[ChronoGrl]

Originally Posted by Bub the Zombie

Giallo is singular, Gialli is plural. It's Gialli cinema.

Secondly, Tenebre is by far the best work of Argento. I dare say its a notch above Suspiria, and makes a strong claim of being the best giallo ever made. It's a perfect little mystery with its healthy dose of colorful deaths and and vivid, starkly created imagery, accentuated by a very odd yet fascinating background score by Claudio Simonetti.

Plotwise, it is the most coherent Argento till date. It doesn't leave much stuff to the imagination ala Suspiria or Inferno, and neither does it border upon the supernatural overtures of the two. The flashback sequences add the surreal imagery for which Argento films are famous for, and several shots set in bright daylight and clammy, yet brightly-lighted rooms show that Argento does not forget the essence of Tenebre, which means "darkness" in Latin.

Goblin provides a deep, resonating, carnival-esque heavily dependent on synthesiser score to Tenebre, and they compliment each murder sequence perfectly. And each murder has vividly supportive FX done by Corridori, which makes them seem grotesquely real and unflinchingly brutal.

The only real flaw with Tenebre is the dubbing, especially of Daria Nicolodi. The Italian version must be a real rocker, with Nicolodi in all her resplendent form, but for the English-speaking world, it's a damper. Argento usually does not go for long characterisation, and that is amply evident by plenty of cameos here.

To appreciate a giallo, you must first understand it's style. Gialli are never meant to have much of a substance, because they are examples of stylish and chic film-making. Argento's giallos, especially the early ones like L' Uccello dalle piume di cristallo (The Bird With The Crystal Plumage), Il gatto a nove code (Cat O'Nine Tails), Profondo rosso (Deep Red), Suspiria, Inferno, all contain the charismatic Argento - vividly bright imagery and extremely bizarre soundtracks marking each murder sequence to it's entirety and adding generous doses of surrealism to the experience.

To admire Argento and his work, you have to be empathetic.

Hey, Bub, thanks for the analysis. :) It's honestly refreshing to see a discussion open up around here (and the correction on my poor Italian made me snicker - that's what I get for being snarky).

I'm not sure what you mean or why one would have to be "empathetic" per se, but I'm starting to understand now that people appreciate Tenebre as well as Argento's films as being part of a different aesthetic (a complete genre piece).

It's interesting, especially, to see the cult following around Goblins, the synthesizer influence because I honestly thought that the music took away from the movie more than it added (so I think that this has to be a clear divide between Argento fans and criticizers).

I see that there are definite underlying themes of the abstract and bizarre, but I felt as though those appearances made a lot more sense in Suspira than they did in Tenebre (taking into account the driving force of "evil" or "death" in Suspira was super natural vs. the more corporeal influence of the reveal in Tenebre). I thought that the flashback scenese were incredibly strong, beautiful, and compelling (definitely a nod to Felini I thought), BUT they made the movie feel uneven and, quite frankly, made me feel wanting.

I thought that there were definitely some great panning shots (of the cutaway apartment especially), but I think that the music itself really got to me. Again, this might just be a sense of a different kind of aesthetic.

Originally Posted by Roderick Usher

Tenebre is my favorite Argento film.

I love it for the music, the style, the fashions, the camera moves the comedy (John Saxon's character is really funny) and the bad dubbing.

Gialli and Spaghetti Westerns are inextricably linked. Most directors who worked in one genre also worked in the other and that's where the "bad dubbing" bit comes in. The casts in these films are from USA, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, etc and each actor would, typically, speak in their own language. So, typically no live sound is recorded and every line of dialog is dubbed in post...sometimes well, sometimes poorly.

As for the "derivative nature" this was Argento revising the style he invented back before Halloween, Black Christmas, ect (John Carpenter is an Argento fan who has told me that Suspiria had an incredible impact on him).

So, for me, it's all about style. The starkness of the set. The flashy/trashy costume design. The amazingly vivid spray of red across a blank white wall. The use of sculpture and architecture to create mood and subtext and the pure Italian-ness of it all.

Yeah, there isn't a lot of logic, but I find the atmosphere compelling and that dog chase sequence is scary as shit. It was one of he primary influences on our screenplay GIALLO...coming soon to a theater near you!!

John Saxton - LOVED his character (I just love Saxton in general), but I thought that the levity was really out of place and, like the flashbacks, uneven.

"Derivative nature" - I'm not that familiar with Argento's filmography. What films would Halloween and Black Christmas derived their direction and inspiration from? Just curious because I'm always on the lookout for good slashers, and I'd like to see more influence on that particular sub-genre. :) As I mentioned before, I feel as though Tenebre is definitely borrowing from Hitchcock as well, Psycho, as mentioned, and the more I think about it, Rear Window too. I like the concept of Argento "revisioning" the genre with Tenebre, but I don't really feel as though he's done anything particularly new or innovative. Sure, one can argue that all horror (or any movie genre) is derivative, but one can also argue that some derevations are better than others. I think that Halloween and Black Chrismas were more successful horror films than Tenebre was. I honestly felt as though the murder scenes in Tenebre were totally unconvincing and that Argento showed a startling lack of ingenuity.

"Style" - Then I wonder, perhaps, if it's a matter of style over substance in Argento's case? I thought that Suspira was gorgeous, had incredible death scenes and memorable visuals... But I don't get the same from Tenebre. I feel as though, artistically, it is a weaker film.

I AM, however, still excited about GIALLO. And hope that it'll hit at least the Boston independent film theaters.

Originally Posted by joshaube

I've only see a few Gaillo films. I never really understood their appeal story-wise.

I've always seen them as something you experience, like a Lynch film, rather then understand.

Yeah, I get that. I guess the difference is that I LOVE Lynch and embrace him and the Lynch experience that he gives... But it's not for everyone.

With Lynch, at least, there is some cohesiveness and it definitely sets mood incredibly well. You watch something like Eraserhead, which is visually strong and powerful and you are overwhelmed by mood. But I didn't think that Tenebre was that encompassing.


I guess what threw me through a loop was the categorization of Tenebre as a "Slasher" film in V's top 100 sub-genre list. I think that, with it being categorizes as "Slasher" I went in with certain expectations. I think that it should be categorized more as "Giallo" (Gialli) than as "Slasher." With the category of "Slasher," I have certain connotations and expectations of "suspense" as well as blood and body count. With Tenebre, there is very little suspense, with some blood and body count. I'm not sure if I'd categorize Tenebre as "Slasher" at all. Thoughts?

Originally Posted by Angra

Haven't seen it, but i'm sure i agree with you.

Never seen a good Argento movie.

And I thought I was the only one who was underwhelmed...

I haven't given up, though. I definitely agree with you, Jenna, and you all that there are more to see (Jenna - Was it you who had emailed me a whole list of Italian Horror recommendations? Unfortunately my PM box ate them all. :().