Dario Argento

Interviews with Dario Argento

Interviews with Dario Argento By Élie Castiel Élie Castiel, “Dario Argento,” Sequences: La Revue de Cinema 167 (November-December 1993): 8–9. élie castiel: Your cinematic career began when you assisted Sergio Leone with Once upon a Time in the West. Did this first experience in film influence your career? dario argento: First of all, I’d like to correct your claim. I didn’t begin as an assistant for Sergio Leone, but rather I cowrote the script for the film you mentioned, with the collaboration of Bernardo Bertolucci. As for the influence of this experience, it’s clear that early connections leave their marks. If you watch Once upon a Time in the West today, you’ll already find certain themes that I approach in the films I make now, such as mystery. ec: After this first experience with the Western genre, you move to the police thriller, and next the horror film, or fantasy, if you prefer. da: I don’t consider changing style or genre to be a change in itself, but a different way of presenting characters. You can find the same topics in one genre or another. ec: When you break into horror with Profondo Rosso [Deep Red], it’s evident that your approach is more parodic than otherwise. But little by little, it seems like you’re taking yourself more seriously. da: I don’t completely agree with this statement, although I approached each film with a different energy and atmosphere from the previous film. I film above all by instinct. ec: In Suspiria, you approached, among others, the topics of mysticism and superstition. Did you do much research? da: I’ve never believed in magic or sorcery. But during the years when I was filming Suspiria, I thought these topics would make good stories for the horror genre. I got interested, then, in the subject and did some research. ec: For as long as the horror film has existed, it has been linked with eroticism and sadism. Along these lines, what responsibility do you have to the audience? da: You have to admit that there’s not a lot of eroticism in my films. What concerns me above all is that the audience appreciate the work that I do. As for sadism, it’s an integral part of the genre. My responsibility to the moviegoers is to try to satisfy their curiosity. ec: What about the question of voyeurism? da: The cinema itself is a voyeuristic art, a gaze fixed on the world and the individual. Moviegoers are also voyeurs, often narcissists, but who also often like to look at and contemplate others. My films often approach this phenomenon. ec: Your first three films include the name of an animal in the title. In the following films, objects replace beasts. da: Objects have assumed an important place in our lives. And a film director ought to have the responsibility to create resonance with everything he films. Moreover, objects are important in the genre films I’ve made. You’ll notice that animals, especially cats, are found in almost all my films, which is a way of returning to my roots in my first film. ec: The victim in your films is often a woman. What do you have to say on this subject? da: I don’t agree. I think that in my films there’s an equitable justice in victim selection. As many women as men are murdered. Moreover, women are often the ones who solve the mysteries. 150 | Dario Argento ec: Your style is often baroque. Did the Italian filmmaker Mario Bava influence you? da: Yes, he influenced me for the same reason as Fritz Lang with his expressionism. I really love to work with shadow and lights. Color can also convey subtleties. The American film noir of the forties also inspired me. ec: Do you think there’s a future for the horror film, or have we already reached a saturation point? da: There will always be an audience for this genre of films, for as long as the cinema continues to exist. Human beings often need strong sensations. ec: And you, do you think you’ll change genres one day? da: Not at the moment. I am very comfortable working in horror. I have no intention to change. The possibilities are enormous. By Stephane Derderian Stephane Derderian, “Entretien avec Dario Argento,” L’avant-scene Cinema (March 2007...