After being surprised by his wonderful performance in Gaspar Noé’s Vortex, the Locarno Film Festival decided to surprise Dario Argento by giving him the Lifetime Achievement Award on the last night of Locarno74. A special prize, with its own little surprise: a special friend, John Landis, who had received the Pardo d’onore Manor the night before, wanted to pay tribute to him and gave him the award in front of the Piazza audience.
A few hours after the official awards, the 74th edition of the Locarno Film Festival ended with two Masters of Horror in Piazza Grande. The geniuses behind Deep Red and An American Werewolf in London were together, under the stars of Locarno, to celebrate not only a unique directorial career, but also a surprising achievement in front of the camera. Dario Argento’s performance in Gaspar Noé’s Vortex, which played in Piazza Grande, won over everyone: the audience, his peers, and the critics. And the Festival wanted to honor him with the help of another cinematic giant.
What was not surprising was seeing Dario Argento in Locarno. A longtime friend of the Festival, the Italian master of horror recently attended in 2014 for the Titanus Retrospective, in 2016 as the Concorso internazionale jury president and in 2017 for the Jacques Tourneur Retrospective, with an additional tribute to George Romero. A continuous exchange that shows to what extent Dario Argento is part of Locarno’s history. And Locarno, with the help of special friend, decided to thank him tonight.
