Do You Like Hitchcock?

That's the titular question Italian filmmaker Dario Argento asks in his newest film released to DVD. Film critic Jerry Renshaw offers a terrific look at both the picture and the giallo master himself:

"'The Italian Hitchcock' is a tag that has been hung on director Dario Argento practically since day one. It's a stale trope that's lazy, simplistic, and reductive to the point of being almost silly. There's no doubt that Argento has studied up on his Hitchcock and draws on the master's techniques to build tension. (What horror or suspense director hasn't?) Still, Hitchcock's airtight stories and taut direction would never allow for the surreal scenarios, over-the-top gore, and lavish visual style of Argento's 1970s classics 'Suspiria' or 'Deep Red.' Argento has always admitted that his storylines are spongy (often taken from his own dreams) and that performances are secondary to style; though he may love Hitchcock, he never wears Hitch's influence on his sleeve in the manner of, say, Brian DePalma. That being said, 'Do You Like Hitchcock?' finds Argento writing a lengthy love letter to Hitchcock in a sly return to form that may be the best thing he's done in years."

Great, great stuff. --posted by Kim