The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1969)
90 %
Reviews Counted: 20 Fresh: 18 Rotten:2 Average Rating: 7.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Synopsis: 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... [More]
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Starring: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Eva Renzi, Werner Peters, Enrico Maria Salerno
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Reviews
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Argento's decision to focus more on tense plot twists and less on gore (there's relatively little here) gives this an audience beyond the usual hardcore horror fan.
Comment
09/26/07
Top Critic
A heart-stopping horror melodrama with excellent acting from all involved.
03/28/07
Top Critic
Dario Argento's undistinguished Italian thriller was an unexpected hit in 1969, thanks largely, one suspects, to some violent scenes that were unusually graphic for their time.
03/28/07
Top Critic
Now king of the spaghetti slasher, Argento made his directorial debut with this tightly constructed thriller.
06/24/06
Dario Argento came into his own with this outstanding widescreen Italian suspense flick in which an American writer witnesses a murder through a huge plate glass window.
05/26/06
... the story is only a structure for Argento to spin his painstakingly choreographed visions of violence and terror with a fluid camera and carefully controlled colors.
12/14/05
The genius of Argento once upon a time was the understanding that every mystery is, at its essence, existential and subjective.
12/04/05
[It] has the energy to support its elaborateness and the decency to display its devices with style. Something from each of its better models has stuck, and it is pleasant to rediscover old horrors in such handsome new décor.
05/09/05
Top Critic
Its scares are on a much more basic level than in, say, a thriller by Hitchcock. It works mostly by exploiting our fear of the dark.
10/23/04
Top Critic
An excellent breakthrough film for director Dario Argento with a magnificent use of space and a great Ennio Morricone score.
04/29/03
One of Argento's earliest films, this is the one that launched the director on the horror track.
03/10/03
While Plumage may not demand active spectatorship, the two-killer theory of Tenebre and Stendhal Syndrome makes its first appearance in an Argento film.
10/26/01
If you're a fan of Argento, or just a fan of thriller films in general, then be sure and check out this under appreciated gem.
02/13/01
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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