Opening with the leather-gloved hands that would later become character themselves in Dario Argento’s work, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, a startlingly assured directorial debut, clearly stated the filmmaker’s voice. A landmark moment in the gialli stable, the film was a box-office hit, kick-starting a prolific period for the genre, and paving the way for Argento to further indulge in the violent imagery that, while impactful, is admittedly on the sparse side here.
Here, Arrow present a limited edition, 4K restoration produced exclusively for this release. The transfer is crisp, while retaining a pleasing graininess, and the discordant piano soundtrack crashes with clarity. A plethora of extras include newly commissioned artwork and a 60-page booklet. It is unfortunate that, given the lavish presentation, the production is slightly sloppy: the sound is not quite synched, while some chunks of dialogue are missing. For a lesser title, this would prove distracting. Regardless, the release is recommended.
CAST
Tony Musante
Eva Renzi
Suzy Kendall
DIRECTOR
Dario Argento
SCREENPLAY
Dario Argento
DUAL FORMAT
19 Jun 2017
