1970 • Written and directed by Dario Argento
With Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, and Eva Renzi
Produced by Central Cinema Company (CCC)
'L'Uccello dalle piume di cristallo' AKA 'The Bird with the Crystal Plumage' is viewed as a starting point for numerous gialli that were released during the 1970s, building on trends set by director Mario Bava. 'Gialli,' from the Italian word for 'yellow,' were cinematic offshoots of novels sold with yellow covers across the previous fifty years, leading to heated efforts by Dario Argento, Umberto Lenzi, Lucio Fulci, and others. Surprisingly, 'The Bird with the Crystal Plumage' is one of the earliest screen gialli and also one of the most famous, setting a precedent for later Italian crime and horror films.
European film star Tony Musante (actually a native of Bridgeport, Connecticut) leads this 1970 potboiler as Sam Dalmas, a visiting American writer who is ending freelance work for a zoological society. Not coincidentally, a series of local murders have occurred, all of the victims being young women. Mere hours from his plane ride back to the United States, he walks past an art gallery lobby where two figures are engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle. A woman, Monica Ranieri (Eva Renzi), is left bleeding on the gallery floor while a dark-coated man escapes the scene. Sam rushes to help but finds himself trapped between two glass partitions in the lobby and is forced to wait until police arrive. He is then stuck in Italy after investigating officer Morosini (Enrico Maria Salerno) confiscates his passport and insists that he jog his memory to figure out who the perpetrator is. Dalmas becomes obsessed with finding the murderer and saving other lives, causing he and his English girlfriend Julia (Suzy Kendall) to get much more then they bargain for.
'The Bird with the Crystal Plumage' is stunningly mature for a first-time director, helped greatly by Dario Argento's upbringing in cinema and years as a film critic. Argento already has a clear idea of style, although there are moments when his cast looks in need of direction to fulfill their roles. The movie is fairly well-paced, with all of the dialogue and action bearing importance to the story. Tony Musante is strong as the protagonist despite his frosty attitude that has earned criticism. Suzy Kendall is not only beautiful, but also charming as a girlfriend who supports Dalmas to the very end; it's unfortunate that Kendall's career never reached a higher level. The best performance (at least in my opinion) is by Enrico Maria Salerno as the police inspector, a focused, determined man who has a sense of compassion for the public he serves. Eva Renzi, best known as Samantha Steel in 'Funeral in Berlin,' is also quite effective with her one-dimensional role.
'Bird' was the first color film recorded by Vittorio Storaro, who went on to receive three Oscars but, through fate, never worked with Argento again. Storaro's photography makes excellent use of light/dark contrasts that Argento relied on heavily. Ennio Morricone also pops up as composer, using serial textures and childlike singsong that create an atmosphere of unrest. Argento regular Franco Fraticelli provides strong editing, an absolute must in scenes of flashback and repeated crosscutting. Credit also goes to costume designer Dario Micheli (set dresser for 'The Last Emperor'), who gives 'Bird' a sense of fashion.
This film is well-made but definitely not perfect. A large amount of the acting is wooden, perhaps owing to Argento's inexperience in directing a cast; friction between Argento and Musante during production was of no help, either. The story is engaging, but has a misogynistic tone, even if Argento didn't intend or realize it at the time. While a pair of men die with little or no suffering on-screen, the deaths of women are lingered upon. One scene that involves a bedroom break-in is particularly shocking. And needless to say, elements of the plot make absolutely no sense. Have you ever heard of a civilian being made to investigate a crime? But then again, it's part of the standard for gialli, with numerous attractive women being lined up for murder and logic being proudly defied.
Anyone interested in gialli may find 'Bird' a good place to start, especially with Blue Underground's 2005 release on two DVDs. Disc one presents the film in its original widescreen format (2.35:1) with a choice of English 'dubbing' or Italian with optional English subtitles. Audio is offered in Dolby 5.1 surround EX, DTS-ES 6.1 (English dubbing only), Dolby 2.0 surround, and the original mono. Extras include audio commentary (by writers Alan Jones and Kim Newman) and the promotional trailers. The second disc is entirely of featurettes: interviewed are Dario Argento, Vittorio Storaro, Ennio Morricone, and Eva Renzi, who all talk about the film in depth.
'Bird' is nicely preserved in this release, with clean visuals and good audio quality. Naturally, the dubbing leaves much to be had, but it seems a lot easier than glancing at subtitles all night. The interviews are enthusiastic. Argento makes connections to his early life and explains some of the problems faced by a rookie director. Storaro and Morricone nicely link 'Bird' to their respective crafts, although Storaro makes a comparison between film and television that I still don't quite understand. Eva Renzi is the most animated of these four people (in fluent English), largely because of her dislike for the film. Renzi turned down a lead role in John Guillermin's 'House of Cards,' then starred in 'Bird' to fulfill contractual obligations; apparently, her phone stopped ringing with offers for major roles soon afterward. Renzi passed away in August 2005, just after the featurette was made. For fans of European thrillers, this package is highly recommended.
