The Bird Of Crystal Plumage
1970
The first directorial effort by Italian suspense master Argento. An American writer in Italy becomes an amateur sleuth when he witnesses a failed attempt by a serial killer to take the life of the wife of a wealthy gallery owner. A stylish beginning to a distinguished career, featuring the black-gloved killer that became the .. Read more
| Starring | Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi |
|---|---|
| Director | Dario Argento |
| Genres | Horror, World Cinema |
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The Bird Of Crystal Plumage
The first directorial effort by Italian suspense master Argento. An American writer in Italy becomes an amateur sleuth when he witnesses a failed attempt by a serial killer to take the life of the wife of a wealthy gallery owner. A stylish beginning to a distinguished career, featuring the black-gloved killer that became the director's trademark.
| Starring | Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi, Werner Peters, Mario Adorf |
|---|---|
| Director | Dario Argento |
| Studio | PLATINUM MEDIA DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 38 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Horror, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Italian |
| Dubbed | English |
| Released | DVD: 25 Mar 2002 Production year: 1970 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews
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Who is the new Jack the Ripper holding Rome in a grip of terror? American author Tony Musante knows he's witnessed a vital clue to the chilling conundrum — but what is it exactly? Dario Argento's giallo trendsetter (giallo, or “yellow”, being a term for all Italian thrillers more concerned with the modus operandi of the bloody murders than their whodunnit aspect) is a glossy, stylistic, cosmopolitan and jagged mystery firmly entrenched in Hitchcockian paranoia. A seminal work, it shows Argento's visual flair for horrific set pieces and introduced the trademark themes he would develop in such subsequent violent nightmares as Suspiria and Opera.
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Most helpful member's review
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7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Argento magic
To introduce the director Dario Argento. Prior to this, his first feature film, he produced some great films such as Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and later partially financed George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage depicts a serial killer terrorising Rome. An American writer (Musante) accidentally witnesses an attack and is compelled to help the investigation based on something which is nagging his brain about the attacked. Who is the killer?
It is a beautifully dark bit of cinema and one of my favorite Argento movies. With it's haunting score by Ennio Morrecone (The good, the bad and the Ugly, The Thing, Once upon a time in the West etc) you should forget it's dated look and enjoy it for all it has to offer. It really introduces Argento's dark side to us and set's up his later movies beautifully.
Argento continued to make a small number of creepy serial murder films before moving into horror and the occult.
If you enjoy this movie you should watch the following:
Cat o'nine tails.
Four flies on grey velvet.
Deep Red (profondo rosso). -
Most recent members' review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Brush strokes in blood
If you're new to 70s Italian horror director Dario Argento's work but have heard of his reputation for grand guignol then you may think Plumage sells you a bit short. The first of three thrillers before he rolled his sleeves up and really got stuck into the horror, this sees Argento using brush strokes rather than a bucket for his scenes of violence.
But with Director of Photography Vittorio Storaro's striking use of colour, Ennio Morricone's Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses-meets-Lalo Schifrin score and a story about a creepy painting and a man with an unusual interest in cats there's still plenty to enjoy. Still, if you really want the best, head straight for Suspiria. -
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The Bird Of Crystal Plumage
The first directorial effort by Italian suspense master Argento. An American writer in Italy becomes an amateur sleuth when he witnesses a failed attempt by a serial killer to take the life of the wife of a wealthy gallery owner. A stylish beginning to a distinguished career, featuring the black-...
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