[INTERVIEW] Italian filmmaker Dario Argento at PIFF

“I am scared of blood.” That statement, made by filmmaker Dario Argento, may be one of the most shocking confessions made at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). He, who slaughters beautiful women in almost every imaginable way possible and colors up the big screen with vertigo-inducingly powerful “Argento red”, is scared of blood? Dario Argento is the symbol of Italian horror films, a maestro who is highly respected by master genre filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and George Romero. Of course, it is hard to say his films, which are based on supernatural phenomenons or murder mystery novels “Giallo”, are exceptional in every aspect. But director Dario Argento has written new grammar for horror films and still wants his world to keep changing. <10 Asia> met with the director who made his debut over 40 years ago.

10: “Giallo”, which was shown for the first time to the audience at PIFF, was different from your previous films yet similar. In the beginning, when the woman is walking alone in the rain and gets into a taxi horrified, that reminded me of “Suspiria”. And the overall tone was similar to “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage” in that the Dario Argento-style interior and colors were all removed.
Dario Argento (Argento): My basic style hasn’t changed. Over the years, I’ve made a variety of films like horror and fantasy, and this time I used a method that was a little closer to realism. The American production company also requested for it and I too wanted to finish “Giallo” as a realistic film. So I used realistic colors, where as in “Suspiria” I used colors in my imagination. “Giallo” changed because it came back to reality, like my first movie “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage”.

10: The original cast for “Giallo” was Vincent Gallo, your daughter Asia Argento and Ray Liotta. But you ended up casting Adrian Brody and Emmanuelle Seigner.
Argento: There were two reasons for that. First of all, while we were preparing to make “Giallo”, Ray Liotta got caught drunk driving in L.A. and couldn’t work abroad. (laugh) And Asia Argento got pregnant, so she couldn’t join in on the filming. But I am greatly satisfied with casting Adrian Brody. In the case of Emmanuelle Seigner, she was recommended to me by my close friend, director Roman Polanski.

10: You originally were a critic and a screenwriter but after your debut, you always wrote the script and directed. However, “Giallo” is the first film that you didn’t write and direct.
Argento: I used to write the scenarios for all my films, but this is my first time to make a film out of something that I didn’t write myself. It was interesting work, but this would be the first and the last time that I do not write the script. I am a screenwriter, so I am used to writing and directing. “Giallo” was a new experience but I think my scenario is better. (laugh)

10: In your previous works, the aesthetics of the film are higher in quality than the development or structure of the story. But in this film, like you said you were going for realism, the structure of the story is more intact. Could it be because you didn’t write the script? (laugh)
Argent: That is certainly part of the reason. (laugh) But although I tried to make a realistic film, there are special moments in the movie. Moment when it goes beyond realism. When you look at the scene where Adrian Brody watches Emmanuelle Seigner sleep, you can see how well he understands the situation. And in the last scene, when Adrian Brody walks out without saying a word, that is not an element of realism. Maybe that is why Quentin Tarantino liked these two scenes the best.

10: Many young, promising directors from around the world, including Korea, say that they were influenced by you. Is there a particular filmmaker or film that you see the Argento style in?
Argento: I did find a lot of filmmakers and films where I could see my style. Directors like Brian de Palma, Quentin Tarantino, Roberto Rodriguez. For example, in Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse”, the first scene was shot in the same method and with the same music as “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage”. But I am not offended by such things because imitation in movies is the same as imitation in reality. Isn’t the reality we see the same reality that movies show us? There is no normal reality because all the stories in the world are seen by a man’s eyes. In the end, reality is the same as film.

10: All the killer’s hands that appear in your films are your hands. Can we still see the fantastic acting of your hands in “Giallo”?
Argento: In my first movie “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage”, the budget was so low that we couldn’t afford to hire a professional actor to play the killer, who only appears for a brief time. That is why I had to do it. (laugh) Of course, you will see my hands in “Giallo”.

10: Your daughter Asia Argento is also getting a lot of attention as an actress.
Argento: At first, it was very difficult casting Asia for a movie but a wonderful experience. I am probably the first director to shoot a movie with his own daughter as the lead role four times. (laugh) So my daughter and I developed a very intimate relationship, and I think it is an incredible thing. Besides, I got to watch my daughter grow in front of the camera from age 14 to 31, and it has been very interesting.

10: Her name “Asia” is very unique, just like her acting.
Argento: I named her “Asia”. I was very interested in the Asian continent and it sounds nice too.

10: You confessed that you are “scared of blood, in fact” at the Master Class on October 10. That was very unexpected, considering that many people think of extremely bloody films like “Suspiria” or “Deep Red” when they talk about your films.
Argento: Because reality is not like in the movies. In reality, I am very gentle, have good manners and get along well with friends. But the people in my films are different. In real life, I get horrified if I see a little blood from a scratch in my hand. But in films, it is fine to have as large of a blood fest as I need.

Editor : Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@asiae.co.kr