Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi, Gildo Di Marco

Sam, an American writer in Rome, is the only witness to an attempted murder. He launches his own personal investigation into the serial killings.

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79% liked it

4,967 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

21 critics

PG, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Dario Argento

Release Date: June 12, 1970

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DVD Release Date: November 23, 1999

Stats: 305 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (305)


  • September 22, 2009
    Classic 70's giallo from Argento, in what I feel is possibly his best film. Brilliant
  • June 24, 2009
    Another ominous giallo mystery. As with most of his later films, Argento relies on building suspense through music and dark cinematography, which is, for the most part, effective. Unfortunately, the film does drag somewhat during the middle portion, but it picks up again in ti...( read more)me for the finale. Certainly an interesting film, and an original idea for the time, although I would recommend some of Argento's later films before this one.
  • May 28, 2009
    I came to The Bird with the Crystal Plumage having seen almost all of Dario Argento's other movies beforehand, so what fascinated me most was how his cinematic style seems to have emerged fully-formed with this, his very first feature. I can see a lot of echoes of this mov...( read more)ie in his masterpiece, Deep Red: a present-day occurrence triggering off latent insanity and a series of killings; the hero, a witness to (here, only attempted) murder, struggling to digest the truth of what he actually saw; the importance of sinister, naive artwork to the solution of the mystery, and for purposes of misdirection; and the use of geographically restricted flora or fauna to pinpoint a crucial locale. Argento was very fortunate to secure the talents of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro--who would go on to do great work with Bernardo Bertolucci--and composer Ennio Morricone, whose stellar contributions enhance his film immeasurably. This is the best-looking of Argento's early films and still, I think, one of his most brilliantly shot and edited pictures.
  • June 26, 2008
    I could watch 70s giallo all day, what with the funky production values, lame plots and acting, and unrealistic gore. They are just downright fun movies, save Suspiria, which I thought was an insufferable bore. Dario Argento's movies often fuse trashiness and high art in one way ...( read more)or another - The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, for instance, features sculpture, antiques and paintings. Stendhal Syndrome took place in an art museum, Suspiria figured in a dance school, and so on. Is he trying to suggest that his movies are art or deserve to be among art? Well, I've got a news flash for you, my dear old Italian friend.

    This clips along at a fine pace, and features some of the least distracting performing ever in an Argento film. If you haven't noticed, the man fails to get a decent performance out of 90% of his actors, but everyone here is actually tolerable. There are these traces of really bizarre humor that pepper the story, like a man who eats cats, and it's refreshing to see that he doesn't take himself entirely seriously (you'd think otherwise sitting through Suspiria).

    I do think Argento is sort of a hack, and stumbles upon most of his "brilliant" cinematography by throwing everything against the wall and seeing what works. This was his first film, and he obviously found his footing very quickly. If you want a junky slasher, though, his films are oddly consistent. There's something about them that makes them worth watching...I don't even know. Give this one a shot.
  • May 5, 2008
    Really fantastic Giallo and the birth of Dario Argento as a horror auteur.

    Beautiful cinematography by Vittorio Storaro and shockingly, a story you can actually understand.
  • November 23, 2009
    One of Dario Argento's best and a personal favorite. It is perhaps the most suspenseful film he's ever made, it is truly a film that is captivating from start to finish. Everything from the camera movement to sound is a vital factor in understanding the meaning of this narrative....( read more) It is full of personality and has a flawless sense of emptiness in its backdrop.
  • October 28, 2009
    un muy buen giallo del maestro fulci
  • October 21, 2009
    Proof why Italian horror is awesome! So beautiful, atmospheric, weird and funny. Working outside the Hollywood system allows you to do these things with a horror film. The story takes you to some pretty eyebrow raising places but I was willing to stay with it because it was so mu...( read more)ch fun.
  • October 11, 2009
    I liked this film and I was surprised with how well it held up. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you like suspense thrillers.
  • August 29, 2009
    Dario Argento's first film is a murder mystery where a writer is in Rome hoping to overcome his writer's block when he happens to witness an attempted murder. Turns out women have been dying all over Rome for the last little while and the writer decides to help the police solve ...( read more)the case.
    Good movie all around.

Critic Reviews


October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Its scares are on a much more basic level than in, say, a thriller by Hitchcock. It works mostly by exploiting our fear of the dark. full review

View more L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo (The Bird With the Crystal Plumage) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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