Dario Argento

Birthday: 7 September 1940, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Height: 173 cm

Dario Argento was born on September 7, 1940, in Rome, Italy, the first-born son of famed Italian producer Salvatore Argento and Brazilian fashion model Elda Luxardo. Argento recalls getting his ideas for filmmaking from his close-knit family from Italian folk tales told by his parents and other family members, including an aunt who told him frighting bedtime stories. Argento based most of his thriller movies on childhood trauma, yet his own--according to him--was a normal one. Along with tales spun by his aunt, Argento was impressed by stories from The Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and Edgar Allan Poe. Argento started his career writing for various film journal magazines while still in his teens attending a Catholic high school. After graduation, instead of going to college, Argento took a job as a columnist for the Rome daily newspaper "Paese Sera". Inspired by the movies, he later found work as a screenwriter and wrote several screenplays for a number of films, but the most important were his western collaborations, which included Une corde... un Colt... (1969) and the Sergio Leone masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). After its release Argento wrote and directed his first movie, L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo (1970), which starred Tony Musante and and British actress Suzy Kendall. It's a loose adoption on Fredric Brown's novel "The Screaming Mimi", which was made for his father's film company. Argento wanted to direct the movie himself because he did not want any other director messing up the production and his screenplay.After "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" became an international hit, Argento followed up with two more thrillers, Il gatto a nove code (1971), starring 'Karl Madlen' (qv" and 'James Fransiscus', and 4 mosche di velluto grigio (1971) ("Four Flies On Black Velvet"), both backed by his father Salvatore. Argento then directed the TV drama La porta sul buio: Testimone oculare (1973) and the historical TV drama Le cinque giornate (1973). He then went back to directing so-called "giallo" thrillers, starting with Profondo rosso (1975), a violent mystery-thriller starring David Hemmings that inspired a number of international directors in the thriller-horror genre. His next work was Suspiria (1977), a surreal horror film about a witch's coven that was inspired by the Gothic fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson, which he also wrote in collaboration with his girlfriend, screenwriter/actress Daria Nicolodi, who acted in "Profondo Rosso" ("Deep Red") and most of Argento's films from then to the late 1980s. Argento advanced the unfinished trilogy with Inferno (1980), before returning to the "giallo" genre with the gory Tenebre (1982), and then with the haunting Phenomena (1985).The lukewarm reviews for his films, however, caused Argento to slip away from directing to producing and co-writing two Lamberto Bava horror flicks, Dèmoni (1985) and Dèmoni 2... l'incubo ritorna (1986). Argento returned to directing with the "giallo" thriller Opera (1987), which according to him was "a very unpleasant experience", and no wonder: a rash of technical problems delayed production, the lead actress Vanessa Redgrave dropped out before filming was to begin, Argento's father Salvatore died during filming and his long-term girlfriend Daria broke off their relationship. After the commercial box-office failure of "Opera", Argento temporarily settled in the US, where he collaborated with director George A. Romero on the two-part horror-thriller Due occhi diabolici (1990) (he had previously collaborated with Romero on the horror action thriller Dawn of the Dead (1978)). While still living in America, Argento appeared in small roles in several films and directed another violent mystery thriller, Trauma (1993), which starred his youngest daughter Asia Argento from his long-term relationship with Nicolodi.Argento returned to Italy in 1995, where he made a comeback in the horror genre with La sindrome di Stendhal (1996) and then with another version of "The Phantom of the Opera", Il fantasma dell'opera (1998), both of which starred Asia. Most recently, Argento directed a number of "giallo" mystery thrillers such as Non ho sonno (2001), Il cartaio (2004) and Ti piace Hitchcock? (2005), as well as two gory, supernatural-themed episodes of the USA TV cable anthology series Masters of Horror (2005).Having always wanted to make a third chapter to his "Three Mothers" horror films, Argento finally completed the trilogy in 2007 with the release of La terza madre (2007), which starred Asia Argento as a young woman trying to identify and stop the last surviving evil witch from taking over the world. In addition to his Gothic and violent style of storytelling, "La terza madre" has many references to two of his previous films, "Suspiria" (1997) and "Inferno" (1980), which is a must for fans of the trilogy.His movies may be regarded by some critics and opponents as cheap and overly violent, but second or third viewings show him to be a talented writer/director with a penchant for original ideas and creative directing. Hide

Profondo rosso (1975) is my favorite movie. The character David Hemmings plays is very much based on Show more Profondo rosso (1975) is my favorite movie. The character David Hemmings plays is very much based on my own personality. It was a very strong film, very brutal, and of course the censors were upset. It was cut by almost an hour in some countries. Hide

The process of writing and directing drives you to such extremes that it's natural to feel an affini Show more The process of writing and directing drives you to such extremes that it's natural to feel an affinity with insanity. I approach that madness as something dangerous and I'm afraid, but also I want to go to it, to see what's there, to embrace it. I don't know why but I'm drawn. Hide

I like women, especially beautiful ones. If they have a good face and figure, I would much prefer to Show more I like women, especially beautiful ones. If they have a good face and figure, I would much prefer to watch them being murdered than an ugly girl or man. I certainly don't have to justify myself to anyone about this. I don't care what anyone thinks or reads into it. I have often had journalists walk out of interviews when I say what I feel about this subject. Hide

I love Russian cinema. Dziga Vertov is my favorite. [Andrei Tarkovsky] so-so. I prefer the fantasy o Show more I love Russian cinema. Dziga Vertov is my favorite. [Andrei Tarkovsky] so-so. I prefer the fantasy of [Sergei M. Eisenstein]'s Oktyabr (1928). Hide

Horror by definition is the emotion of pure revulsion. Terror of the same standard, is that of fearf Show more Horror by definition is the emotion of pure revulsion. Terror of the same standard, is that of fearful anticipation. Hide

Each film I make changes me in some way. When I start the picture I'm one person and by the time I f Show more Each film I make changes me in some way. When I start the picture I'm one person and by the time I finish I'm another. Hide

Horror is the future. And you cannot be afraid. You must push everything to the absolute limit or el Show more Horror is the future. And you cannot be afraid. You must push everything to the absolute limit or else life will be boring. People will be boring. Horror is like a serpent; always shedding its skin, always changing. And it will always come back. It can't be hidden away like the guilty secrets we try to keep in our subconscious. Hide

The opera we used in the film [Opera (1987)] was "Macbeth", which has a tradition - also in the thea Show more The opera we used in the film [Opera (1987)] was "Macbeth", which has a tradition - also in the theatre - of being bad luck. People all warned against using it, suggested using "La Traviata" or "La Bohème", and I said, "This is just a story, don't be foolish," but maybe they were right. With ["Opera"] I had a lot of English crew - that was something new for me - and I learned many things from them. Overall, though, it was a terrible experience. You know, many cuts were made after I was finished, even though I protested. Many things happened. Vanessa Redgrave was scheduled to be in the film, and she pulled out. One of the actors was crushed by a car. I was engaged to be married, but by the end of the picture that was finished. My father died during the shooting . . . all kinds of things. But I felt I had started with "Macbeth", so I had to finish. And anyway, there could be no ravens in Cosi Fan Tutte. Hide

[Phenomena (1985)] was inspired by something I heard about insects being used to solve crimes, and b Show more [Phenomena (1985)] was inspired by something I heard about insects being used to solve crimes, and because insects have always fascinated me I began to make a story around this idea. You know, it's a terrible thing, but there are many insects that are disappearing. Becoming extinct. But most people only want to kill them. You know, insects have souls, too; they're telepathic . . . amazing. People want to save the whales and dolphins, but nobody wants to save the insects. I'm a vegetarian, because I don't want to kill things to eat. Hide

The sound, it looks wonderful The sound, it looks wonderful

I wanted to develop the idea of the Three Mothers, the origin of all sorrow and pain. Suspiria (1977 Show more I wanted to develop the idea of the Three Mothers, the origin of all sorrow and pain. Suspiria (1977) is about The Mother of Sighs; and Inferno (1980) is about the Mother of Darkness. Hide

We had many good directors - John Carpenter, Brian De Palma - but things have become polluted by bus Show more We had many good directors - John Carpenter, Brian De Palma - but things have become polluted by business, money and bad relationships. The success of the horror genre has led to its downfall. Hide

Films are dreams. Many, many critics say to me that my films are not good because they are too unbel Show more Films are dreams. Many, many critics say to me that my films are not good because they are too unbelievable, but this is my style. I tell stories like they are dreams. This is my imagination. Hide

[The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)] "Ever since my very first movie censors around the world have focused Show more [The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)] "Ever since my very first movie censors around the world have focused their attention to my work. The only movie that has never been cut anywhere is The Cat O' Nine Tails. Everything else has been tampered with to some degree. Here Anna is affected by the pictures she sees fixed to gallery walls. Audiences are affected by the violent images of mine they see on their screens. Suspiria has often been cited as causing viewers to faint. But this is my art and I'll defend it to my dying day. Although watching violence in movies may make some people aggressive, they can learn about their world from that. Surely if there was no violence in the media, everyone would have to learn only by real experience. Now I don't know about you, but I don't particularly want to go out and pick a fight to get a bloody nose. Removing it to a cathartic experience is a much better idea and why The Stendhal Syndrome has its place as an important argument in the anti-censorship debate". Hide

Is it right to be obsessed with looking at terrible things and sharing them with other people? Is it right to be obsessed with looking at terrible things and sharing them with other people?

Dario Argento's FILMOGRAPHY

All as Actor (19) as Director (5) as Creator (8)

Demons

Suspiria (1977)

Il cartaio

Suspiria (2018)

Mother of Tears: The Third Mother

Inferno

The Five Man Army

Phenomena