The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
In his first film as writer/director, Dario Argento’s The Bird With the Crystal Plumage would make his first mark in a genre he help to create, the Giallo and start of his long career of making these types of films. This one is the most straight forward Giallos in my opinion.
In the film an American writer living in Rome played by Tony Musante witnesses an assault on a woman in an art gallery, which is a very great scene and is subsequently targeted by the black gloved killer. The cool part is the writer is not great genius and that he solves the puzzle together piece by piece before realizing that the most important clue to the killer's identity was there in front of him all the time. Musante is given excellent support by English actress Suzy Kendall as his girlfriend which the scene in which she's terrorized alone in her apartment as the killer hacks through the door with a knife is very frightening. Several attempts are made on their lives, nothing too violent but there is a scene where the killer attacks a woman and rips off her panties with a knife. It is very surprising this was rated PG on its release. At the conclusion a double-twist ending, reveals the identity of the killer in a very cool way.
The video here is a step up from the DVD release but only slightly; in my comparison I did see the colors are a little brighter and less grain with the BluRay but no revelation like other BluRays. But all in all this is the best this films has looked to date.
The sound here has all the bells and whistles with a new 7.1 DTS HD track and True HD on as well. I settled for a 5.1 Dolby one for myself.
The Extras are ported over from DVD release with audio commentary with Alan Jones, an Argento guru. There are a load of features with Dario Argento and a very entertaining one with actress Eva Renzi. Also there is another one with the master of music Ennio Morricone.
In the end this is a must buy for use Argentophiles and any lover of suspense and thriller film, the BluRay offers the best video we are likely to ever see. Highly Recommended. For more information on this and the other great releases from Blue Underground head over to their website at http://www.blue-underground.com/
3 ½ out of 4
reviewed by Steve Benningfield
© Copyright 2009 John Shatzer
