Mother of Tears
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Movie Reviews of Mother of Tears
Movie Review: A possible cult in the next ten years
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all please excuse my English.
The Third Mother is no more than a fairy tale written in a classic style, following the scheme suggested by the Russian literate and folklore scholar Propp. Argento demonstrates to know it very well and he follows this scheme much more than he previously did in other movies, such as "Suspiria", "Inferno" or "Phenomena", some of his previous works he much more recalls in this new one. The "Suspiria" and "Inferno" plots were beginning in a chaos background, in a universe where all rules were already subverted; in The Third Mother Argento urges to follow a much more linear structure. That's the reason why the screenplay is maybe too didactic. While in Suspiria or Inferno much remained unexplained, here Argento needs to explain everything, even using drawings, just like a children fairy tale book when dialogues are considered not to be useful enough. The director is a great art connoisseur. In fact he uses the most popular iconography to present his witches: sometimes they are extremely beautiful, young witches, (like Snow White's witch), sometimes naked, as Mater of Tears often is in the movie, sometimes they are torn-weared, long-nailed witches, like those invading Rome, gathering for a Sabbath.
The heroine of the story is Argento,'s daughter Asia, while the actress Daria Nicolodi (star of many glorious Argento's movies and Asia's real mother) is a good witch, or a fairy, helping the protagonist fighting evil. Appearing as an ectoplasm, made visible by a blow of white powder, she actually is the symbol of Argento's old style, which no more exists and of which only frequent recalls and self-hommages remain. In fact, the first murder is a remake of Suspiria's firt one. In Suspiria's cast there also was also Udo Kier, here playing the role of an exorcist priest, there playing the role of a black magic expert. In "Inferno" there was a scene shot in an old library in Rome, in The Third Mother a scene shot in a modern book shop located in Rome's central station. Again much alike "Phenomena" we have a scene in a pool filled with corpses and a monkey as a player. (In Phenomena the monkey was a friend of the protagonist, while here it is her enemy). And so on and so forth. It seems that Dario Argento wants to say that he is the same director as he was thirty years ago, but his way of making movies, today, cannot be and will never be the same again. As some peopled said in the cinema where I first saw the movie in Italy, is the Third Mother a splatter version of "Harry Potter"? I think it's much more an authorial divertissement, as the final scene, again lent by Suspiria, could suggest. Maybe only Argento could tell us what The Third Mother really is. Anyway, this movie could seriously be a cult in another ten years.
Like most of the latest Argento's movie, also this one had very bad reviews when it first came out in Italy. Those reviews were all based on what the movie is not but was supposed to be. I think this is the worst way of reviewing a movie: it's no sense to say what it is not (you can just see, there is no need to be said) or what it should be, it is even worse. I think we are lucky that Dario Argento is no more what he was thirty years ago, that his "gore", the locations of his movies are not always the same. We are lucky that is not an eternal clone of himself, as some people would enjoy him to be. Maybe his latest movies are not so good, or even bad, but he often surprises and that is a good thing. His way of making movies has never been stereotyped, his style overcomes genres, he bites, crushes, goes through all genres and stereotypes. In his movies a crime story is melted with horror or supernatural. That's the reason why all of his movies are always puzzles with is a missing or a unmatchable piece. A couple of years ago Italian television asked him to realize a classic crime TV movie. Well, the only way he could realize a classic TV crime was by remaking Hitchcock endlessly. The movie was in fact called "Do you like Hitchcock?" and at the very beginning of his career, Argento was often and unappropriately acclaimed as the "Italian Hitchcock". We have been able to appreciate completely some of his masterpieces like Deep Red, Suspiria or Phenomena only several years after their first release. At first it was hard to comprehend a universe populated by mediums who feel the presence of insanes, and amazing walking puppets as in Deep Red, or locations in an almost Escher's buildings as in Suspiria or Inferno, or a girl talking to insects as in Phenomena. Maybe we need some more years to appreciate the Stendhal syndrome or The Phantom of the Opera, (that I don't like at all, but was well reviewed in France), or The Card Player. What you can be sure is that every time Dario Argento does what you would not expect from him. You like it or not, he is a free artist in every way.
One last thing about actors performances. I don't know how they are in the English version. In Italian version of all his latest movies they sound horrible. And I think this is another incomprehensible Argento's choice, as he has the complete control of production and post-production of all of his movies. Maybe, just like a great Argento's predecessor, Mario Bava, he's much more interested in things than in people.
Movie Review: Good first half, but slumps in the 2nd. Fairly decent overall
Summary: 3 Stars
At one time Italian cinema was really popular from Crime/Dramas, Westerns and Action flicks, many people don't realize how much influence these films had on filmmakers around the world and the Horror genre might be where the Italians really made a huge impact that can still be seen to this day. But around the mid 80s Italian films started to get weak and many of the great filmmakers have either passed away or making some really bad films and it got to the point to where many of these filmmakers struggled to get funding; the exception was Dario Argento and even to this day many of the filmmakers who are still around barley work anymore and when they do their movies don't see the light of day in the States, but again Dario Argento is the exception.
Dario Argento though has sort of hit a bit of a slump in his career the 90s started off well for him in my opinion with Two Evil Eyes, the criminally underrated Trauma and The Stendhal Syndrome, but after that Argento really started to lose it and made two of his worst films with The Phantom of the Opera and The Card Player. While he did make a slight comeback with the entertaining Jenifer and Pelts for the Masters of Horror and the TV movie Do You Like Hitchcock?
The Three Mothers is Argento's first theatrical flick since The Card Player and is the long awaited follow up to his classics Suspiria and Inferno. Going into The Mother of Tears I hoped for the best, but expected the worst.
The screenplay by Dario Argento, Jace Anderson & Adam Gierasch was rather weak; I suppose the one flaw in Dario Argento as a filmmaker is his writing, but he did write some solid scripts early in his career, but around the time of Suspiria his scripts started to lack a little bit. While I don't think he's a poor writer, but some were lacking. I think the biggest problem is Argento's characters are a little weak. For the most part he's never really had an Iconic character. This time around the script is quite flawed and at times even cringe worthy. The only movie I've seen written by Anderson & Gierasch was Toolbox Murders and I wasn't really impressed and I'm not very impressed here.
While Mother of Tears isn't terribly written, but the script does often lack and is never really all that interesting and the characters are very much lacking. There are some good ideas, but nothing that really works for the most part. While not a terrible script it does overall lack.
As director there really isn't anything Argento about this movie; visually the movie looks good, but don't except Suspiria or Inferno. The visual side is pretty much toned down and doesn't look nearly as good as most of Argento's movies. Also lacking is the use of colors, which is the biggest flaw with the movie. The suspense and tension do lack and honestly Mother of Tears sort of has a DTV feel to it for the most part. Also Mother of Tears feels much more like an American production. I've always been a big fan of Italian cinema; I love the style and look of their movies, but Mother of Tears really doesn't have that vibe. It really does feel like more of an American production.
I've been waiting to see Mother of Tears for quite a while now and it really wasn't worth the wait, but with that said it wasn't horrible or anything, just lackluster. At this point in Argento's career you can't really expect another Bird with the Crystal Plumage or Suspiria. The best you can hope for is an entertaining flick and for the most part Mother of Tears is semi entertaining. The first half of Mother of Tears was for the most part good, but the 2nd half is where it starts to slump and does drag and the final act drags big time. The ending was so anti-climatic and quite idiotic.
The highlights of the movie were seeing Daria Nicolodi back in an Argento flick; they were in a relationship for a long time and when that ended they stopped working together. The last time Daria appeared in an Argento flick was Opera back in 1987. While the role was brief it was still great for fans of Argento. Asia Argento works with her father again as actress and director for the first time since 1998 with the amazingly horrid Phantom of the Opera. Asia gives a pretty good performance, but some her dialogue was rather terrible at times and that makes it tough to sell, but overall I don't have many complaints with Asia's performance.
Overall Mother of Tears is fairly decent, but very lackluster. The first half was fairly good, but the 2nd half is where things start to go down the drain. Though I suppose it could have been a lot worse seeing as many of the filmmakers from Argento's era have gone on to make some really horrible flicks. Mother of Tears never really shows what made Argento such a brilliant director, but it's nowhere near as poor as Phantom of the Opera or The Card Player. Keep your expectations low and you might enjoy it a bit more.
The visual side and use of colors were lacking big time and had those played a part of the movie it would helped, but for what it's worth Mother of Tears is watchable, but forgettable. Mother of Tears gets a very light 3-stars.
Movie Review: For DIE-HARD ARGENTO Fans ONLY! The Legendary Director returns to Dark Tales of Witchcraft and Brutality
Summary: 3 Stars
Legendary horror filmmaker Dario Argento returns as writer and director, the man has definitely made a name for himself for his mischievous flair and touch of the macabre. MOTHER OF TEARS: The Third Mother is the supposed third installment in his "Three Mothers" trilogy which began with "Suspiria" and its follow up "Inferno". Now, the question on everyone`s mind; is it worth the wait after more than 2 decades?
When an ancient artifact becomes uncovered in an old cemetery, it proves to be the harbinger of doom. The murder of an art historian is just the beginning as Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento) is caught up in a frightening situation that she doesn't have the knowledge to grasp. Sarah is pursued by forces beyond her understanding and she enlists the aid of museum specialist Michael Pierce but he proves ineffective. Amidst the widespread chaos that ensues in Rome, Sarah then approaches a local exorcist and even an alchemist for aid in hopes of uncovering the mystery of her mother and her connection to a coven of evil witches. Mother Lachrimarum (Moran Atias) has risen and plans to orchestrate the second fall of Rome unless Sarah can find her hidden power and stop this dark witch.
The Italian maestro of horror returns to his tale of witchcraft, chaos, evil and darkness. Part of me is very pleased that the legendary horror director had stepped up to finish his "witches" trilogy. After the very disappointing "The Card Player", one wouldn't be hard-pressed to think that he has lost his touch but thankfully, his "Masters of Horror" entry "Pelts" did have its moments and it gave hints that Argento still had it. Thankfully, amazon friends Puzzle Box and Dave K. have caused me to lower my expectations, nothing could compare to "Suspiria", which is arguably Argento's finest film, so I approached this film with an open mind. While "Mother of Tears" may somehow fit the trilogy, if you elevate your expectations, it may result in a timid laughter.
The film does start fairly strong. The discovered ancient artifact is an interesting enough concept although it is a hugely unoriginal one. Then again, what could past for a TRULY original horror film anyway these days? Sometimes I feel that Horror filmmaking may have already peaked and it shouldn't be how original a horror film is but what the director does with a concept. The film does have a fair amount of blood and gore, in this unrated version, we get to see more gruesome deaths and nudity. Death by intestine strangling, literally screwing the mouth open, a spear driven to women's vaginal areas, infant slaughter, impalements, all contribute to the film's main draw: "Brutality". Argento doesn't hold back when it comes to these elements.
The plot elements does have potential. Sarah's investigation into her past displayed a lot of ambition, accompanied by eerily creepy scenes mildly enhanced by CGI with the old-school blood and gore. I found some elements mildly interesting but unfortunately, these scenes were only used to delay the film's outcome. The proceedings didn't exactly help the film's resolution and I felt that it started running out of gas in the 45 minute mark. I also felt that the chaos caused by the supposed "rise" of Mother Lachimarum is severely underused. Where is the army when all these hinted wanton acts of violence, rape and murder is occurring? Some characters were merely plot devices, supporting characters were so unconvincing and once they served their purpose, you guessed it, they will suffer a grisly death. Some scenes were also too convenient.
The dialogue in the film feels a little too perfunctory for my tastes. It just proved too "card board" and it isn't helped along by the casts' very "robotic" acting. I also wondered whether the film was dubbed in English and was originally meant for another language. The so-called "Mother of Tears" was too underwhelming; after all the overlong dialogue and fact-finding, this is how she is finally overcame? I'm NOT spoiling anything, as you would know that the bad guy has to be beat. I have to admit that Moran Atias' scenes of almost "very" nude may be worth the price of the dvd itself.
Ultimately, Dario Argento's heart seems to be in the right place when he made this film. However, it was quite obvious that he was being held back due to the film's measly budget. The blood, guts and gore were very nice to look at, (despite the fact it isn't anything new) and the back story of the "Three Mothers" does tie up some loose ends. However, the film does feel that it came straight out of the Hollywood oven and made to fit more "mainstream" tastes. Still, the film is a decent dose of lusty, brutal fun that is a welcome change from all the horror remakes we've been plagued with of late. The film does feel quite ridiculous and rather rudimentary. But it's very nice for fans of Dario Argento to witness that the horror legend can still dream up ludicrous mayhem and violent deaths.
Recommended Timidly, RENT it first [3 Stars]
Movie Review: Gory but Argento has Lost A Step or Two
Summary: 3 Stars
Mother of Tears (known as La Terza Madre in Italy) is a film by Italian horror master Dario Argento. The film serves as the concluding part to his horror trilogy began back in 1977 with Suspira and continuing with Inferno in 1980. 27 years between sequels is a long time but the film plays on its own merits and there is no need to see the first two except to maybe develop a feel for Argento's style. The films have revolved around the "three mothers", hateful and evil witches who seek to rule the world. This film's antagonist is Mother Lachrymarum, the mother of tears. The script for the film has been kicking around since the early 80's when a third film would have made more sense.
Argento's daughter, Asia, stars in the film as Sarah Mandy, a student assisting at the Museum of Ancient Art in Rome. Crews digging near an old church unearth an old coffin along with a funeral urn. The urn is sent to the museum to have it's contents inspected and cataloged but when it is open, in true Pandora's box fashion, a great evil is unleashed upon the world. Rome is soon hit by a plague of suicides and murderous rampages. Some people are driven to insanity while others become followers of the Mother of Tears. These followers are essentially Goth-inspired bullies who harass all those they encounter and they have set their sights on Sarah.
Sarah learns her deceased mother was a powerful white witch and that she also has latent magical powers. Sarah has to learn and gain control of her powers to defeat the Mother of Tears before she becomes too powerful.
Mother of Tears is one very sick, twisted, and often repulsive film. The gore is extreme to the point of being sublime. Among the gruesomeness is a priest who has his head chopped to hamburger by a meat cleaver, a woman whose eyes are gouged out, and another who takes a spear "down below" and up through her mouth. You'll also be treated to perhaps the most depraved orgy ever filmed. The film is so violent that the distributor, Medusa Films, demanded it be heavily edited for theatrical release in Italy although the edited scenes have been put back into the DVD version. That's just a brief summary of the film's escapades and it will have to do because it is thread bare when it comes to plot.
While I never found Suspira to be the classic that some did, it excelled in atmosphere and a visual style that has been abandoned in favor of blood and guts. All this might have worked if the "Mother" had been an evil old crone instead of looking like a porn star with fake boobs. Argento seems to have been influenced by modern day torture-porn films and deviated from the themes and visual storytelling of his earlier efforts. On the plus side, the set design and scenes in old churches greatly enhance the creepy factor.
Asia Argento is not strong enough to carry a film on her own. Her emotions and expressions hardly change throughout 90 minutes. The most enjoyable character was a psychotic Japanese disciple of the Mother of Tears who attempts to kill Sarah in a train station. Udo Kier has a short but enjoyable role as the unfortunate Father Johannes.
Extras:
The disc includes a couple of special features including a 33:00 documentary on the making of the films with comments from the cast and Dario Argento. There is also an 8:00 conversation with Argento as he relates the inspiration for the film and the mythology of the Three Mothers. Note that both extras are in Italian with English subtitles, which is not the case with the film itself.
Movie Review: A Mother of a Finale
Summary: 3 Stars
While I didn't love "Mother of Tears", the latest entry from Italian horror master, Dario Argento, I didn't hate it, either, which comes as something of a surprise, considering a lot of the negative press that it's received. The third and final installment in the long-planned, oft-delayed "Three Mothers" trilogy, the film was preceded by Argento's 1977 classic, "Suspiria", and the less successful, "Inferno" (1980).
In "Mother of Tears", Asia Argento (the director's daughter), plays Sarah, an art student in Rome who witnesses the gruesome murder of her mentor and boss (played by Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni) immediately after they open a decaying urn containing powerful artifacts. As demonic monsters disembowel and strangle the woman (with her own intestines, no less), Sarah flees the museum, with a screeching, evil monkey hot on her trail. Overnight, Rome turns into an epicenter of bloody violence as it quickly becomes apparent that the Mother of Tears has been released to unleash a reign of chaos and horror upon the earth. With the evil monkey, his even more evil masters, and a disbelieving police force chasing her around the city, Sarah hides out, first, with her boyfriend and his son, and later, with a helpful lesbian couple. As Sarah grapples with visions of her dead mother (real-life mom, Daria Nicolodi) guiding her through one situation after another, the brutality closes in on her and her shrinking circle of confidants. Eventually she realizes that it's up to her to utilize her own inherited powers to defeat the powerful witch known as Matyr Lachrymarum, and her depraved followers.
"Mother of Tears" starts out intriguingly, and then gets lost in its own mythos. The deaths, in true Argento fashion, are spectacularly gruesome, so be prepared. The acting varies wildly. Asia Argento is confronted with horrific scenes that would permanently traumatize most people, but a few minutes later, she's laughing and making love with her boyfriend. I've seen her give better performances, certainly; she seems to be sleepwalking through the role of Sarah. Dependable Euro standby, Udo Kier, is on hand briefly as a priest who is quickly (and gorily) dispatched by--I'm assuming--a mad parishioner--it's hard to tell who this woman is. And Matyr Lachrymarum, herself, is played by an Israeli model who looks as if she just walked out of the pages of Playboy. Her snarky, giggling fashion-model henchwomen add an element of camp to an already out-of-control movie that needs grounding. Cristian Solimeno and Adam James play the male leads, although only James' role is fleshed out enough to elicit much empathy from the viewer.
The script, by Argento, Jace Anderson, and Adam Gierasch is confusing, and seems to try and encompass several genres of film, before crashing in a blaze of glory with a finale that seems lifted from a seventies TV movie.
Having said all that, there is something about "Mother of Tears" that kept me interested and entertained right up to the ending. The ominous musical score, the beautiful cinematography, the creepy sets, and genuine suspense had the effect of keeping this viewer glued to his seat.