The Bird With the Crystal Plumage

Rating:
Summary: Argento not at his best - yet
Review: This is the first film that Argento directed and it shows a lot of his traits already, but is still not up to par with his later masterworks like DEEP RED, SUSPIRA or the recent THE STENDHAL SYNDROME. But if you like stylish thrillers, check it out. Argento's traits like his style, his brillant use of music and his trademark-violence are all already there, but much more subdued than in his later works. The DVD is servicable, although not as satisfying as the titles from the Anchor Bay collection. The picture is below today's standards (off course) but still the best print of this film I've seen (and I've seen a lot) and besides a seperate soundtrack there are no extras worth mentioning on this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: worth a look
Review: THis was argentos 1st film not too shabby either. It's no silence of the lamns but its got style! the dubbing can sound a bit silly.

Rating:
Summary: bird with the crystal plumage
Review: While not up to the impressive standards set by such later works as Suspiria and Deep Red, this is an impressive directorial debute from on of the best directors working in the horror genre today. The cinematography by Vittorio Storaro is very good and the musical score by Ennio Morricone is excellent. The story follows an american living in Rome with his girlfriend, played by Suzy Kendall, who witnesses a woman being brutally attacked in an art gallery. The attacker flees and the police arrive on scene, but something is wrong with the situation. The murders continue and soon the American, played by Tony Musante, is being stalked by the killer. He believes it has something to do with a mysterious painting, but he is not sure exactly what. Questions arise, why won't the police believe him, why is he a suspect, why does the police officer who comes to the house seem to recognize his girlfriend, Suzy Kendall, even though she insists that they have never met. I wouldn't dream of giving away the ending, the twist is great and almost impossible to see coming. There are a few minor complaints, the dubbing, the fast zoom-ins,common in films of the 1960s, and some plot twists in mid-section of the film are a little hard to swallow. However, this is miles ahead of most thrillers made today and any Argento fan will definitely want to own this one.

Rating:
Summary: Where it all began...
Review: Work number one by Dario Argento, this movie is also referred to as the original matrix to the Italian Giallo Movies. Check out the reason why. Excellent plot, good acting, sensational atmosphere, black gloves, hats and raincoats, knives, razors, screaming good-looking girls, sex traumas, violence, gore, and that flash, burnt in the protagonist's memory, which is the key to the solution (and what a solution!) to the entire plot. This is enough to recommend you the purchase of a DVD which, unfortunately, is quite disappointing. The video format is partly disturbed, the audio is unbelievably in mono and no extras are available rather than the theatrical trailer and (good choice) the original soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. But we're talking about a masterpiece, and I suggest this purchase anyway.