Dollar Bin Article:The Golden Age of Dario Argento-Part I

By Eric Polk-

Starting today, I'm going to discuss my favorite director, Italian auteur, Dario Argento, and what I consider to be the golden age of his filmography. This week, I'll give yins a bio on the man which leads to the beginning of his golden age.

He was born in Rome son of film producer/executive Salvatore Argento and Brazilian-born photographer Elda Luxardo. He began his career in film as a critic, writing for various magazines while still attending high school.

Argento did not attend college, electing rather to take a job as a columnist at a local newspaper. While working at the newspaper, Argento also began working as a screenwriter. His most notable work was for Sergio Leone; he and Bernardo Bertolucci collaborated on the story for the western classic Once Upon a Time in the West. Soon after that film's 1969 release, Argento began working on his directorial debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, which was released in 1970 and was a major hit in Italy.
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Early in his directing career, Argento continued to concentrate largely on the giallo genre

Argento directed two additional successful thrillers, The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1972). Along with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, these three films are frequently referred to as Argento's "animal trilogy". The director then turned his attention away from giallo movies, filming two Italian TV dramas and a period comedy (Five Days in Milan) in 1973 before returning to thrillers with 1975's Deep Red, frequently cited by many critics as the best giallo ever made.

Now while alot of horror fans do not enjoy his work, I find his use of imagery fascinating and the way he draws you in with his use of suspense and, I do admit, I find the over-the-top acting in his films to be funny good especially in his golden age which I will begin discussing next week with Deep Red.