Kind of forgot it’s October “Horror Month”. Should’ve saved these Argento reviews for Halloween! Oh well.
Tenebrae (1982) (Italian: Tenebre)
Directed & Written by Dario Argento
Starring: Anthony Franciosa, John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi, Giuliano Gemma, Carola Stagnaro, John Steiner, Veronica Lario, Mirella D’Angelo
Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
The film stars Anthony Franciosa as American author Peter Neal, who – while in Rome promoting his latest murder-mystery novel – becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who may have been inspired to kill by his novel.
My Opinion:
I of course love Suspiria & Deep Red so have been working my way through the rest of Argento’s films. Although I’ve enjoyed all the rest, they’re obviously disappointing compared to those two. So I was very happy to finally see another one that I liked a lot (though it’s still not up there with my top two). I’ve ranked Tenebrae a definite third in my Argento ranking here.
Is it partly because John Saxon is in this? Maybe. Gotta love someone who has been in films with Bruce Lee & Freddy Krueger! Also happy to see Daria Nicolodi again, who I really liked in Deep Red. It’s also easily one of the better & more coherent Argento murder mystery stories & has stronger characters than some of his work. Plus, we get another great Goblin score in this! (Well, three of the guys from Goblin so it’s still Goblin). It’s the Goblin scores just as much as Argento’s signature style that make me love these films. Great stuff! But I wonder if I should stop at the 8 I’ve seen as I’ve now surely seen the very best of his work…?
My Rating: 8/10
The Cat O’ Nine Tails (1971) (Italian: Il gatto a nove code)
Directed by Dario Argento
Starring: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak
Plot Synopsis: (via IMDb)
Two journalists try to solve a series of murders connected to a pharmaceutical company’s secret experiments, becoming targets of the killer themselves.
My Opinion:
I quite liked this one. I read that it’s Argento’s least favorite of his films? Damn. It stars Karl Malden and his nose & I really liked his character & relationship with the girl.
The story was fine – a pretty typical Argento “murder mystery” (his stories are all a bit average). It doesn’t have as much of the great Argento look going on but does have a score from the brilliant Ennio Morricone (that I have to admit I don’t remember now – It must not be on Apple Music like his other Argento scores that I have on my playlist?!). Maybe the story is just too straightforward for fans? It’s certainly a more simple story & has far less weirdness than his other films. I do prefer the weirdness & stunning visuals of his other films but found this film more enjoyable than a lot of them.
My Rating: 7.5/10
The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970) (Italian: L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo)
Directed by Dario Argento
Starring: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi, Umberto Raho, Mario Adorf
Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
It stars Tony Musante as an American writer in Rome who witnesses a serial killer targeting young women, and tries to uncover the murderer’s identity before he become their next victim.
My Opinion:
As I said above, I’ve been exploring Dario Argento’s work since loving Suspiria & Deep Red but it’s hard to fully appreciate someone’s other work when you started with their best.
There’s some striking imagery in this one, mainly in the art gallery scenes, but not as much as I want & expect from Argento. Great Ennio Morricone score I already knew as I love Morricone but I still prefer Argento’s collaborations with Goblin as they’re an even more perfect combination. This film has atrocious acting as always & a run-of-the-mill story. But at least the story was more coherent than in some of his other films.
I could do with rewatching this someday as the version I saw was in English (I’m assuming it should’ve been in Italian?!?). I far prefer subtitles & hearing that original language, so that may have ruined my enjoyment a bit. Plus I think I was just really tired (as usual!). Still some good stuff in this, though. Was worth checking out. And it’s my favorite Argento movie title. The Bird With The Crystal Fucking Plumage? Seriously?! Love it.
My Rating: 7.5/10
Cinema Parrot Disco 