The Bird With The Crystal Plumage

Here's yet another classic film I'd never heard of, one that ranks as Italy's version of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" or one his many other suspenseful works. "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" takes all of the familiar Hitchcockian tropes and puts them into a thriller that won rave reviews back in the early 1970's.

"Bird" was famed Italian "Giallo" director Dario Argento's ("Suspiria") first foray into filmmaking. By watching Arrow Video's fantastic new double-disc Blu-ray, you'd think you were watching Argento's tenth feature film. It's a near-masterpiece; frame by frame, he generates ever-growing suspense.

The story of an American writer, Sam (Tony Mustane), who witnesses a horrific attack on a woman (Eva Renzi) in an art gallery comes to vivid life thanks to a 4K restoration process for the Blu-ray. As is the norm for their releases, Arrow also includes bonus material on their Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. It's also a boon that the case which houses the discs looks like a piece of art, perhaps a nod to the plot of "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage."

Five of the extras are brand new:

"An Argento Icon" - an interview with actor Gildo DiMarco

"Crystal Nightmare" - a 2017 discussion with director Dario Argento, presented with subtitles for those not up to speed with the Italian language

"Black Gloves and Screaming Mimis" - a film analysis by film critic Kat Ellinger

"The Power of Perception" - a new visual essay by writer Alexendra Heller-Nicholas

"Audio Commentary with author Troy Howarth"

By far the best supplemental feature is an archived interview with the late actress Eva Renzi, filmed back in 2005. It's a no-holds-barred segment, one where the quite outspoken actress claims this very film ruined her film career. Renzi also states that she and actor Tony Mustane didn't get along all that well during filming. You be the judge as to who the bigger diva is by purchasing and viewing "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage."

"The Bird with the Crystal Plumage"
Blu-ray
$49.95
www.arrowvideo.co.uk