The Bird with the Crystal Plumage-
2-Disc Special Edition
(aka; L' Uccello dalle piume di cristallo)
(Blue Underground Region 0 NTSC DVD
(1970)
review by Head Cheeze

Dario Argento’s first entry in his now beloved “Animal Trilogy”, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, is widely considered to be the blueprint for the giallo films of the seventies. Personally I don’t agree, as while this film did introduce many of the elements that would become commonplace in the genre, Bird isn’t nearly as delirious or bizarre as the films it would inspire. Tightly paced and plotted, Argento’s first film shares more in common with Hitchcock than Bido and Martino.

Sam Dalmas (Musante) is an American writer living out the remainder of his lease in Rome. While returning home one evening, Sam witnesses an attack on a woman in a gallery. Separated by panes of glass, Sam can only watch as the woman writhes in pain on the floor before him, while the gloved killer escapes. Luckily, the victim survives, and Sam is taken in as a witness even though he tells the police that he saw very little. The police think this is the work of a killer responsible for at least three other deaths, and the lead inspector, certain that something will eventually jog Sam’s memory, takes his passport and tells Sam that he must stay in Rome “a little longer” to help with the investigation. Sam takes it literally, and begins digging around himself, only to find himself a target of the killer as he gets closer to the truth.

If I were to say that The Bird with the Crystal Plumage were my favourite giallo, I’d be lying, for, as I said, I don’t really consider this film to be a giallo in the popular sense of the word. Yes, there are red herrings, and, yes, there’s a black gloved killer offing attractive young woman, but what’s missing is all of the gore, nudity, and just plain insanity that makes that genre such a hokey and deliberately guilty pleasure of mine. Now that’s not to say that Bird is a lesser film because of this; quite the opposite, Bird is a top-notch thriller. And, while it may have kicked off a particular breed of giallo film, I think that simply calling Bird a giallo is akin to calling Psycho a slasher. Bird is a film that is at once archetypical and antithetical. This is an elegant and graceful thriller that is amongst the most coherent to come out of Italy, and while it may lack any of the iconic visual moments that would become Argento’s signature, Bird is still a fantastic looking film and an important and effective debut.

Blue Underground presents The Bird with the Crystal Plumage in a lovely, slip-cased 2-disc edition that features a vibrant widescreen transfer, as well as an incredible new 5.1 Dolby Digital EX English audio track (as well as a 6.1 EX track for all of you audiophiles with the extra dough!), as well as standard 5.1 English and Italian tracks. There are also original 2.0 mono and surround tracks in English and a 2.0 mix in Italian. Disc one also features a commentary by the ubiquitous Alan Jones (with Kim Newman), as well as trailers and TV spots.

Disc two features some all-new material including:
Out of the Shadows - Interview with Co-Writer/Director Dario Argento
Painting With Darkness - Interview with Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro
The Music of Murder - Interview with Composer Ennio Morricone
Eva's Talking - Interview with Actress Eva Renzi

As you can see, this is clearly the definitive NTSC release of Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and, as far as I can tell, the most comprehensive just about anywhere. The audio options alone will have Argentophiles pouring over this one for quite some time, let alone the bonus features. While I wouldn’t mind one day seeing another Argento expert get a shot at commenting on the director’s material, (hey, what about the fella who runs DarkDreams.org?) Jones is pretty much a walking encyclopedia on the subject, and has much to bring to the table during the commentary.

Bird with the Crystal Plumage is a satisfying thriller that has sort of been lost amidst all of Argeno’s more revered works. While it’s not as visually impressive as films like Opera or Suspiria, the seed of that genius is definitely sewn here.