The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Alternative Titles: L'ucello dalle piume di cristallo; L'oiseau au plumage de cristal; The Gallery Murders; The Phantom of Terror; Das Geheimnis der schwarzen handschuhe; El pajaro de las plumas de cristal.
Director: Dario Argento
Year: 1970
Starring: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi, Umberto Raho.
Context:
If Bava created the genre, cinematically speaking, then Dario Argento would be the one to define it starting with his directorial debut offering, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE. Despite this being his debut, Argento would describe the filming process as problem free and humorously insinuating in "The Italian Hitchcock..." extra on Arrows' 2011 release that if there were any problems then he was too inexperienced to notice and let it affect him. Argento would go on to say that he had aimed to 'distinguish' the film from its thriller contemporaries by using beauty, which is something that Bava had also succeeded at.
Despite being only 29 when he made the film, Argento had already become noticeably involved in the Italian scene, most significantly helping contribute to the story for ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST where he would collaborate with film legends Sergio Leone and Bernardo Bertolucci (THE CONFORMIST). In has been suggested that it was Bertolucci who suggested an adaptation of the novel 'The Screaming Mimi' by Frederic Brown.
This would prove to be a pivotal point in Argento's career as Brown's novel would not only greatly contribute to the story for THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE but also inform specific elements in FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET, released just a year later.
One thing that helped set this film out from its peers was its setting, Italy. The majority of mysteries were set abroad and there was a stigma attached to national based mysteries, in fact even the writers of the giallo book stories would anglicise their names to avoid this association and so just by being set in Rome this film would buck the trend. However, by placing a straniero (foreigner) as the lead this would then, hypothetically balance out and still allowing for the fish out of water setting. While it is due to the film itself that it achieved critical and financial success both domestically and abroad, one has to think could this choice have made it more accessible by way of being exotic for the international audience (which Italy would have been) and yet still traditional for the domestic audience (an American lead)?
Further to note; midway through the shoot after evaluating what had been shot already an executive producer wanted Dario Argento replaced fearing that what would be produced would be too unconventional for the domestic audience. Several reasons are circulated as to why Dario Argento remained but it is most likely due to the support of his father, the renowned producer Salvatore Argento.
Synopsis:
When Sam (Tony Mustante), an American writer in Rome, witnesses an attempted slaying in an art gallery, he unwittingly sets the killers sights on himself and his beautiful model girlfriend (Suzy Kendall). But soon, things start to unravel as it becomes clear that the identity of the unknown slayer is very much open to question. Somebody's killing everyone, who is the evil fiend? [Taken from the 2011 Arrow blu-ray release].
Review:
A true thriller, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE achieves that rare thing - it manages to place the viewer in the middle of it. Sometimes we are the detective, other times the killer and it is that complicity that helps elevate this film above not only many of the films that came before it but also the many imitators that would follow.
Liberally reworking Frederic Brown's 'The Screaming Mimi' while adding a dash of Hitchcock (and applying the fish out of water setting), what we get is something new and fresh. From the beginning we can see the signs that would become classic Argento, albeit more restrained in terms of graphic violence and lighting which would later go on to define his output.
However, this is not to say that this is a less polished entry in his works, quite the opposite as what this allows is for the characters to breathe, best exemplified in the fantastic performance of Tony Musante (Oz.) as the American writer Sam Dalmas. Who, while walking home one evening, witnesses an attempted murder in a small, street facing art gallery but cannot quite remember the one thing that struck him as odd. Indeed this trick would become a staple in the genre, most famously repeated in DEEP RED as David Hemmings character cannot quite recall the one difference in Helga's hallway.
With Sam's passport confiscated and now unable to return to America, he decides to investigate, at first out of curiosity but soon out of obsession, helped by the (rare) co-operation of the investigating Inspector Morosini (Enrico Maria Salerno - THE ENFORCERS) who even goes as far as to provide around the clock protection and to set him up with an interview with an incarcerated stammering pimp named 'So Long'. Very accommodating.
Alongside Sam is his model girlfriend played by the familiar Suzy Kendall (TORSO, SPASMO) - at the time the spouse of Dudley Moore - who makes a rather small contribution to the film but performs more than competently even if the role is not very challenging.
In the film the use of flashbacks by Sam is almost quite unique. Always going back to what he had witnessed at the art gallery and just like he attempts to rewind and review what he saw, so do we (the viewer), as we become the amateur sleuth looking for anything that might help shed a light on the mystery. This is very cleverly done but not overused and Argento's use of pacing and the skill of editor Franco Fraticelli (DEEP RED, SUSPIRIA, DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE) help to keep the film tense while using each scene to drive the story forwards in some way or another. This editing, when combined with a fantastic score by the legend that is Ennio Morricone contribute to a highly pleasurable viewing experience as you become enveloped in the world that Argento has created.
The mystery itself is well crafted and the nods to Brown are evident itself in how Sam Dalmas goes about piecing together the pieces but one area that was highly enjoyable and does not seem to get the credit it deserves is Argento's (admittedly sparse) use of humour. Noticeably more evident in the 'Animal Trilogy' and DEEP RED than the majority of his later work - although DRACULA 3D was hilarious in a negative way, it shows that he has a penchant for comedy even if it is potentially somewhat sardonic. In this film the characters 'So Long' and his associate Faiena provide the brief but main outlet.
Argento's debut would not so much revitalise the Italian thriller as prove a game changer. Beautifully shot and expertly crafted it provides one of the cornerstones of the genre and a perfect gateway for those getting into the genre. Combining the action and mystery of the thriller genre with a slightly harder edge than before it still holds up today no doubt thanks to the Argento's creativity, even if the shadow of 'The Screaming Mimi' looms large over it.
Version Reviewed:
We watched the 2011 Arrow blu-ray release which is a high definition resolution (1080p) from the original negative and in a 2:1 aspect ratio which has somewhat justifiably come in for some criticism although for the casual viewer it will not cause any issues. The English subtitles however were a bit of a disappointment both in terms of display and accuracy to the Italian audio (although they are never meant as a direct translation) but again do not affect the enjoyment of the film at all.
The disc offers three extras ranging from 15 to 29 minutes and really show why Arrow have the strong reputation they have as the likes of Luigi Cozzi (THE KILLER MUST KILL AGAIN, CONTAMINATION) , Sergio Martino (TORSO, ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK) and Dario Argento himself discuss the film and the genre. As well as this the release also has the standard commentary track, here being provided by the horror (and Argento) encyclopaedias Kim Newman and Alan Jones.
In regards to the tangible product as well as reversible sleeves Arrow treat us to a reversible poster featuring a new and an old design and a collectors booklet where Alan Jones discusses the film. A fantastic package that would appeal to the vast majority of fans and is worth a purchase.
