The Bird With the Crystal Plumage

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Suzan L My favorite Argento film. I finally got to see it on the big screen. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/02/21 Full Review Derek B Another signature Argento twist. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/23/25 Full Review Ben D The dubbing and MOS are a detriment to this movie, a critique I had with Argento’s highly regarded Suspiria as well. It takes you out of the movie, as the synchronization is not always perfect, which may have played well in 1970, but is just an annoyance now. As a story, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage offers pretty much zilch, and contains a twist that seems trite even in 1970. Nevertheless, a tighter, more coherent script could atone for these forgivable cinema sins. However, there are just too many strange and stupid decisions here that really pulled me out of the story. Our protag, Sam (Tony Musante), is inches from death and is just sorta… cool with it? Moreover, he has a chance to extricate himself from this whole dangerous situation (for which no one he knows personally has suffered any harm) and just continues with his bizarre, impromptu investigation? Mind you, Sam is a writer on vacation in Rome and is not a detective with any “duty” to solving the crime at hand. Lastly, Sam leaves his girlfriend (Suzy Kendall), who the killer has said he is going to kill if he leaves the apartment, to travel hours away to follow a stupid lead the day of their flight? What?? While the movie looks nice with some interesting shots, there are also just random shots of surroundings spliced into the narrative that are superfluous filler. I can’t see a reason to recommend this movie, despite Garullo’s (Gildo di Marco) magnificent yellow jacket. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/25 Full Review Hector I Having started out like many with Suspiria, I decided to see his first feature film. First of all, the music is the first thing that stands out, that slow, childlike, disturbing music at the beginning... Sergio Leone's music adapts perfectly to create a world of Italian music from the 60s, a noirish thriller feel and, last but not least, Dario Argento's trademark sensuality, but perverted. The film is a fairly classic crime thriller, with a few touches that would later become Giallo. We follow a man who witnesses an attempted murder and decides to get involved. Like the narrator, we feel that something is missing, and this feeling follows us throughout the film, almost, like him, to the point of paranoia. I felt the influence of the psychological thriller, a genre that was king in the USA in the 70s, and the character, an American of Italian origin, is perhaps symbolic of this contribution. What fascinates me can be felt in most of the films of the 70s: incredible decorations, the beginning of tall buildings where concrete allowed the ground floor to be nothing more than pylons, and where the entrance halls were decorated with sculptures and sometimes fountains. Another thing: we're in Rome, but there's little to suggest it other than the city map. Like the narrator, we're a little overwhelmed by the city, where all the shots are close-up and there's nothing to give us a sense of height. A very good whodunit with a few aesthetically pleasing horror elements (the door, my god ... ) that hint at what's to come from Dario Argento. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/11/25 Full Review Tasos L A very good Argento film. The feeling is great in this one and there are no exaggerations that would make it boring. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/31/24 Full Review Christian K The Italian Hitchcock, indeed. A grimy, giallo mystery thriller with the predictably high level of design and style. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/07/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Bird With the Crystal Plumage

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