The Bird With The Crystal Plumage Blu-ray Review

• 16th May 2011

So what is The Bird with the Crystal Plumage about? Well, it has literally nothing to do with the title.  Make up the title for any film you like right now and you may have a more accurate stab at what the film contains.

To get down to it – this is Dario Argento’s first movie. The plot involves a killer on the loose and a man who seems to have got himself caught up in the investigation to find them. But then he has no-one to blame but himself as he’s insisting on conducting his own investigation.

There’s plenty to be impressed by in some of the pace and framing of Argento’s film, but there’s just as much to chuckle at as well. It’s the start of a career that still holds up well today, unlike some of his more recent work (yes you Giallo!) This is maybe a little rough round the edges, but you can clearly see that it is Argento’s style.

As well as being given a decent transfer to high definition, this edition also comes with several interview pieces with both crew and Argento himself. The director looks back at the film as well as the beginning of his career as a writer-turned-director and the comparisons to Hitchcock that the press put upon him.

Far be it for me to forget to mention the commentary, Arrow have finally got round to getting Kim Newman and Alan Jones (who also provides the booklet) to provide one of their pure gold commentaries on Argento’s work. Last time we had this privilege was on a release of Suspiria; but since then the Arrow/Argento releases have been missing this.  You really do miss it if you have heard these two talk – they know how to ask and tell all that’s relevant about the film in question. The good news is that they’re also due to provide one on the upcoming Tenebrae.

Steven Hurst