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

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...because it was a labor of love that has taken on a life of its own. (Please excuse the fact that I had to provide a star rating in order for my comment to be published and know that I went with four stars only because I didn't want to artificially drag down the rating of my own book just because my English mother raised me to believe that modesty is next to godliness).

To this day, I'm not sure how I got the topic approved for my master's thesis at Columbia University's GSAS (I'm reminded of something someone once said about Paul Bartel's films, the gist of which was that they weren't release; they escaped), but I'm eternally grateful to Anthony Blampied, who published the first edition; Kevin McDonough (no relation, really), of the now-defunct Citadel Press, who acquired it for US distribution; and everyone who read it and cared enough to spread the word. And that includes all of you who had reservations about various parts of my analyses/interpretations: Great movies, of which Argento has made several, are slippery things that can support multiple (sometimes wildly contradictory) readings.

And just FYI, there's a new edition of the book coming out in 2010 from University of Minnesota Press. New cover, some new images and new text that discusses Argento's films since Trauma, the most recent title I was able to get into the Citadel edition (oh, and thank you Clive Barker for the great endorsement you gave me for that edition).

This is a great book. If you're a fan of Dario Argento, the Italian maestro of horror, or if you're just a fan of well-made, artistically-minded horror films, you should read this book (and should take a closer look at the films of Dario Argento).

"Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds" is out of print, but you can buy a used copy through Amazon.com (as I did) for a cheaper price. But then you must prepare yourself for a whirl-wind.

This book discusses in intimate detail the films of the great Dario Argento. The introduction gives us some context of who he is (ex-film critic, master of the beautiful and profane), where he came from (an Italian movie-making family and the tutelage of spaghetti-western-maker Sergio Leone), what he does (makes a particular style of thriller called a giallo and often draws on the broken imagery of dreams for his most effective material).

Then we're off on a film-by-film analysis of Argento's career. We study the films he's made, the choices he's made within those films, and gain an appreciation, if we don't already have one, of why this Argento is such a unique, talented film-maker.

"Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds" often reads like the film school thesis which it is. Words and phrases like "diegetic," "filmic," and the old favorite "mise-en-scene" abound. But you shouldn't let that deter you, even if you aren't of the overly critical, or analytical stock. There is a lot of fascinating stuff in this book, and you're sure to walk away from it with a bigger, more profound appreciation for the films and career of one of the greats in the horror field, Dario Argento. And if you haven't seen all of Argento's films, or if it's been a while, reading this book is a great excuse to catch up on them.

What surprised me most about this book was that it was written by a woman. I didn't realize until I turned the last page of the book and read the "about the author" section that Maitland McDonagh has two X chromosomes. I guess I assumed because of the subject matter--the deliriously violent, at times arguably woman-unfriendly world of Dario Argento's deep red "filmic" nightmares--that a man must have written the book. But what a great perspective is given from the eyes and mind of a woman writing intelligently about horror films. You must go get this book.

Maitland has written a very admirable study of one of the world's most interesting horror filmmakers. She even goes to the trouble of defending the more nonsensical moments of Arengto's films. For example, the scene in Suspiria where a murder victim stumbles across a room full of barbed wire makes no logical sense, but after you read Maitland explain how Argento works (kind of like surrealists, he uses a technique called "Automatic writing" which involves very little, if any, editing) you begin to understand that maybe Argento isn't neccesarily TRYING to make sense. At any rate she does a fine job of defending him, as well as delving into recurring themes. One of the better books on a director you will ever read.

Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento, Reviewed by Harvey Karten

Just ask anyone at Fangoria, the best-known magazine specializing in horror films. You'll be assured that Maitland McDonagh is a leading national authority on the genre. But wait: Maitland. Isn't that a woman's name? Yes indeed. If some people wonder how a red-blooded American male can go for chick flicks like "Pretty Woman," "The Joy Luck Club" and "The Remains of the day," those same movie fans would pigeonhole slasher pics as those made strictly for the testosterone set.

I've noticed, nonetheless, that gory films are patronized by large majorities of young men, so call McDonagh an exception. As one who has written about erotic films, to wit: "Movie Lust" and "The 50 Most Erotic Films of All Time," this author cannot be squeezed into a preconceived notion of gender preferences.

In her updated, newly-expanded tome on the films of Dario Argento, "Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento," McDonagh does not bother offering a clear impression of just why she became a fan of testosterone fare, but does say that "On the strength of `Deep Red' I started researching and found that while there was plenty of writing about the man and his films...there was nothing academic....Argento's films were a graduate student's dream...seething with subtext and vibrating with visual virtuosity." In other words, here was a director whose works she does not universally like (she agrees with me that "La terza madre" is nothing to write home about, nor is "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage"), but the film department at Columbia University requires a thesis of graduate students, and why not see if the department would accept something considered tawdry and commercial--like horror?

The book was developed out of her Master's thesis, with McDonagh's probably going through what I did with my own thesis when I hooked a publisher who showed some interest in my writing a book. "Just rewrite your dissertation and remove everything that's boring," was the advice of the Utah-based editor, which decided not to accept my "book" when it was ground down to a single page. No problem with "Broken Mirrors." Though I have not seen McDonagh's thesis, probably available at Columbia's Butler library, I see that whatever it states has successfully been re-formed into a readable, often exciting piece of work.

The book is intriguing, though not targeted to the youthful fan base of of the lesser Frankenstein/Dracula/Wolfman series but rather to movie-goers who have read more than their BlackBerry messages and the Sports Illustration swimsuit issue. They can appreciate the way the author combines a scholarly tone with the reading ease of a solid novel. Look at this description of: "penny-dreadful narratives seething with subtext and vibrating with visual virtuosity." Alliteration and deftly condensed verbiage abound in the paperback's 293 pages. If these words connect with you, consider the purchase.

As for the way "Broken Mirrors" is organized, the bulk is a film by film analysis of Argento's works, which means that the best way to tackle it is to pick up the DVDs (all of Argento's films are available in that format) and then give yourself a few weeks. Set your player up with "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage," then read the chapter--one which, by the way, compares Argento with Hitchcock. Everything about the movie that has you puzzled will be explained by the text. Ditto "Four Flies and Grey Velvet," which to McDonagh represents "substantial advances over `The Bird With the Crystal Plumage.'"

You'll get McDonagh's take on whether "Suspiria" works as an extremely violent supernatural thriller, how Argento uses supernatural fantasy in "Phenomena," what happens to a woman in "The Stendhal Syndrome" who is trapped by a serial killer in an abandoned warehouse, and lots more. There are loads of black-and-white pictures of key scenes in the films.

The book concludes with an interview with the director, who believes that "all French directors are former film critics" and why he finds the American studio system distasteful: "When you work with a studio, everyone is an artist and everybody has a suggestion for some way to change your work." Perhaps the most resonant paragraph in the book opens with "...if commercial art is always in danger of becoming a whore, then high art is equally in danger of becoming an old maid." This is as good a summation as any of the high-culture, low-culture schism which is discussed on and on by art-house lovers and the strictly action-gore-sweet romance sets, the two sides sometimes agreeing no more than today's Republicans and Democrats.

McDonagh provides an excellent introduction to Argento's films. I found it very helpful in writing my book on the Poe cinema. Her critiques are insightul and on the mark.

At the very least, I give credit to Maitland McDonagh for viewing films that I've not bothered to see in an attempt to understand Argento in relationship to other film-makers. But she also helps explain why Argento should be considered important, which is how it should be. Probably the most praiseworthy statement I can make is that before finishing her book, I went to my favorite video store and rented the uncut version of "Terror at the Opera", and will probably rent the Argento produced "The Church" soon. I also felt like I wanted to know more about the history of Italian horror films from Mario Bava to the present ("Black Sunday" is a favorite film). Also, I wish there were biographical material concerning Argento's parents, their influence, directly and indirectly; as well as more biographical material that may explain other narrative or visual aspects to the films. One proof error: Larry Cohen's film is "Q", not "O". And if you're reading this Maitland, Ric Menello was the one who introduced me to Argento. One final note, there is a cool web site that features a snippet of music by the band "Goblin".

Excellent and interesting analytical study of Argento's oeuvre - his great, not so great and in-between works: a must-read for Argento fans.

Worth owning, this.

One thing of interest in this book: the short interview to Argento at the end of it. Mind you, nothing of real substance, you could easily read this on an inflight magazine on AA.

As for the rest of the book. The author mentions that Deep Red (one of Argento's key movies) takes place in Rome. The movie is shot in Turin and a famous square of this city is the stage of one of the key scenes in the movie. Not only that, but Turin (for a number of important reasons) is a key city in all of Argento's work. That gives you the scale of how misguided the author of this book is.

Unfortunately, not much has been written about Argento's and most of the insightful work is all in italian, so not available to a wider audience. Having said that, the book im reviewing is a very fragile attempt to interpret the work of a master of modern cinema.

On a personal note, i have find rather insulting the fact that the 'updated version' of the book is nothing more that a quick and brute catalogue of argento's more recent work which is dismissed with the sort of 'like/dislike' attitude that you would use to comment on a friends Facebook status. This is not critical reviewing, its fastfood writing.

Its very sad to know that this book could influence the understanding of Argento's opera. Its like having Picasso reviewed by Barbara Walters.

Anyway, i thought the money spent on this book were wasted. My suggestion would be to look for Argento Vivo and find a friend that can translate from the italian version. More importantly, disregard what the author of broken mirror says and watch with an open mind all of argento's work.forget the silly divisions (giallo vs. fantasy, early work vs recent stuff). He is an author, he creates, with his work he talks to us. Embrace him, accept him, rebel against him but give Argento the respect that anybody with a point of view on live and art deserves.

Buona Visione

With Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds Maitland McDonaugh has attempted what I though was the impossible: she has rendered a scholarly, coherent, cogent analysis of a film director whose work tends to defy such an approach. Argento is a little known Italian director, revered in horror aficionado circles but little known anywhere else. McDonaugh has afforded serious film viewers a chance to get to know his work and even made his worst films sound attractive with her commendable and - thankfully carefully tempered -enthusiasm. I myself was losing faith in Argento as a talent but this book has forced me to review his films (all of which I own) and see within them things that had previously never manifested themselves. This book is a must for anyone interested in Argento (however I must stress that many of his fans may find it a little too academically orientated and in depth). She also touches on aspects of the horror films as a genre and includes a great deal of highly useful ! and interesting information on film itself. The film by film approach to the analysis is not constrictive, she interrelates ideas and information throughout whilst maintaining a focus on the movie concerned. The interview at the end is particularly revelatory. However a criticism, if it has to be made, is that McDonaugh can sometimes, although her writing and style is excellent, appear a little smug and occasionally excessive in her praise - a little more tongue in a little more cheek may have been in order.

Broken Minds is a soon to be published book. It should 'hit the streets' October 2005. Its sub title is "Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It".
The book is about mood disorders, especially as one who has "been there", author Steve Bloem. It is co-authored by his wife Robyn Bloem. An aim of the authors is to help both the sufferer of mental illness and her/his caregivers, get out of the dark pit of depression. Stigma still surrounds depression and other forms of mental illness. The church of Jesus Christ is asked to deal with the taboo of suicide and also the pervasive pain that is inherent in maladies of the mind.
It is easy to read and chocked full of important truths for the reader. Kregel publications says it well, "A deeply personal, yet practical, book for Christians who are clinically depressed or have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Mental illness. Those words bring to mind frightening scenes of padded walls, white straightjackets, and screaming people. But mental illness is often much more subtle-and much more prevalent than we imagine. Unfortunately, people who are diagnosed as being mentally ill may not understand what is happening to them. And for Christians, some "helpful" leaders heap on guilt, saying that the problem is spiritual rather than physical in nature. This book takes Steve's personal story of major depression and weaves through it Robyn's insights and Steve's professional knowledge. The result is a tapestry of practical information- including definitions, treatment options, government services available, and interactions with the church and God-and a deep compassion for those who feel like their world is falling apart".