The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1969)
(L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo)
Country: IT
Technical: col/scope 98m
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Suzy Kendall, Tony Musante
Synopsis:
An American writer in Rome witnesses an attempted murder of a woman in an art gallery, but is unable to come to her aid. Tormented by his memories of the crime, and frustrated by the police's lack of progress, he determines to pursue his own investigation.
Review:
Fine, early example of Argento's 'giallo' thriller style, and a clear influence on De Palma's Dressed to Kill. The interest here is not so much the whodunnit plotting, but the trappings of the mise en scène, with the killer's sunglasses and black leather disguise, the razor blade, and Morricone's sighing soundtrack all guaranteed to inflect more than one imitation in the years to come. The sequence in which the killer scratches a peephole in a door is a standout for creepiness.
(L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo)
Country: IT
Technical: col/scope 98m
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Suzy Kendall, Tony Musante
Synopsis:
An American writer in Rome witnesses an attempted murder of a woman in an art gallery, but is unable to come to her aid. Tormented by his memories of the crime, and frustrated by the police's lack of progress, he determines to pursue his own investigation.
Review:
Fine, early example of Argento's 'giallo' thriller style, and a clear influence on De Palma's Dressed to Kill. The interest here is not so much the whodunnit plotting, but the trappings of the mise en scène, with the killer's sunglasses and black leather disguise, the razor blade, and Morricone's sighing soundtrack all guaranteed to inflect more than one imitation in the years to come. The sequence in which the killer scratches a peephole in a door is a standout for creepiness.
(L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo)
Country: IT
Technical: col/scope 98m
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Suzy Kendall, Tony Musante
Synopsis:
An American writer in Rome witnesses an attempted murder of a woman in an art gallery, but is unable to come to her aid. Tormented by his memories of the crime, and frustrated by the police's lack of progress, he determines to pursue his own investigation.
Review:
Fine, early example of Argento's 'giallo' thriller style, and a clear influence on De Palma's Dressed to Kill. The interest here is not so much the whodunnit plotting, but the trappings of the mise en scène, with the killer's sunglasses and black leather disguise, the razor blade, and Morricone's sighing soundtrack all guaranteed to inflect more than one imitation in the years to come. The sequence in which the killer scratches a peephole in a door is a standout for creepiness.