Guido Lombardo

Enrico Lucherini - Ne ho fatte di tutti i colori

Dario Argento is one of the most acclaimed Italian directors in the world, revered as if he were a rock star. At the same time, however, he is a person who has always protected his private life. This documentary breaks that taboo and delves into the most intimate aspects of his life and career, uncovering personal documents and photographs that, until now, had been jealously guarded.

Broadway producer Earl Carroll was a Ziegfeld-like entrepreneur who staged lavish revues featuring attractive young ladies. Carroll's annual "Vanities" provided story material for three Hollywood films: Murder at the Vanities (34), A Night at Earl Carroll's (40) and Earl Carroll Vanities (45). This last film was produced by Republic Pictures, a bread-and-butter studio specializing in Westerns and serials; Republic had made musicals before, but few of them were expensive enough to allow for lavish production numbers. Earl Carroll Vanities is likewise rather threadbare, though some of the individual musical highlights aren't bad. The plot, such as it is, concerns financially strapped nightclub owner Eve Arden, who finagles Earl Carroll into staging one of his revues at her club.