Up until now, there have only really been two books about Argento that measure up to the expectations of his many fans. These of course are 'Broken Mirrors - Broken Minds' by Maitland McDonagh and 'Mondo Argento' by Alan Jones.
However, the last of these was published in 1996 ('Mondo Argento' tied in with the Argento retrospective at the National Film Theatre) and so a new book was long overdue. And at last, here it is.
Many will be aware of the time it has taken to get this book completed and at times it seemed like it would be a never ending wait. I am here to tell you categorically that it IS worth all that waiting!
Never before has so much information and opinion on Argento and his films been gathered together in one place. The 300 pages are bursting with essays, reviews, stills, posters, ad mats, fotobusta's...and the most complete filmography to date.
Firstly, I have to say that I have not read the entire book yet. The first section, primo tempo, consists of five essays by Chris Gallant. The first explores eye violation, voyeurism and compares OPERA with the Michael Powell classic PEEPING TOM. The next investigates what 'Gothic' actually means and how it is applied to horror films, in particular SUSPIRIA and INFERNO. Thirdly, he discusses Argento's use of heroines. The next investigates Argento's visual style and lastly the influence of Poe on his work. As I say, I have not read these yet and so these are very simplified explanations.
I will get around to it no doubt but my interest was immediately taken by the sheer amount of information available. I have not seen such an exhaustive compilation of details on his films before. Also, there are loads of stills throughout the book many of which are new to print. There are four full colour sections containing beautiful and sometimes rare reproductions of posters and lobby cards.
The secondo tempo contains all the film reviews. I like the fact that they are by different reviewers, it not only gives a wider sense of perspective but also accounts for some different reviewing styles. I also feel it was a good idea to only give brief coverage to his produced films in this section. Although he may have had an influence over them, they are not pure Argento.
The books overall presentation is very smart and exudes quality. You can see that these guys have put an awful lot of work into not only the content but the way it is laid out on every single page, the visual style is certainly worthy of Argento and I feel sure he would be proud of it.
In conclusion, this is a wonderful second volume in the FAB Press Directors Series. If you love film but know nothing about Argento or are already a disciple, this book needs to be in your collection. Well done Chris, Steve and Harvey. |
