I heard Argento does not even like this film... is that true?
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Well I can tell you that he thinks it's his worst - I like it, though.
shareIt just tells you you can never trust an artist's opinion about his own work. I personally like all his films, to some degree at least. Perhaps Phantom of the Opera is the one I'd rate the lowest, but Argento himself loves that film.
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"I agree with jbjorns, his worst HAS to be Phantom of the Opera. I bought the DVD for a very cheap $5 and STILL felt jipped!!!"
"Phanton Of The Opera" is a different film - he's refering to "Opera" (aka "Terror At The Opera"), which I personally love.
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Nah, I believe he's referring to the 1998 remake of 'Phantom of the Opera' that Argento directed...
He said, on the dvd, something to the effect that he was trying too hard to mix his western style with the new style of Bird With Crystal Plumage & it didn't end up the way he wanted it to so he just started leaving his western roots out of his work after cat o nine tails.
Don't wander into abandoned churches for Czakyr will grab you from underneath the watery grave.
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It was good, but the end ruined it. The killer looked as though he was scaried when he was caught. That's not creepy. I wish Argento would have better endings. They're always so sudden with not much visual. Bird with Crystal Pumage was a lot better because the killer actually acted insane & i thought it was a good acting job.
Don't wander into abandoned churches for Czakyr will grab you from underneath the watery grave.
This movie is actually much better than Argento gives it credit for. This is how I would rate ARgento's giallos:
1. DEEP RED -- Great storyline. Fast-moving and suspenseful, and I like the slightly supernatural aspects of the story, and the folkloristic touches with the writer and the story of the haunted house.
2. THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE -- The first of them and still pretty strong. Definitely ahead of it's time. The only flaw is Suzy Kendall's breakdown while be stalked by the killer. Come on, woman, fight back!
3. THE CAT O'NINE TAILS -- Strong plot. Strong leads, and an interesting hook - a blind man overhears a snippet of conversation that entangles him in a web of murder, blackmail, and mystery.
4. TENEBRAE -- Fairly intriguing plot, with a solid final fifteen minutes. This is the ARgento film that I would love to see remade as an American film.
5. THE STENDHAL SYNDROME -- Again, another intriguing hook. But Argento overdoses on the gratuitous violence and loses sight of his plot.
6. FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET -- Decent, but not as strong as the first three because the protagonist is not an innocent bystander who is thrust into the mystery. The whole thing revolves around him. Similar to TENEBRAE, but THe setup is not as clean and elegant, and the hero is flat.
7. OPERA - Decent. Neither here nor there. Just seems to get sillier and sillier as it goes along.
8. SLEEPLESS -- Great opening murders, like SUSPIRIA, but sort of goes downhill from there. The acting is stiff and something is just missing.
9. TRAUMA -- This movie would have been much better if Argento would have kept it in Europe, and didn't Americanize it. Argento's film are so distinct, that when they are transplanted to America, they just suck.
I didn't include films like SUSPIRIA and INFERNO because they are more horror, and PHENOMENA is in a class by its own (and my favorite). THE CARD PLAYER is more a police procedural, and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is just terrible mess.
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I actually loved Sleepless. That opening scene in the train maked me nervous as hell for that girl & it did go a little down from there but I think it's very close to Deep Red, which is my favorite, because the story was just so interesting to me about the dwarf that I watched it with complete attention which is hard to do these days.
Don't wander into abandoned churches for Czakyr will grab you from underneath the watery grave.
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s really into it throught the whole movie but the thing that ruined it was the killer. He was scared when he got caught & didn't act insane or weird in any way. Bird With Crystal Plumage was way better because the lady that played the killer was awesome at acting insane & it was a good ending for a good story. The ending just wasn't strong enough for all of the brutal killings the guy did.
shareThat's funny. I think that's partly what diluted the tension for me too - I simply didn't expect the killer to be so scared when he got caught.
shareI don't think he dislikes it per say - in Alan Jones' fantastic "PROFONDO ARGENTO" book (a must own for fans), he says it's one of his least favorite because it stylistically dull. He may be techinically right, but I love CAT and think it's interesting to see an Argento film focused on plot rather than camera gymnastics.
shareIts a great thriller with some pre-Deep Red touches,a great cast like the late James Franciscus,Karl Malden,and that Katherine Spaack.Whoa she was a tasty dish.
Its just that its a little flat looking and a far cry from Bird,Deep Red,or Tenebrae.
Great movie though.
Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead
I never understood why Argento himself considers this his least. You'd think he'd never seen his own Phantom of the Opera!
I actually consider this one of my favourite Argentos, and vastly prefer it to The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, which overall features inferior performances. On thing I really like about The Cat o'Nine Tailsthe tightness of the script, and I love the revelation of the killer's motives, which is a fine little piece of black comedy. And, being an Argento film, there's cinematographic style to burn...