Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento

by Maitland McDonagh

Italian filmmaker Dario Argento’s horror films have been described as a blend of Alfred Hitchcock and George Romero—psychologically rich, colorful, and at times garish, excelling at taking the best elements of the splatter and exploitation genres and laying them over a dark undercurrent of human emotions and psyches. Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds, which dissects such Argento cult films as Two Evil Eyes, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Suspiria, and Deep Red, includes a new introduction discussing Argento’s most recent films, from The Stendahl Syndrome to Mother of Tears; an updated filmography; and an interview with Argento.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Horror, Media Tie In, Biography, Canon

298 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't borrow it out from the library, so I could only read parts of the book within a highly limited time. Of course I read the parts about Suspiria, Argento's greatest works.

I still want to finish reading the entire book.T_T


(1) I had watched  Opera again...the music and the visuals are spectacular, the idea of mixing Phantom of the Opera and Macbeth together as inspiration is great, but...is the whole movie a wish-list of what Argento wanna do to his audience: (1) ties them up and makes them unable to shut their eyes when horrible things happen, (2) does some really scary stunts in the theater so everyone must run in panic and run for their lives. LOL

(2) After rewatching   Opera, I like the heroine Betty a bit more and the young actress who plays her, despite being a model before this role, had actually done a good-enough job in this movie.

(3) This book is really rich in research and context, if you are a fan of Dario Argento's movies it is a must read!!!

(4) I like that some of the Argento's influenced movies are mentioned, e.g. Stagefright/Bloody Bird (I watched it before and I love it!)

(5) Of course, we have to talk about Mario Bava and Hitchcock.


Pimping: My fanart of Mother Of Sigh, but it's not directly taken from Argento's Suspiria.

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[Jim Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maitland McDonagh is among the most rare of film critics – she understands horror. This is a supremely cineliterate and, well, straight literate analysis of Argento's films made during his prime, well before he totally lost the plot in the late 90s, which are ripe for a long form analysis as they are so awash with recurring motifs and symbols that often reflect one another across films as much as they do within individual films.

McDonagh not only explicates Argento's major films to discover why they're so powerful and potent in their depictions of the cracks in the thin membrane separating us all from death or madness, but she also contextualizes Argento's work within Italian cinema and the greater horror genre. Covering Argento's 'golden period' from 1970 to 1987, including classics such as Deep Red, Suspiria, Tenebrae and Opera, her sinuous prose guides casual fans and Italian horror devotees alike into the murky recesses of a wild artist's sable psychology and obsessions, fractionating his impressionistic communication of such nightmares with the stringent rigour of an academic and the passion of a cinephile.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to be Maitland McDonough!!! This was her master's thesis for film school at Columbia University. What an awesome project! I saw her interview Dario Argento at a film festival a while back and kept thinking, "Lady, you've got the coolest job in the world."

This is a thorough, insightful analysis of Argento's work that celebrates these movies for what they are: weird, disturbing, and wonderful. Ti penso sempre, Dario.

[Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains good analysis of Argento's films as an isolated body of work, but it falters when navigating his place in a larger tradition. The interview at the end is pure gold.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about the films of Dario Argento (I have heard the updated version is not really worth a re-purchase). My copy was signed by both Maitland McDonagh and Dario Argento himself when I met them IN 1991 at the Film Forum in NYC for an Argento film festival (first time I got to see FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET - in a battered print). All I could think of saying to Dario was "thank you for making your movies". Duh!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Argento (I do), then this is the book for you. Otherwise, stay far away.
-m

[Paul Stansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustive exploration of Italian horror movie director Dario Argento, and his works. I found it amusing to read about such notoriously violent, gory, and shocking movies in such a scholarly style. And I definitely found myself looking at Argento's movies in a different way after reading about them in this book. Anyway, if you're an Argento fan, you definitely should check this one out. You'll almost certainly learn a lot about the films and the man himself. I don't always agree with McDonagh's opinions on Argento's movies, but I could appreciate her reasons for them.

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

McDonagh's updated edition of a fairly concise study of Argento's filmography connects the works well while remaining informative for the major films, albeit condemning some like Creepers/Phenomena to barely more than plot summaries, but too many words are dedicated to production histories and straightforward summarization to function as an ideal academic investigation notwithstanding the occasional mentions of structuralism and Lacan.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am usually not one to read an entire book on film criticism, but if I was going to do it for any director not named Chan Woo Park, it would have to be Dario Argento. And McDonagh delivers. She gets Argento as few film critics do and has a thorough understanding of both his appeal as an artist and a horror master.

[Roberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting analisys of Argento's films up to Trauma ( later films are briefly discussed in the prologue)

[Chelsea Hug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative if somewhat surface investigation into Dario Argento's films.

[Seth Tomko · Rating 4 out of 5]

My video review of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds can be found here: https://youtu.be/G9CPZBOauKw?si=V9xrd...

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maitland McDonaugh is the coolest academic-turned-mainstream-critic around, and it's great to have my hometown college, the University of Minnesota, republishing her newly-updated examination of the films of Dario Argento. Broken Mirrors stands with Carol Clover's Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender and the Modern Horror Film, as a classic academic treatise on horror films. McDonagh's observations and insights are thorough and convincing (check out her thoughts on the gender-blurring in Four Flies on Grey Velvet, for example), and as a bona-fide Argentophile, she never condescends to either her subject or her readers. Rereading it I am naturally itching to watch Suspiria, Deep Red, The Bird with The Crystal Plumage, and several other Argentos for the umpteenth time. Vivo Argento ~ ~ ~

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so little real "scholarship" out there surrounding Dario Argento, the undisputed master of Italian horror cinema. I remember being so excited to get my hands on this book. It covers Argento's early films in some depth, including the animal trilogy (The Bird with the Crystal, Cat O'Nine Tails and Four Flies on Grey Velvent), the first two installments of the now-complete mothers trilogy (Suspiria and Inferno) and others.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my money this is STILL the definitive book on the films of Dario Argento. It's scholarly, but in a way that is easy to understand. McDonagh's writing is always clear, and dare I say she has performed a nearly impossible feat – she makes academia fun. The updated version of this book is even better, because she adds an introduction wherein she covers the films that Argento made since the previous edition. If you're a fan, this is indispensable.

[Michael Goth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most insightful books on cinema that I have ever read. Well written and researched by author Maitland McDonagh. Essential reading for fans of the work of Dario Argento.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're an Argento fan, or just a horror fan, you will find some valuable tidbits here. At the very least you'll get a handful of recommendations of other films (not only Argento's) to add to your must-see list -- if you have one. Watch out for when the author takes you through the theoretical jargon. It can be a bit much, but in a book about "art" you must expect that.

[Pete]

So far, this kicks ass. Though it can be a bit dry at times, and I completely disagree with McDonagh at others, this is a thoroughly academic, serious and fascinating look at the work of director Dario Argento.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best bio of director Argento, bar none.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Film analysis and literary theory with barely an ounce of pretention. Fantastically insightful and an easy albeit not pandering read.