I don't think there's a more controversial horror director than Dario Argento. Obviously superior people to me have angrily informed me that he is a hack. Some do not dispute his talent, but suggest that Argento is some sort of cinematic sadist. And some really intelligent people are convinced that Dario Argento is brilliant.
It's actually difficult to argue all of these points. Some of the Argento detractors are obviously talking about his entire body of work, or at least what they've seen. But then I consider movies like Phantom of the Opera and Mother of Tears, which I certainly (and sadly) think are hackwork.
Considering some of the choice scenes in films like Susperia, Tenebre, and Opera, I can hardly offer any argument that there is a sadistic mind behind the films.
And yes, Dario Argento has his fans. Many erudite film lovers are captivated by his work. None, however, have been more intelligent or perceptive than Maitland McDonagh.
I'm gonna state it right up front: I am in awe of Maitland McDonagh. This woman is incredibly smart, and is highly educated, but she writes about horror and exploitation films. How hot is that? McDonagh has written for periodicals as diverse as Film Comment, Premier, Entertainment Tonight, and Fangoria. She was also the senior movie editor for the TV Guide website.
Ms. McDonagh writes reviews at her FlickChick website, and it's one of my daily stops in cyberspace. Just recently I was delighted that she pretty much had the same opinion of me about the movie, Predators. A low one.
McDonagh has a Blog that I like to read. It's fun and informative. I mean, where else can I read about Paul Bartel giving instructions on how to make a smoothie? Like I said, awesome.
Back in the early 90's, Maitland McDonagh published a book about the work of Dario Argento. It was based on her Master's thesis on his work. The book was aptly titled Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams. This is from a quote Argento's masterpiece, Susperia: "Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds."
Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams was published at a time when few had seen Argento's movies. Fewer still had seen them in their uncut forms. Dario's movies were notoriously censored when they were released here in America. I had seen Deep Red: The Hatchet Murders, Unsane, and Creepers. I liked them, but all were shorn of footage. Not just gore, but expository scenes as well.
I didn't buy Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams. My money was almost always tight in those days. Had I seen it in a store, I probably would have gone for it. But I didn't. Nor did I buy Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams when it was published again in 1994. I can't offer any excuse other than that I suck.
Now, at last, a new edition of Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento has been published in a spiffy new paperback edition, and this printing has new supplementary content to include the recent work of Argento.
This time I got myself a copy of Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams, and I'm so glad that I did. I'm not reading it cover to cover without breaks. I'm too immersed in the novels I'm trying to read to do that. No, I'm reading a chapter here, a chapter there.
I'll say it one more time. I am in awe of Maitland McDonagh. Her insights into Dario Argento and his work are nothing short of genius. I've seen the films many times myself, but McDonagh is presenting them to me in new ways. Ways I hadn't considered. The writing is educational, yes, but it's also fun. There's a lovely droll wit in the book. And McDonagh's voice is one of experience. She's not only remarkably well versed in the Dario Argento oeuvre, or in the exploitation genre, but in all of film history.
Not only that, I agree with her in a lot of cases. Most fans have high regard for the Argento movies that came from The Bird with the Crystal Plumage to Opera, so it's nothing new to agree with someone on those classics. But I agree with Ms. McDonagh that The Stendhal Syndrome is an underrated film. She feels that Mother of Tears is pretty much a waste of time. She calls it 'sadly unconvincing'. I think it's an overblown embarrassment. But some people I know like Mother of Tears a lot. God love 'em, but I don't get it.
Which brings me to Two Evil Eyes. Maitland McDonagh is less impressed with it than I. Oh, I emphatically agree about George Romero's story, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. She says it's like an episode of Night Gallery. Not awful, but not particularly good. Especially not in light of some of Romero's other movies.
McDonaugh is a bit dismissive of Argento's Two Evil Eyes Poe adaptation, The Black Cat. But I think it's one of Dario's better movies. Sure, I'll grant you that is doesn't have the visual opulence of Dario's classic movies, but The Black Cat is provocative and scary. McDonaugh rightly praises the dream footage in the film, but she isn't as enamored of the contemporary scenes. I, on the other hand, love the stark look of it. It's bleak, dark, and gloomy. And Harvey Keitel is marvelous as the amoral photographer, Rod Usher. John Amos, the Father on the TV sitcom Good Times, is a show-stealer as an upbeat, yet suspicious detective.
To test my memory I watched The Black Cat again last night. Yes, I skipped Romero's tired entry. It had been nearly a decade since I watched it. I hadn't spun the DVD since I first got the Blue Underground two-disc Special Edition DVD. The Black Cat is as good as I remembered it being. This film has good atmosphere, convincing gore effects, and some innovative cinematography. And for my money, Argento hasn't made as good a film since. I know; that's faint praise given the movies that have followed The Black Cat.
I haven't seen Dario Argento's latest film, the still-unreleased Giallo. Sadly, I haven't heard a lot of good things about it. I'll watch it for myself. I owe Dario that much. It wouldn't be the first time I disagreed with the masses. Take The Stendhal Syndrome: It's getting more respect now, but at the time of its release, I heard few good things about it. I loved it then and I still consider it to be one of my favorites of Argento's films. If I'd have listened to the naysayers....
Honestly, I've found things to like about all of Dario Argento's movies with the exceptions of Phantom of the Opera and Mother of Tears. Even the much-reviled The Card Player.
And that's the fun of reading a book like Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams. A sharp writer like Maitland McDonagh challenges the reader to rethink his or her notions about a film. Actually, I haven't changed my tune about any of them, but this book forces me to look at the films from the other side of a broken mirror, and sometimes the fractured reflection is not the one I'm accustomed to.
It's actually difficult to argue all of these points. Some of the Argento detractors are obviously talking about his entire body of work, or at least what they've seen. But then I consider movies like Phantom of the Opera and Mother of Tears, which I certainly (and sadly) think are hackwork.
Considering some of the choice scenes in films like Susperia, Tenebre, and Opera, I can hardly offer any argument that there is a sadistic mind behind the films.
And yes, Dario Argento has his fans. Many erudite film lovers are captivated by his work. None, however, have been more intelligent or perceptive than Maitland McDonagh.
I'm gonna state it right up front: I am in awe of Maitland McDonagh. This woman is incredibly smart, and is highly educated, but she writes about horror and exploitation films. How hot is that? McDonagh has written for periodicals as diverse as Film Comment, Premier, Entertainment Tonight, and Fangoria. She was also the senior movie editor for the TV Guide website.
Ms. McDonagh writes reviews at her FlickChick website, and it's one of my daily stops in cyberspace. Just recently I was delighted that she pretty much had the same opinion of me about the movie, Predators. A low one.
McDonagh has a Blog that I like to read. It's fun and informative. I mean, where else can I read about Paul Bartel giving instructions on how to make a smoothie? Like I said, awesome.
Back in the early 90's, Maitland McDonagh published a book about the work of Dario Argento. It was based on her Master's thesis on his work. The book was aptly titled Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams. This is from a quote Argento's masterpiece, Susperia: "Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds."
Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams was published at a time when few had seen Argento's movies. Fewer still had seen them in their uncut forms. Dario's movies were notoriously censored when they were released here in America. I had seen Deep Red: The Hatchet Murders, Unsane, and Creepers. I liked them, but all were shorn of footage. Not just gore, but expository scenes as well.
I didn't buy Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams. My money was almost always tight in those days. Had I seen it in a store, I probably would have gone for it. But I didn't. Nor did I buy Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams when it was published again in 1994. I can't offer any excuse other than that I suck.
Now, at last, a new edition of Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento has been published in a spiffy new paperback edition, and this printing has new supplementary content to include the recent work of Argento.This time I got myself a copy of Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams, and I'm so glad that I did. I'm not reading it cover to cover without breaks. I'm too immersed in the novels I'm trying to read to do that. No, I'm reading a chapter here, a chapter there.
I'll say it one more time. I am in awe of Maitland McDonagh. Her insights into Dario Argento and his work are nothing short of genius. I've seen the films many times myself, but McDonagh is presenting them to me in new ways. Ways I hadn't considered. The writing is educational, yes, but it's also fun. There's a lovely droll wit in the book. And McDonagh's voice is one of experience. She's not only remarkably well versed in the Dario Argento oeuvre, or in the exploitation genre, but in all of film history.
Not only that, I agree with her in a lot of cases. Most fans have high regard for the Argento movies that came from The Bird with the Crystal Plumage to Opera, so it's nothing new to agree with someone on those classics. But I agree with Ms. McDonagh that The Stendhal Syndrome is an underrated film. She feels that Mother of Tears is pretty much a waste of time. She calls it 'sadly unconvincing'. I think it's an overblown embarrassment. But some people I know like Mother of Tears a lot. God love 'em, but I don't get it.
Which brings me to Two Evil Eyes. Maitland McDonagh is less impressed with it than I. Oh, I emphatically agree about George Romero's story, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. She says it's like an episode of Night Gallery. Not awful, but not particularly good. Especially not in light of some of Romero's other movies.
McDonaugh is a bit dismissive of Argento's Two Evil Eyes Poe adaptation, The Black Cat. But I think it's one of Dario's better movies. Sure, I'll grant you that is doesn't have the visual opulence of Dario's classic movies, but The Black Cat is provocative and scary. McDonaugh rightly praises the dream footage in the film, but she isn't as enamored of the contemporary scenes. I, on the other hand, love the stark look of it. It's bleak, dark, and gloomy. And Harvey Keitel is marvelous as the amoral photographer, Rod Usher. John Amos, the Father on the TV sitcom Good Times, is a show-stealer as an upbeat, yet suspicious detective.
To test my memory I watched The Black Cat again last night. Yes, I skipped Romero's tired entry. It had been nearly a decade since I watched it. I hadn't spun the DVD since I first got the Blue Underground two-disc Special Edition DVD. The Black Cat is as good as I remembered it being. This film has good atmosphere, convincing gore effects, and some innovative cinematography. And for my money, Argento hasn't made as good a film since. I know; that's faint praise given the movies that have followed The Black Cat.
I haven't seen Dario Argento's latest film, the still-unreleased Giallo. Sadly, I haven't heard a lot of good things about it. I'll watch it for myself. I owe Dario that much. It wouldn't be the first time I disagreed with the masses. Take The Stendhal Syndrome: It's getting more respect now, but at the time of its release, I heard few good things about it. I loved it then and I still consider it to be one of my favorites of Argento's films. If I'd have listened to the naysayers....
Honestly, I've found things to like about all of Dario Argento's movies with the exceptions of Phantom of the Opera and Mother of Tears. Even the much-reviled The Card Player.
And that's the fun of reading a book like Broken Mirrors/Broken Dreams. A sharp writer like Maitland McDonagh challenges the reader to rethink his or her notions about a film. Actually, I haven't changed my tune about any of them, but this book forces me to look at the films from the other side of a broken mirror, and sometimes the fractured reflection is not the one I'm accustomed to.
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