatest work and I’ve already selected Suspiria here above for most underrated and best film. The visuals here speak for themselves—jaw-dropping. It’s also on the list with Carpenter’s Halloween and Powell’s Peeing Tom for films that influenced the first-person POV shot and slasher genre.
stylistic innovations/traits: Argento borrows from Bava, Hitchcock and Polanski (not to mention a whole heaping of German Expressionism) but deserves full style-plus auteur credit for making one of cinema’s most beautiful films. He’s synonymous with the horror sub-genre “Giallo” (gore, eroticism, emphasis on visuals over story/dialogue, dubbing, paranoia, beautiful women, elaborate deaths). The florescent lighting is loud, bold and stunning. He’s an expressionist and I mention the Germans before but it’s hard not to think of Murnau’s Nosferatu or Wiene’s Caligari. That’s a clear art Deco influence and Argento clearly influenced a generation after him- Lynch is probably the first that comes to mind- but how about the coloring via lighting from Peter Greenaway, Nicolas Winding Refn, Spring Breakers from Harmony Korine.
top 10
- Suspiria
- Deep Red
- Tenebre
- The Bird with Crystal Plumage
By year and grades
| 1970- The Bird With Crystal Plumage | R |
| 1975- Deep Red | HR |
| 1977- Suspiria | MP |
| 1982- Tenebre | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
“Inferno” is as great as “Suspiria”. Both are masterpieces.
@Anonimo . What’s exciting to hear. I have not yet caught up with Inferno. I’ll add it to the list. That would clearly change how I view Argento if he has another film on the level of “Suspiria”.
I just caught Inferno and agree, it’s very good. Great use of colour and some excellent images.
@Harry- thanks for sharing. I’m eager to get too it.
suspiria was incredible, just finished it for the first time, easily best movie of 1977, breath of fresh air after watching annie hall, the duellists and sorcerer. will be watching deep red soon
I just caught Suspiria for the 1st time and was floored by it. I don’t normally buy movies I have not seen before but the reviews including this site made me take a chance. I purchased on 4K and it was perhaps the greatest use of color I can think of up there with The Grand Budapest Hotel, Vertigo, Red Desert, and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover.
The score was breathtaking as well, extremely effective in controlling the mood.
This would also have to make the short list for movies I’d love to see in IMAX.
I am very excited to check out some other movies from Argento.
The section of the page that shows recent posts and comments is missing here.
@Graham- thank you- appreciate the help.
So far have watched:
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
The Cat o’ Nine Tails
Deep Red
Suspiria
I see some similarities with De Palma:
– excessive violence, particularly with young women as the victims ( a common criticism of De
Palma)
– frequent camera movement
– Hitchcock influence
– plots that are often over the top
– use of mediocre actors/actresses (more an observation than a criticism since their kind of
films don’t usually require high level acting to be effective at what their trying to achieve
there are probably other traits but those are a few that jump out at me
Argento’s 1970 film name is “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage”. You have named it as “The Girl with Crystal Plumage”.
@Malith – good catch, not sure where that came up lol
@Malith- Thank you- fixed
Have you caught Phenomena (1985)?
Thinking about doing a full on Argento Study in October so trying to get an idea of which to watch.
@James Trapp- Interesting. I have not. Just added it to the list. Maybe catch it in October. Looks like it is on AMC+ which is a sneaky-good subscription
@Drake – yeah, I especially love October for movie watching as I basically dedicate the month to watching horror films and thrillers. Aside from Argento I am going to try to watch some classics I’ve seen before and some I have not
Rewatch:
The original Halloween (1978)
Nosferatu (1922)
Repulsion (1965)
Sisters (1973)
Films considered classics that I haven’t seen yet:
The Exorcist (1973)
Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Hereditary (2018)
IT (2017)
The Witch (2015)
Ringu (1998)
Eyes Without a Face (1960)
IT (2017) is considered a classic?
@Matthew – ok, you’re probably correct, I guess I used the word classic a little too liberally here, but it does have strong reviews, in fact all these films have strong reviews which is what I should have said.
@James Trapp- Awesome slate of films- keep us posted on your thoughts
@James Trapp I’m not sure what my tone came across as but I wasn’t trying to make a point against what you were saying (or any point for that matter), I was genuinely curious if it was considered a modern classic by most
(I’ve seen it but wasn’t impressed by it)
@Matthew – no worries, I guess it’s hard to say given how broad a term such as “classic” is. I think if you were to conduct a survey you would get a wide range of answers, but that’s just a guess on my part. If I were to try to define classic I would probably say something to the effect of; a film with staying power (amongst both critics and fans) over a decade or longer. I guess this would disqualify a number of the films listed above as they are only a few years old.
By that definition, the films listed above that would probably qualify are:
The Exorcist (1973)
Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Eyes Without a Face (1960)
Agreed here. We would have to define “classic” first, which I don’t think we can definitively do. For me, I think there has to be a time gap before something can truly be considered a classic. I however am not sure how long this moratorium should be, but IT just feels a little too recent I think
@Matthew – yeah I agree that word definitely means different things to different people. For me, there is both a popularity and critical component to the term “classic”. And I agree with you that there is also a time component to the term although I don’t think there is necessarily an exact time period but probably at the very minimum of 10 years. I know Drake and others on this site have talked up using best of decade lists and I have to say over time I have come around to agreeing with this. I like to think I am becoming a better writer and (amateur) critic. But even so, it is still difficult to adequately assess a film after just one viewing. I mean how great can a film be if you can get everything out of it from just one viewing?
@James Trapp- I’m sure I’ve slipped up and included “classic” numerous times over the 2000 pages on the site- but I try not to use the word- not a big deal at all- and people are free to use it of course- the word just seems to have no real meaning in my eyes. If people use it, I don’t know what they mean.
Starting an Argento Study with the intension of watching these 7 films
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
The Cat o’ Nine Tails
Deep Red
Suspiria
Inferno
Tenebrae
Phenomena
If anyone has any other Argento films to recommend let me know
@James-Trapp – Opera is pretty great.
@Pedro – I’ll add it to the list, thanks
Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Notes:
Starts with overhead shot of unidentified individual wearing black gloves and using typewriter to write note and then transitions to woman wearing red walking down street with freeze frames that are synchronized with click sounds giving the impression that she is being followed
Sam Dalmas, an American writer in Italy with his girlfriend is protagonist
4:16 Sam views a young attractive woman, Monica, is brutally assaulted inside of a gallery
11:22 black glove found at crime scene by inspector
Inspecter grilling Sam, already shaping up to be innocent man on the run a la Hitchcock
14:42 beautiful shot of blue tinted fog with Sam walking in street
17:22 freeze frames images throughout Sam’s dream/nightmare of the attack
23:38 to 23:53 series of zoom in and outs to synchronized with camera clicks
25:08 frame in frames at gallery, beautiful mise-en-scene
28:28 slow zoom in with picture in black and white and then zoom out with picture in color
31:38 Ennio Morricone was a great choice for doing the score
38:14 killer calling and taunting Inspector, this film was made shortly after the Zodiac murders began in California making me wonder if this was inspired from that as it was a key trait of the Zodiac
38:38 another effective zoom out shot in gallery
42:10 beginning of chase scene through dark streets at night
45:15 close up on gun fired in rapid fire edit (no pun intended)
49:38 maybe best shot of film a low angle deep focus shot from bottom of spiral staircase
51:10 rapid edits depict gruesome murder
1:06:12 first scene outside of the city in the countryside
1:11:25 nice composition with Sam making call on payment in a foggy green tint
1:11:54 zoom out with window on top right of frame surrounded by complete darkness
1:12:54 noir style silhouette image
1:16:35 great close up on killer’s eye looking through hole made using a knife
1:24:30 amazing crane shot from rooftop
1:28:16 great edits in dark as apartment
1:30:35 great shot of window lit green in upper left of frame surrounded by darkness
1:31:00 inevitable climax at the gallery where it all started
Thoughts:
This is undoubtedly one of the best slasher films I’ve seen, Psycho is in a league of its own and then for 2nd tier slashers you have Dressed to Kill, Halloween, Peeping Tom, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and then 3rd Tier would be films like Black Christmas and Scream. I would put this film as a 2nd Tier Slasher
I will be the first to admit I am not a huge fan of dubbing, in fact any film I’ve ever watched that had a choice of a language I don’t speak (anything other than English) with subtitles or dubbed English I always elect the subtitles…but beggars can’t be choosers
Ennio Morricone does the score here and its vital to the films atmosphere
Suzy Kendall is fine as the Sam’s girlfriend, but I can’t help but wish Julie Christie played in this role
Great use of slow zooms, this has become one of my favorite techniques
Some brilliant editing almost Roeg like at times
Great start to the Argento Study, this one exceeded my expectations
Verdict: MS
The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971)
Notes:
Ennio Morricone is back with Argento after their team-up in Bird With the Crystal Plumage
1:25 Karl Malden as Franco “Cookie” Arnò, a blind man who was once a great journalist is walking with his young niece Lori
2:25 deep focus as Cookie and niece walks off screen
5:20 shaky handheld camerawork from POV of perpetrator breaking into Terzi Medical Institute and wandering around, can’t help but think of opening scene in original Halloween (1978), repeated close up shots in eye
12 min nice composition with all men in room turning as beautiful woman, Anna, in white dress walks into the room
17:36 inventive editing as man who is research analyst is killed at train station by incoming train
22:47 photography of analyst killed by train suggests more than accident
23:52 green lit dark room shortly before violence which is shot from POV of killer
29:50 overhead surveillance shots with Carlo teaming up with Cookie
32:26 close up on Carlo’s face at barbershop with Barber placing straight razor near neck
38:30 low angle shot of staircase, there is similar shot in Argento’s Bird with the… (1970)
42 min plot details including XYY Chromosome revealed during conversation with Carlo and Anna
43:40 great tracking shot with Carlo walking into party
48:20 Bianca scared off while searching red car, surveillance like camera angle
53 min Bianca is murdered in scene with similar editing and close up on eye as an earlier murder
63 min Anna seduces Carlo
1:05:20 zoom in on Anna as Carlo hands her glass of milk
1:06:20 Carol realizes milk is poisoned
1:18:40 split diopter
1:32:55 fame within frame as Cookie enters the basement
1:33:35 close up on Cookie’s eyes
1:36:45 Cookie gets call from deranged killer who has kidnapped Lori
1:38:20 rapid cutting back and forth between Carlo and Anna who walks downstairs wearing all black outfit
1:41:20 killer shown by shadow as Lori is tied up in rat infested basement
Thoughts:
Many similarities to Bird With the Crystal Plumage in terms of plot, atmosphere, tone, and setting not to mention the 2.35 to 1 aspect ratio
The shots of the man killed by train early in film and the subsequent discovery of a possible murder while viewing photographs definitely shares similarities to Antonioni’s Blow Up (1966)
The shaky camera POV from killer is effective
There are strong visuals for sure and some impressive camera work but there are some flaws; The dialogue is a little clunky at times although I do keep in mind that the dubbing was added in post-production. The plot and twists are also a little clunky, there are definite similarities between this and Bird With the Crystal Plumage, but I preferred simplicity in the narrative with Bird…
Verdict: R
Deep Red (1975)
Notes:
Starts with intense score, 1st time Argento works with progressive rock group Goblin
Low angle shot of knife dropping
David Hemmings plays lead role here
2:50 great composition
Camera floating into theater at 3:27 gorgeous shot with all red background as camera slowly zooms in on 3 people on stage
4:46 low angle shot from behind the 3 heads of people on stage
8:25 nice use of frame to capture theatre before quick transition as camera floats to bathroom
10:55 camera floats while score picks up
13:44 brutal violence with use of straight razor
15 min overhead shot of city and the Hemming character, Marcus Daly, wandering through the city at night
18 min scream heard around the night
21 min the obnoxious Inspector common trope in these films
26:14 Argento making use of 2.35 to 1 with Hemmings and his drunken friend having a conversation from opposite ends of the frame
31:20 shot through restaurant glass window captures characters using reflection
33:23 camera moving counterclockwise during a rehearsal session in theater
40 min close up shots with Marcus looking for Carlo at Carlo’s mothers house
42 min a drunken Carlo found at friend’s house
47:18 camera floats though bar with Marcus and Carlo playing piano
49:55 slow zoom in and extreme close up on disc playing before moving back to Marcus
51:51 overhead surveillance shot and zoom on Marcus
57:54 close up on black leather glove and then on eye
58:50 creepy doll hanging up rope inside isolated house
63 min murder scene brutal, heavy use of blue throughout the scene
1:04:44 red face from injuries
1:06:30 doorway frame on Marcus discovering his friends murder
1:17:47 mirror shot
1:19:56 high angle shot from surveillance view
1:22:02 daytime silhouette image of Marcus entering house
1:25:00 the entire trip through house elements of surrealism
1:30:00 inside of house serves as a puzzle with the bizarre imagery
1:34:19 bizarre doll attacks after a series of unusual editing
1:43:00 video game like music playing throughout much of Marcus wandering through house at night
1:46:10 great use of profile shot while house on fire in background
1:48:40 effective use of silhouette images as they investigate Leonardo Di Vinci School
1:51:00 montage of shots of school at night
1:59:22 great frame using statue from earlier in film, Marcus starts putting clues together
2:02:28 the reveal is not that hard to predict but this film certainly does not rely on clever plot twists to justify its value
2:04:40 beautiful, inverted image of Marcus face over pile of blood to end film
Thoughts:
I actually sort of watched this twice in a row as I started my 1st viewing late at night making it about 1 hour 30 min into the 2 hour 6 min film before calling it a night with the intension of picking up where I left off the next day but I just ended up starting from the beginning instead, this is the type of film that will reward multiple viewings for sure
The camera which floats throughout the film (putting the viewer in constant paranoia) is arguably the most impressive aspect of the film cinematically although the use of color in mise-en-scene is amazing as well
Argento uses zooms so effectively in all the films in the study so far
This works both as a murder mystery and atmospheric thriller and I would say is style over substance for the most part
While I have not done a full-on study, I’ve seen most of the work of Nicolas Roeg and its hard not to think of Roeg with the bizarre editing sequences in many of the death/violent scenes
There are certainly noir elements, but it is also trippy and bizarre; Argento throws so much at you stylistically and narratively that I already look forward to what would essentially be a 3rd viewing
Verdict: MS/MP
@Drake – How many times have you seen Deep Red? I was blown away by it, especially the 2nd half. The camera movement and mise-en-scene are particularly impressive. The film as a whole is like a mix of Hitchcock, Lynch, and Polanski. You definitely captured some of the best shots on this page above. Similar to some of De Palma;s films the acting is not always great (although I thought David Hemmings gives a solid performance) but it’s not bad to the point where it becomes distracting, it just isn’t the films strong suit.
@James Trapp- Twice I think- probably due for a revisit.
@Drake – Yeah, it definitely seems like an ideal canidate for an upgrade just based on other films I have seen you upgrade; it’s unquestionably style over substance with some amazing camera work, mise-scene, and editing.
@James Trapp – For sure, I would agree it does. Though I just saw The Bird with the Crystal Plumage so my confidence is pretty high on my grade here and you and I are pretty far apart
Suspiria (1977)
Notes:
Music by band Goblin setting tone
2.35 to 1 aspect ratio, same as first 3 Argento films in the study
4:05 red and blue tinted frame
7:07 surreal shots
7:32 amazing mise-en-scene with symmetrical shot
12:18 first act of violence with girl murdered by knife
13 min cross editing leading to hanging death at 13:38
14:20 first shot during day
20 min Suzy Bannion serves as main character
21:18 “names with S are names with snakes” unintentional humor
22:33 deep focus shot with Suzy in background, use of frame in frame
26:48 stunner of a composition
35 min effective use of zooms upon Suzy discovering insects in the school
36:08 all blue tint
36:52 beautiful overhead shot with floor as ceiling in frame
39:39 first all red shot and it is a stunner with the camera gliding over the makeshift sleeping area after the bug infestation is discovered
40:45 amazing frame within frame capturing the face of a terrified student sleeping next to Suzy
42:03 excellent close up on faces of Suzy and girl sleeping next to her who warns Suzy about the diabolical nature of the schools past
44:20 slow zoom out on hallway
The school really is a character in itself, I love the primary colors of different rooms, dance room has solid yellow wall, hallways solid red, and downstairs blue
48:04 gorgeous blue and red composition
49:19 floating camera
55:15 rare long shot
55:55 excellent composition with great blocking
56:15 museum art beauty
1:01:53 green tinted shot in bedroom
1:03:40 hallway shots go from medium shot to close up creating claustrophobic terror
1:07:50 school becoming unescapable
1:08:46 shot of glove over Sarah’s face before unseen razor used on Sarah
1:18:40 orange background for the 1st time in film
1:20:45 closeup on Suzy’s face with blue tint showing isolation as Suzy is last student remaining
1:21:18 the internal dialogue of Suzy first shows up in last 15 min, questionable decision
1:22:30 neon red and blue before entering hallway which is almost all red
1:25:45 panning around room Suzy enters
1:26:28 stunner even by this movie’s standards
1:27:40 beautiful blue velvet drape that looks straight out of Blue Velvet (1986) but of course this came out first
1:28:00 slow POV tracking shot
1:30:00 all the people running the school revealed to be witches
1:33:50 Suzy standing terrified with scissors as she is attacked at all angles
Thoughts:
This is a flawed Masterpiece with terrible dialogue, mainly terrible acting, and even worse dubbing
However, the visuals particularly the use of color in mise-en-scene and the score are absolutely incredible and more than make up for the shortcomings
It is really amazing how Argento was able to create so much suspense out of a character walking in the hallway or 15 min
This is an atmospheric thriller similar to Polanski’s unofficial “Apartment Trilogy”
Clocking in at about 100 min the film paces itself perfectly
It’s hard to think of a film that benefits from a great score to the degree of this
Heavy use of primary colors, particularly red and blue
The camera floats here just as it does in Deep Red
The film is light on plot and better for it, it should be viewed more as an experience
The editing during violent scenes is quite impressive almost like the famous shower scene from Psycho (obviously not as great as that scene, but little is)
Suzy Bannion as the “outsider” serves as a sort of audience surrogate into a subculture
Verdict: MP
Inferno (1980)
Notes:
1:85 to 1 aspect ratio which is a departure from Argento’s 2.35 to 1
Starts with shot of knife then book titled “The Three Mothers” and then a slow zoom out
3:42 shot of building with blue with pink neon lights
Zoom in on silhouette through pink light window
12 min beautiful underwater shot
14:45 terrifying shot underwater
Score intensifies at 21:16 great shot in back of taxi on raining night
28:55 incredible interior shot of library basement with boiling pots and fires
34:13 close up on hands of killer wearing gloves seems to be a frequent trait in Argento films
35:20 Argento’s gliding camera moving through halls
42:18 choice exterior shot of haunted mansion
47:02 attack after long buildup of tension
1:03:23 frame with half blue and half red
1:05:23 camera pans from Mark being moved to the shadowy figure who is shown through a window shot
1:09:04 nice dissolve edits as Mark lays on the ground looking up at 4 women
1:28:00 medium shots of fire spreading create claustrophobic environment
1:35:45 high angle shot resembling surveillance
1:39:44 one of best shots, resembles shot from Bird With the Crystal Plumage
1:41:46 great compositions in scene that serves as climax, with the building burning and the film’s true villain revealed
1:44:12 the personification of death a la The Seventh Seal
Thoughts:
A follow up to Suspiria certainly has some impressive visuals
The score in Suspiria is almost as valuable to the films MP level status as the incredible visuals, the score in this film just does not work to nearly the same degree and given how much I value scores this does hurt the film in my eyes
Dialogue and interesting conversations are not a strength of Argento
This is a bizarre film even for Argento and it does work manage to maintain a certain level of intrigue throughout
There are several shots repeated throughout the film including a shot of the exterior of the mansion and one of full moon
Verdict: R
Tenebrae (1982)
Notes:
Starts with man reading book with close up on his gloves (the gloves are a standard Argento trait)
2:20 shaky handheld camera recording man in blue jumpsuit riding a bike
5:50 beautiful woman, Elsa, tries to shoplift a book called “Tenebrae” very meta
9:27 surveillance like shot with high angle shot from corner of the apartment
11:08 brutal throat slashing scene where we see POV from killer with a close up on killer’s hand which have gloves, the book Tenebrae was stuffed in her mouth during murder
16:36 1st shot of investigator, working murder case on the woman kille
24:30 dedication to blue palette so far is impressive including blue silhouette through blue drape
31 min brutal attack by same unknown killer
32:25 inventive shot using reflections
33:30 nice closeup of the blood on the razor washed away from water flowing out of faucet
40:10 interview on Tenebrae the book within the film
42:42 continued dedication with light blue car, blue suit, etc. even the sky is bright blue, interestingly this film takes place in broad daylight so far
46:13 gorgeous shot at night of exterior of building the killer lurks in
47 min bright color shirts and skirts worn by most of the women in the film
50 min another gorgeous shot of exterior of building
54:16 great high angle shot inside the residence
55:18 killer shown in silhouette as chase continues with tracking shot from killer’s POV
1:11:18 affair revealed, after break in suspense
1:12:35 flash vision resulting in accident
1:16:30 package in bright red wrapping paper and the bright red shoes inside are a noticeable contrast with white dress
1:17:55 heavy breathing and shaky camera POV indicates killer
1:20:02 knife attack in broad daylight, followed by shot of red shoes walking without identify of person wearing revealed
1:24:46 close up on face of victim strangled to death in car during rainy day (1st time in the film with bad weather) and then pan to killer hiding in a bush
1:29:10 another scene so violent it’s ridiculous
1:31:00 story details are wrapped up in last 10 min
1:39:17 ends with haunting image
Thoughts:
Like Hitchcock with his MacGuffin, by the time the mystery is revealed we realize how little it actually matters to the films overall quality and really this is a common theme throughout Argento’s work
This film is a blast to watch start to finish with perfect pacing, a trait I really admire about Argento as his films don’t usually go on longer than they need to
While this film certainly explores some dark subject matter, the overall atmosphere is lighter than say Deep Red or Suspiria, this is especially reflected in the score which is overall much lighter even lively
Like Tarantino some of the violence isn’t even that disturbing because it’s so over the top and unrealistic
There are some gorgeous shots and splendid use of primary colors throughout the film
I’ve noticed a lot of similarities between Argento and De Palma: they both use over the top violence which is especially controversial since the majority of the victims are young attractive women, they both are style of substance auteurs, the quality of acting is generally subpar but usually doesn’t matter all that much for the types of films they make, they both like to work in genre films, and I am sure there are other similarities I could list
Verdict: HR/MS
Phenomena (1985)
Notes:
Starts with girl missing bus in countryside leading to a chase ending in blood with a stabbing using scissors at 6:12 and a beheading
7:10 wind as foreshadowing
9:50 close up on skull covered with insects
13:53 exterior of all-girls school with beautiful architecture
The main character here is Jennifer Corvino, played by a very young Jennifer Connelly, just 14 at the time of release and just one year after Connelly playing the young version of Deborah
17:10 surveillance camera angle with 2 girls in their beds
20:48 strange musical choice with song not really seeming to fit situation
22:26 dreamlike sequence through hallway as Jennifer seems to be sleepwalking or dreaming
23:57 brutal violence with knife
28 min interesting shot through POV of a bug and thus 6 images of the same thing
39:44 reference to Richard Gere in class discussion
41:52 secret relationships
42:39 another cutaway shot to a full moon
49:40 another shot through POV of a bug and thus 6 images of the same thing
56 min bizarre scene “we worship you!”
56:28 a slow zoom in on Jennifer’s face before cutting to an insect invasion
1:13:55 tremendous camera movement through empty house
1:14:45 low angle close-up shots effective in demonstrating Inspector’s power over subject
1:33:50 effective close-up shot on face of pure rage
1:38:00 great use of rock music to ramp up the excitement after a quiet stretch
1:41:45 brutally gross scene, even compared to other gross scenes in this film
1:44:50 horrifying shot of double-faced mutant
1:45:55 arguably best shot of the film with creatures covering the sky during a full moon
The final 5-10 min have some spectacular shots during underwater scene
Thoughts:
Argento returns to familiar tropes and themes with the haunted all-girls school
Like other Argento films it is polarizing in that there are some amazing shots but overall incomprehensible in many ways, some really great shots in last 5 min
The supernatural elements are more pervasive than any of the other films in this study
The acting is especially bad even in comparison to other Argento films
The score here is weak compared to Argento’s other films in the Study
Verdict: R
Opera (1987)
Notes:
Starts with distorted image in Opera House during rehearsal and close up on bird
1:50 nice reverse tracking shot out of theater
4:10 threatening phone call to actress lying in bed, great camera movement with tracking shot
5:50 POV shot from surveillance angle
11:42 tremendous camera movement floating through building
14:32 brutal violence strikes quick with rapid edits and close ups
22:45 handheld camera moving though building POV
31 min this scene could be straight out of Saw (2004) with the victim being given a sadistic “game” that involves an insanely difficult task/challenge
39:37 great peep hole shot
49:20 wind as foreshadowing
52:20 the killer actually speaks in this film unless most of Argento’s other kills who wear leather gloves
54:44 scissors as a weapon followed by closeup shots on the victims faces
1:06:03 flashing green light
1:08:10 slow motion shot through the peep hole and through the eyes (Moe Green Special)
1:10:10 opera music playing during walk through empty house in panicked state
1:12:18 360 degrees bird eye view shot
1:19:00 low angle tracking shot
1:25:12 montage at Opera
1:26:28 birds flying inside at Opera leading to spinning 360 overhead shots (literally birds eye view)
1:35:45 out of control fire, and locked doors amping up the fear
Thoughts:
Argento continues with the unseen killer wearing black gloves as the movies villain
Great camera movement and use of handheld camera from villain POV
Less dialogue the better with Argento
Soundtrack uses rock and roll toward the end, about out of synch with the Opera music used throughout
Verdict: R
Final Ranking and Grades:
MP
Suspiria (1977)
MS
Deep Red (1975)
Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Tenebrae (1982)
R
The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971)
Phenomena (1985)
Opera (1987)
Inferno (1980)
Study Summary:
Argento seems to shift between Giallo which resembles the Slasher Genre and Supernatural Horror. He has a distinctive style both visually and thematically and like say Hitchcock returns to many of the same tropes; characters wandering through haunted buildings using great camera movement and tracking shots, POV shots from the killer’s perspective, great camera movement and tracking shots, brutal over the top violence, beautiful women as victims and gender relations, etc. He is quite similar to De Palma in many ways actually.
There are spectacular visuals, especially in the way he uses color, particularly primary colors, and neon. Suspiria is obviously the beset example of this.
While I overall highly enjoyed, I do wonder who told Argento or anyone else for that matter that dubbing was a good idea ever, there’s a funny scene in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood where Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) makes fun of Italian movies, in particular the way they are dubbed. It’s especially funny given that some of Tarantino’s personal favorite movies are Italian movies that involved dubbing like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I realize there are technical reasons why dubbing was used frequently and in many cases I can overlook it but in some cases, it is just plain terrible. Thankfully dialogue is not one of Argento’s strengths anyways, so the impact of the dubbing is reduced.
Overall Argento seems to stick to his strengths as a visual talent and his films tend to be exercises in style; this is even true for his films that are ostensibly murder mysteries/who done it. Of the 8 films watched I think they all are worth viewing but there is a fairly wide gap between the 4 plain Recommends and the other 4. Suspiria is a straight up Masterpiece, but I wouldn’t rule out Deep Red as well, I am not there yet but will definitely rewatch at some point in future.
@James – who is up next?
@Harry – I am thinking Spielberg, I watched ET somewhat recently and forgot how great it was. I realized I have not seen many of his films since I was a kid or teen so am excited to rewatch.
Some others I want to get to in the next year are Sofia Coppola, Sergio Leone, Robert Siodmak (perhaps a mini study of 6-7 of his noirs), Bong Joon-ho, Seijun Suzuki. This is not an exact list or order just some directors who come to mind.
For me a full on Hitchcock study in the granddaddy of all studies, maybe in 2years.
I feel an HR for Deep Red is underrating it. The main thing that bothered me with it was the audio going from English to Italian for some scenes because they didn’t dub it….. pretty incredible movie though, not as good as Suspiria but I think it should be MS.
Best opening/ending score ever? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgfQVXq1u5g