The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

Summary

Introduction by film scholar Troy Howarth – author of Murder by Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento:

Following a brief period as a screenwriter—during which time he contributed to the screen story of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (C’era una volta il West, 1968)—Dario Argento developed a project loosely based (albeit without credit) on Fredric Brown’s novel The Screaming Mimi. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo, 1970) was an entry in the then floundering genre of Italian thrillers known as gialli (the plural of giallo). So called because of their association with a popular series of lurid paperback thrillers with distinctive yellow (or giallo) covers, these films traded on images of sex and violence. Argento, who had no previous ambition to become a director, decided that he didn’t trust anybody else to bring this screenplay to life, and with the help of his father, producer Salvatore Argento, he made his directorial debut. Starring Tony Musante as an American abroad who witnesses an attempted murder, the film set the stage for Argento’s thematic obsessions; indeed, it has been argued that he’s spent much of his subsequent career remaking the film. The stylish cinematography by Vittorio Storaro and electric editing style of Franco Fraticelli announced Argento as a bold new talent—and when the film caught on with audiences, a flood of similar gialli soon flooded the market. It’s a remarkably confident directing debut for Argento, and while the young writer/director loathed his leading man, the behind-the-scenes tensions do not show on screen. Musante makes for a winning protagonist, and he’s well supported by the likes of English starlet Suzy Kendall and distinguished stage and screen veteran Enrico Maria Salerno as an unusually competent police inspector. The film’s mixture of suspense, horror, and well-timed bits of comic relief has lost none of its potency.

Review

In 2017, Arrow Video gave Italian cinema fans and giallo film lovers a release they had long been craving when they released the debut film The Bird with the Crystal Plumage from director Dario Argento on Blu-ray. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was an absolute juggernaut when it was released in 1970. This film not only created the template for the giallo films that followed after, it also established Dario Argento as a rare talent and singular visionary director. His highly stylized approach to the giallo genre would inspire a fleet of imitators, but for the decade of the Seventies nobody in Italy came close to matching Argento in his creative output’s significance. His film marked a turning point in that genre and everything that came after bore his influence. 

Dario Argento is the main reason that I discovered the Italian giallo genre. When I was in college I bought a used DVD of Suspiria from a local record store, drawn in by the strange artwork on the cover. From the first time I heard the distinct music by prog-rock group Goblin, I knew I had found one of my favorite horror films. My copy of Suspiria got lost, and I did not watch another Dario Argento film until Arrow Video gave me the opportunity to watch The Bird with the Crystal Plumage on Blu-ray in 2017. Since that time I have seen almost all of the output from the director.

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage tells the story of a young American novelist living in Rome named Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante.) Sam has come to a Rome to be inspired and has ended up writing a book about exotic birds in order to get enough money to move back to America with his gorgeous girlfriend Julia (Suzy Kendall.) On the way back to his apartment one night, Sam looks across the street and sees a woman and a darkly dressed man struggling. The woman, Monica Ranieri (Eva Renzi,) falls to the floor. Sam gets stuck in between two glass walls trying to save her. Monica is lucky to survive the attack, because a killer has been murdering beautiful women around the city that matches the profile of the man fleeing the scene. Sam is interrogated by Inspector Morosini (Enrico Maria Salerno) about his memory of the attack. Sam’s memory feels unreliable and suffers from gaps. Sam finds himself drawn to find out more about the case. As Sam begins to piece together clues on the trail of the murderer, he places himself and those he cares about in danger.

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage is easily one of the best giallo films ever made. Given that it was Dario Argento’s debut film as a director, he holds back on some of the more violent aspects of his later work, but it still looks and feels like a Dario Argento film. The cinematography is by the legendary Vitorrio Storaro, who should go down in history as one of the single greatest cinematographers of all time. He worked on Bertolucci’s The Conformist the same year as this film, which is any cinematographer would be proud to claim either in their career. I was struck by the imagery throughout the entire course of the film which reminded me a little of architectural proclivities that might harken back to Michelangelo Antonioni. The film also benefits from a beautiful setting by being filmed on location in Rome. 

Argento did an excellent job of adapting the source material, a novel by Fredric Brown called The Screaming Mimi, into his script. The book had been recommended to Argento by Bernardo Bertolucci. For his film, Argento stripped away any of the expository backstory that may have ruined the ending of the film, instead opting to toy with the audience in unexpected ways. The attack scene in the art gallery is full of great stylistic choices that showed exactly the amount of visual skill that Argento would bring to the genre. Certain scenes in the film remind me of another director that was making films across the ocean from Argento, Brian De Palma. It makes sense that both directors would be compared to and influenced by Hitchcock, and it is possible that Argento’s work may have influenced some of De Palma’s work (most notably Dressed to Kill.) I don’t want to understate how strong of a debut film The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is for Dario Argento. It is very rare that a singular vision comes across so clearly and viscerally on a first film.

Ennio Morricone ranks as my favorite composer, and the score by Ennio Morricone for the film is absolutely fantastic. This should come as no surprise to any fans of Morricone’s work, but it helps the film along in every way. As revealed in the interview with Argento included on the disc, Morricone did not write the pieces prior to watching the film. Instead he improvised in the studio with a group of trusted musicians as he watched the film. The final product is exceptional and one of Morricone’s more interesting scores. 

The acting in the film is surprisingly competent and much better than can be seen in many of the giallo films that I enjoy. I can not think of anybody who committed a misstep, with a great leading man performance by Tony Musante. I was shocked to hear that he and Argento had not gotten along during the filming, because Musante does a great job in the role of Sam. One of the most beautiful actresses in the giallo genre, Suzy Kendall, also elevates the film with her presence.

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage is an excellent example of what can happen when everything in a film comes together perfectly. The images, sounds, and writing all contribute to creating one of the best giallo films and thrillers ever made. The film proved hugely influential for good reason and ushered in one of the best eras in Italian cinema history while announcing the presence of one of the greatest thriller directors of all time, Dario Argento. Highly recommended.

Video

Arrow Video have gone above and beyond with an excellent transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec of a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negatives. The transfer is another strong effort by Arrow Video and the image looks fantastic, retaining the grain and demonstrating great amounts of detail. For a film that is now fifty years old, it still looks great. Argento would go on to make some of the most vivid and colorfully pleasing horror films. In this film he uses color strategically with an absolutely beautiful attack sequence in an art gallery. Any film can benefit from the great eye of the legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, and he does an exceptional job on the film. This transfer is another great effort by Arrow Video. Fans will be ecstatic, and newcomers will enjoy what they see. 

Audio

Arrow Video have provided both an English and Italian LPCM Mono Track. I listened to the film intermittently in both languages and found that they bit held up well. I personally preferred the Italian track, but to each his own. The score from Ennio Morricone is really remarkable and fits the film like a glove. Obviously, with these being Mono tracks the range is limited. The dialogue is crisp and clear and I did not notice much hiss aside from a tiny amount at the very beginning of the film. This is a solid effort and fans are not likely to complain.

Supplements:

Black Gloves and Screaming Mimis –  critic Kat Ellinger talks sexual politics in Argento’s films.

The Power of Perception – visual essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas about Argento’s films. It gives fair warning that it contains spoilers, but take heed of that warning if new to Argento.

Crystal Nightmare – an extended interview with Dario Argento. He discusses that this was his first film as a director, his film critic past, cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, why he chose to set the film in Rome, psychoanalysis in film, memory in film, the film’s reception and numerous other small items of interest. This was an absolutely fascinating feature and I could have listened to him for another hour discussing his work.

An Argento Icon – Gildo di Marco, who played the stuttering pimp in the film, discusses his career and working with Argento.

Eva’s talking – an archival interview from 2005 with the late Eva Renzi. This interview is interesting mainly because she confirms that Tony Musante had a big ego at the time of filming. 

Italian, international, and 2017 Texas Frightmare Trailers

Commentary by Troy Howarth- one of the leading authorities on giallo and published author discusses the film in depth. This is an excellent and informative track that should not be missed. (Editorial note: A special thanks to Troy for writing his exclusive introduction to this review!)

Overall Scores:

Video – 5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4.5/5

Overall – 5/5

The Bird With Crystal Plumage remains an excellent thriller and one of the most groundbreaking and enjoyable giallo films ever made. Argento’s film blew open the doors for Italian thriller cinema to crossover and find success in America and simultaneously influenced an entire generation of filmmakers. The film serves as a perfect introduction to explore giallo as a genre. I love the cinematography by Vittorio Storaro and the music by Ennio Morricone. With a great director calling the shots and a solid script, everything comes together very well. Arrow Video have provided some excellent supplemental material. The interview with Argento is good enough to warrant a purchase on its own, and the commentary track with Troy Howarth is excellent. I highly recommend adding this film to your collection if you have the slightest interest in the giallo genre. The film benefits from excellent replay value as well.

Portions of this review originally appeared on Blu-ray Authority.