tough to rate his movies
what do you think?
shareI've only seen Deep Red and Suspiria. Personally, I didn't find it hard to rate them. I rated them both a 6/10,
sharethey have an element of parody about them
share
MovieChat Forums > Dario Argento Discussion > tough to rate his movies
It's hard for me to get into the mindset of rating movies at all, but in any case, even my favorite of his films, ones I consider personally influential and his best, I think are very deeply flawed. In Suspiria for instance there are nearly as many things I love and think are brilliant as there are things I think about how I would have done differently every time. At the same time, I've partway come to enjoy the elements that give me some trouble for and in spite of their imperfection. To some extent I think that even keeps the movie very liquid and alive in my imagination, and keeps me coming back to thinking about and watching it time and again.
I definitely would say there's something elusive about his work.
his movies are visual for sure. definitely not plot oriented.
shareRight, they're a visceral aesthetic experience. I watch them the way I watch my dreams.
shareWhen his movies were released in the 80s they were usually heavily cut here in the UK, and even more so when they were released on video.
I remember someone getting a European video of one of his movies uncut but it was horrendously expensive, and the quality was not that good.
The kicker is that now all his movies are available in uncut forms on dvd, blu ray etc...but the gore now looks incredibly dated.
Working my way through his 70s and 80s work, and i must say, i am very underwhelmed.
Horrible overacting, embarrasing dialogue, one dimensional characters and laughable plots goes like a red line through his films.
Then there is the one argument that always gets repeated by fans: "He is a visual director, his films are dreamlike, surreal and hit you on a emotional level. He is a master when it comes to the use of colors, obscure camera angles and set design"
A master? Come on. Yes, there are some inspired moments here and there, and at his best there are some innovative techniques on display.
The end result are films that feel like amateurish B-films made by a young director with some talent and a good eye for visuals. You know, when you see a deeply flawed film, but there is something there that makes you think "I am going to keep an eye on this directors future work, with some maturity he could deliever something great."
But Argento never got there, i guess he looks at elements as acting, dialogue, character building and plot as just background noise for his visuals.He made Giallo films, not masterpieces.
You want to see films that actually delivers what his fans says Argento did?
Watch "The Neon Demon" or "Mandy" or "Under the skin" or "Thelma"
Still need to see Mandy but Neon Demon from what I remember was a bit too odd but it's been a while. One thing I'll say is even if your not a fan of Argento it's hard to deny the influence he's had. Neon Demon and Black Swan for example owe a lot to Suspiria
shareHis first, "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage", is the only one I think is a truly great film. His films got too loopy and sadistic for my taste after that.
shareI’ll give it a shot of the ones I’ve seen:
Suspiria (1977)
Phenomena (1985)
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Tenebrae (1982)
Deep Red (1975)
Opera (1987)
Inferno (1980)
Trauma (1993)
I feel like I’ve seen 4 Flies in Gray Velvet but I’m not sure. I’ll look to see it soon.