From his early beginnings scripting Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, his directorial breakthrough with the chic giallo The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and his ground-breaking soundtrack use of the progressive rock group Goblin, to producing the gut-wrenching Dawn of the Dead, his Terror Trilogy with his Hollywood superstar daughter Asia and helming his latest thriller The Card Player, everything you ever wanted to know about Dario Argento but were afraid to ask is all here. Rarely has any journalist ever been granted such wide access to the life and work of his all-time favourite director. Yet that's precisely what happened to internationally renowned writer, broadcaster and author Alan Jones who won the respect of Dario Argento for his detailed location reports and critical assessments of the Italian Master of the Macabre. For over 20 years, Jones has tirelessly reported on every aspect of Argento's career. Now, for the first time, every single feature, interview, review and in-depth look at Argento's multi-faceted universe has been meticulously collated into one unique volume that tells the complete story of the man, the myths and the magic. With a wealth of new material and interviews exclusively conducted for this exhaustive overview of Argento's extraordinary body of work, Jones reveals never before published facts and secrets about the driven director who changed the face of global horror with the super-shock sensation Suspiria. Illustrated with rare stills, posters and candid behind-the-scenes photos from the author's private collection, Jones probes deep into the psyche and methodology of one of the world's most celebrated genre directors Ð and in doing so also uncovers the luminous chaos of the entire Italian Film Industry itself. Features full-length interviews with: Asia Argento, Claudio Argento, Fiore Argento, Lamberto Bava, Roy Bava, Simon Boswell, Michael Brandon, Chiara Caselli, Luigi Cozzi, Liam Cunningham, Keith Emerson, Franco Ferrini, Jessica Harper, Udo Kier, Daria Nicolodi, Stefania Rocca, George A. Romero, Gianni Romoli, Dardano Sacchetti, Julian Sands, Tom Savini, Claudio Simonetti, Michele Soavi, Sergio Stivaletti, Max Von Sydow, Ronnie Taylor, Luciano Tovoli. All-new illustrations! Never-before-seen behind the scenes photos, exclusive shots specially produced for this book, rare artwork and stills. This book features full coverage of Argento's new film The Card Player, due for UK and US release during summer 2004. |
