Profondo Rosso - Argento's finest? Your opinion!
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Yagamei — 17 years ago(April 14, 2008 09:38 AM)
Profondo rosso is easily my favorite too, though I'm a total Argentophile and admiringly tend to like even his less popular films. I loved Nonhosonno.
I could gab for hours about the film, but I'll leave it with this: any director who has the balls, not to mention the prowess, to show the killer within the first 15 minutes of the film and yet completely baffle most people by the end, gets major kudos. It's a shame a lot of my friends who I recommended the film resorted to rewinding their DVDs the second that odd face flashes, thus ruining the plot slightly.
Definitely a film best enjoyed in sb68eedy downtown screening houses, where you can't REWIND. There's a reason Marc continuously flashes back to that sequence. We're supposed to share his confusion. That's really what Blow-Up was about: as one author called it, "the impossibility of knowing". -
DrLenera — 17 years ago(April 18, 2008 11:44 AM)
There are at least four Argento films I prefer [Suspiria,Opera,Stendahl Syndrome and possibly Phenomena] to Profundo Rosso but I agree it could very well be his best film from a critical perspective,it has his most thought-through plot in my opinion and balances all it's elements perfectly, with the Hemmings/Nicolodi scenes a nice break from the Giallo stuff. It's probably the ultimate Giallo-some good later films were made including some by Argento but they couldn't really take the form any further. Trauma and Sleepless copy Deep Red quite a bit!
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Simian_Jack — 17 years ago(July 02, 2008 12:57 PM)
That's a difficult question, and one that ordinarily I wouldn't attempt. These are apples and oranges, a modern mystery thriller and a modern fable/fairy tale. Given that, though, is it worth considering that perhaps Suspiria wins because it may have been the more challenging mark to hit? The craft involved in both is impressive.
Beyond that, my choice would be biased in favor of my love of horror films over giallos.
Count me as another who loves Inferno in a very personal waytoo much to objectively compare it against Suspiria. I love all three of these equally above all the others. -
Master_X_3_1_1 — 17 years ago(July 19, 2008 03:13 PM)
To be honest I was really dissapointed. It was still a decent film to watch, but it was very boring at times, and it was a real letdown when the killer was revealed, we didn't get any backstory or anything about why
she
killed people or anything. I guess all his other movies had something about them that made them really stand out, but this seemed like a standard thriller that any director could have done (most scenes at least).
I guess I just don't see what all the hype was about.
"No man is just a number" -
Nykvist768 — 17 years ago(August 11, 2008 04:29 PM)
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was beautiful to look at. Vittorio Storaro's
cinematography was amazing and Ennio Morricone's score was also fantastic. The honor for Argento's best goes to Suspiria, I love that movie. -
KMR — 17 years ago(August 19, 2008 11:00 AM)
Yeah, I think Suspiria is still my favorite Argento, with Deep Red a close second. I think both are his masterworks and have never been bettered. Inferno, Tenebre, 4 Flies, Bird with Crystal Plumage and the Stendahl Syndrome can all duke it out for the next spots on my "best" list. His only real outright theatrical dud for me was Phantom of the Opera, though The Mother of Tears and The Card Player have their fair share of problems as well. Oh yeah, Nohosonno was really good - easily his best of this decade's releases so far.
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alanbobet — 17 years ago(October 05, 2008 08:13 PM)
Just like it happens with all the films that I have seen in my lifetime, the first film that I see made by a certain director or moviestar, becomes my favorite of that director or filmstar. Just as GOLDFINGER is my favorite Bond film because it was the first 007 film that I ever saw, and ENTER THE DRAGON was my favorite Bruce Lee film because it was also the first Bruce Lee film that I ever saw, then DEEP RED(PROFONDO ROSSO) is my favorite Argento film of all of his films because it was the first Argento film that I ever saw in 1976. I have seen all of Argento's films from BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE to MOTHER OF TEARS, but DEEP RED is still my favorite with SUSPIRIA coming in at a very close second place. I have seen DEEP RED hundreds of times on video and a couple of more times in theatres(the last time in a double bill with BIRD16d0 WITH THE CRTSTAL PLUMAGE in NYC in 2004)and it still holds up beautifully. It's Dario's best Giallo film of his entire career in my honest opinion and the first one I recommend to friends if they are going to see an Argento film for the first time.
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matt-282 — 17 years ago(February 15, 2009 08:57 PM)
I'm not sure if Deep Red (Profondo rosso) is Argento's best film, but I may be one of his best. From a financial standpoint, I certainly is his most commercialy sucessfull film. It had been heard of world-wide from Italy to all of Europe to the USA, Japan, Brazil, etc. The name itself is a horror icon and is the name of a magazine, web site, fan club, etc. It is probally his most regoniziable work. Here is my opinion of his films:
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (his first film and the best of the first three)
Cat O'Nine Tails (a good 'giallo' mystery thriller, but not as appealing)
Four Flies on Gray Velvet (not his best, but worth a look for it's imagry and set designs)
Deep Red (his most commercial film and one of his best 'giallos')
Suspiria (his first and best of the Three Mothers Trilogy and his international breakthrough in the USA market)
Inferno (his most surreal and confusing him, but still worth a look for it's dream-like sets and imagry)
Tenebre (not his best 'giallo' but gore fans will enjoy the special effects and mystery alike)
Phenomena (Argento's personal favorate, and his most intresting and unconventional film)
Opera (a mediocre 'giallo')
Two Evil Eyes (segment The Black Cat) (the best story of the duo tails and an intresting take on the Edgar Alan Poe story)
Trauma (not his best, but a different change of pace for his giallos)
Those are my favorites. The rest you can put your own thoughts in. -
mattstevens — 16 years ago(April 15, 2009 12:04 PM)
DEEP RED is his best film. The best cast. The best script. The best direction. SUSIPIRIA had superior camera work and lighting in spots and of course has that wow wow WOW first 10 minutes, but it was all downhill from there.
I do like SUSPIRIA, but it is badly flawed throughout and just cannot touch the complexity and assured direction Argento gave DEEP RED. -
peep_show88 — 16 years ago(May 15, 2009 01:52 PM)
Yep. I do consider His best film, is my favorite one of him too, then is Suspiria, both these movies are REALLY his best works, and this is a weird and crazy film, hallucinogenic and pretty surreal, just like "Inferno", the sequel (more weird, more surreal and more trippy!), then is "Tenebre" which has a more elaborated script, and then "The Bird with the crystal plumage"
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