Dreams on the screen: an exploration of Dario Argento's greatest nightmares
Date
2020
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The work of Dario Argento, one of Italy’s leading film directors, has been misinterpreted for decades by audiences and critics who wrongly associate his work with the exploitative slasher genre. Reducing his cinematic production to a simplistic category, one that has traditionally garnered scant critical approval, ignores, however, the profound ways Argento has contributed to an understanding of gender roles in Italy. This text examines how his most popular films, The Animal Trilogy, Deep Red, and The Three Mothers Trilogy, reflect the social anxieties regarding gender and sexuality of the1970s and 1980s. By building an auteur level formula to his films, Argento uses his expressive settings, various camera techniques, and subversive characters to challenge stereotypical views of masculinity and femininity. With these films, Argento not only shaped the landscape of Italian horror by inspiring his contemporaries, but also continues to influence the way directors make their films today.
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Keywords
Argento, Deep Red, Film, Gender studies, Giallo, Suspiria