Informative but bland. For a director who’s responsible for some of the most vibrant and stunning films that continue to influence and captivate audiences decades after their initial release, comes a documentary about Dario Argento that is ultimately underwhelming and lifeless. From his hypnotic, phantasmagorical, symphony of terror in Suspiria to his nightmarish Opera and his quintessential giallo in The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Argento has been crafting cinematic sensory explosions for over 50 years. But this documentary plays more as a podcast, for it leans more heavily into talking heads (one of which is Argento himself) than it does incorporating behind the scenes or footage of his movies. Argento is visually driven storyteller, but this documentary is such that you can turn off the screen and get nearly the same experience listening to the stories.
The documentary starts off very well. Argento is bring driven by the documentary filmmaker to an Italian countryside hotel. Underscoring this scene is mysterious music, and as Argento looks out the window, we see memorable clips from from Suspiria. Suzy arriving at the Freiburg train station. The forest with the dance academy student frantically running for her life. And ad he is pulling up to the hotel, we cut to the vibrant crimson Tam Dance Academy arrival scene from Suspiria. That opening intercut with scenes from Suspiria set me up to enjoy a fantastic, engaging documentary. Unfortunately, the opening of the doc overpromised because the rest of the documentary underdelivered.
While the documentary provides family history and his early days as a writer and producer, most of the doc concerns itself with his feature films from The Bird with the Crystal Plumage to his most recent work. The films that receive the lion’s share of attention are Bird, Inferno, and Opera. No, you didn’t misread that, nor did I forget to include it, but Suspiria represents a small part of the feature-length doc, even though it is inarguably Argento’s greatest motion picture and the one that is best known worldwide. It’s be like a documentary on Spielberg that spent little time with Jurassic Park or with Batman Returns in a documentary about Tim Burton. I am left with questioning the documentary filmmaker on why Argento’s most well known film only has a place in the doc when that iconic, hypnotic Goblin score is the subject.
The documentary continues through Argento’s incredible career, both in Europe and the US. The section on Opera delivers the most footage from behind the scenes, and is fascinating to watch. But throughout much of the documentary, where there should (or could have been) footage, there was a talking head(s). Granted, the talking heads consisted of heavy hitters like Guillermo del Toro, but even that wasn’t enough to make the interviews more engaging. In terms of variety of personalities in the doc, the filmmakera brings together industry professionals and members of Argento’s family, including his ex-wife and daughters.
Panico is certainly informative, but lacks any visual or experiential appeal. All that said, I am thankful that Argento is still around to participate, because it was wonderful to hear from him as his movies and legacy are being expressed through a documentary.
Ryan teaches Film Studies and Screenwriting at the University of Tampa and is a member of the Critics Association of Central Florida and Indie Film Critics of America. If you like this article, check out the others and FOLLOW this blog! Interested in Ryan making a guest appearance on your podcast or contributing to your website? Send him a DM on Twitter. If you’re ever in Tampa or Orlando, feel free to catch a movie with him.
R.L. Terry ReelView 