The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – A Worthy Entry in the Italian Thriller Genre
This murder mystery is the first of director Dario Argento’s ‘Animal Trilogy’. An American writer in Italy witnesses an attempted murder. Just as in many of Argento’s mystery/thrillers, the writer gets drawn into a maze of intrigue as he tries to unravel the secret behind the would-be killer’s identity.
It’s a strong first effort from the director who would become notorious for his surrealist storytelling in Suspiria and the even more bizarre Inferno. Dario Argento has a love for the more visual aspects of filmmaking, sometimes leaving plot behind in favor of beautiful sequences. Fortunately, this mystery has a good plot and beautiful set pieces.
The attempted murder sequence is one of the most stylish of the genre. The writer, played by Tony Musante, becomes trapped between glass double doors as he rushes to the aid of a woman in an art gallery. The killer flees, and the woman survives.
The writer learns she is the only surviving victim of a serial murderer. The police turn up nothing. Since they confiscated the writer’s passport, he is stuck in Italy until the whole mess is resolved. Musante decides to try chasing down the killer himself so he can get on with his life and leave town. His investigation turns up all sorts of strange characters, including a reclusive artist who likes to eat cats.
This is a solid effort, especially for a first film. Argento had some co-directing credit, and contributed to the screenplay of the impressive Once Upon A Time In The West, directed by Sergio Leone. He took some good lessons from Leone, and in terms of pacing and story flow, the two at times have similar styles. When Argento isn’t in a hurry, his pacing matches that of Leone, who like to give his characters plenty of time to develop before throwing them into climactic battles and standoffs.
The Sergio Leone connection doesn’t end with Once Upon A Time In The West. Argento hired Leone favorite Ennio Morricone to give Bird With The Crystal Plumage a unique soundtrack. Morricone has the uncanny ability to make a routine film an exciting thing to watch, simply by virtue of his excellent soundtracks. This one is excellent already; the addition of Leone’s musical genius elevates the film to a classic.
When the movie came out in 1970, its possible that audiences were kept guessing until the very end, but today’s viewers will probably guess the ending before Argento wants them to. In spite of this, the film is a very worthwhile entry in the mystery/thriller genre. There are several versions of this floating around on DVD by VCI Entertainment, but fans should avoid early, faulty pressings of the VCI disc in favor of the most recent edition.
Argento’s second entry into the “Animal Trilogy” was Cat O’Nine Tails, followed by Four Flies on Grey Velvet, which is near-impossible to find in America without resorting to the grey market bootleg circuit. Fans of Bird With The Crystal Plumage had to settle for two out of three, but there is hope that one day a respected outfit such as Anchor Bay or Blue Underground will acquire the rights to Four Flies so US fans can complete the trilogy.
