Dario argento (1940- )
Born: September 7, 1940. Rome, Italy
Before entering the film industry, Argento crafted his writing skills as a film reviewer for a daily paper in Rome, while still in his teens. His foray into filmmaking arrived when he was hired to co-write (along with Berardo Bertolucci) the script for Sergio Leone's epic western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). Argento continued to write scripts, preparing to direct his first feature, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). The film featured Vittorio Storaro as cinematographer and Ennio Morricone as composer and would go onto become a huge success in Italy helping to establish the Italian horror-thriller subgenre known as 'giallo'. Argento continued making 'giallo' films, which include The Cat o Nine Tails (1971), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1972) and arguably one of the better films made during this period Deep Red (1975), which saw the director move from thriller to horror.
Suspiria (1977) and its sequel Inferno (1980) grabbed the attention of horror fans for its use of intense color schemes and gory sequences. These two films explore the theme of the occult where demonic witches control safe settings such as a ballet academy or an older building. Inferno would become Mario Bava's last film project, giving Argento the opportunity to work with a director he greatly admired. Mother of Tears (2007) the third film in the Argento's 'Three Mothers' trilogy would be released almost 30 years after Inferno. The film stared Argento's daughter Asia and would not become a critical or financial success. In 1989, Argento started Deep Red, a horror film memorabilia store. Click here to visit the website.
After Inferno, Argento directed Tenebre and Phenomena (starring a young Jennifer Connelly) and Opera (1987), a film infamous for its blades on eye torture effect. Critics have noted that since The Stendhal Syndrome (1996), Argento's creative flare has waned, directing less than interesting material. His most recent film Dracula 3D (2012) staring Rutger Hauer and his daughter Asia, earned very poor reviews.
Visit Argento Fan Site: dark-dreams.co.uk
Before entering the film industry, Argento crafted his writing skills as a film reviewer for a daily paper in Rome, while still in his teens. His foray into filmmaking arrived when he was hired to co-write (along with Berardo Bertolucci) the script for Sergio Leone's epic western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). Argento continued to write scripts, preparing to direct his first feature, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). The film featured Vittorio Storaro as cinematographer and Ennio Morricone as composer and would go onto become a huge success in Italy helping to establish the Italian horror-thriller subgenre known as 'giallo'. Argento continued making 'giallo' films, which include The Cat o Nine Tails (1971), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1972) and arguably one of the better films made during this period Deep Red (1975), which saw the director move from thriller to horror.
Suspiria (1977) and its sequel Inferno (1980) grabbed the attention of horror fans for its use of intense color schemes and gory sequences. These two films explore the theme of the occult where demonic witches control safe settings such as a ballet academy or an older building. Inferno would become Mario Bava's last film project, giving Argento the opportunity to work with a director he greatly admired. Mother of Tears (2007) the third film in the Argento's 'Three Mothers' trilogy would be released almost 30 years after Inferno. The film stared Argento's daughter Asia and would not become a critical or financial success. In 1989, Argento started Deep Red, a horror film memorabilia store. Click here to visit the website.
After Inferno, Argento directed Tenebre and Phenomena (starring a young Jennifer Connelly) and Opera (1987), a film infamous for its blades on eye torture effect. Critics have noted that since The Stendhal Syndrome (1996), Argento's creative flare has waned, directing less than interesting material. His most recent film Dracula 3D (2012) staring Rutger Hauer and his daughter Asia, earned very poor reviews.
Visit Argento Fan Site: dark-dreams.co.uk
Argento documentary, interview and 'Opera' clip
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