Dario Argento: My Cinema (2022) is as directed by Francesco Zippel, and takes a deep look into the life of the Italian filmmaker who is revered for his monstrous and giallo craftsmanship, Dario Argento. The documentary also focuses on who Argento is as a person and not just an influential film maker who has impact in the horror genre.
Argento was constantly busy as a director and even a screen writer for many prominent films including the 1970 picture The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. This documentary further examines his films, including Suspiria (1977), Inferno (1980), and Deep Red (1975), all of which he directed and to this day are famous horrors due to their controversial settings and eye-catching cinematography.
The film presents various interviews with the collaborators and Argento’s actors, who describe working with the esteemed director mainly through the set of the documentary, with many archaic elements included. It mentions his signature aesthetics, in which brightness and multi-layered space encumber music to create more tension, but most importantly how Argento repurposed many techniques to positively go towards fundamental horror.
The documentary is more than just an overview of Argento’s films, but aims at exploring more his personal views about the craft of film making, places he drew inspiration from, and the hurdles he has gone through in his career As it centers around the horror film making, his contribution in influencing the genre is further expounded, so that the lasting impression of his art on audiences and other film creators can be understood.
For those who appreciate the works of Dario Argento as well as the horror movie genre, My Cinema offers a new perspective on the man whose hand crafted some of the most iconic and stunning works in horror film. It acts as a proud remembrance of history and presents the aesthetics and thought process of a true creativity driven cinema author.