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Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante), an American writer living in Rome, inadvertently witnesses a brutal attack on a woman (Eva Renzi) in a modern art gallery. Powerless to help, he grows increasingly obsessed with the incident. Convinced that something he saw that night holds the key to identifying the maniac terrorizing Rome, he launches his own investigation parallel to that of the police, heedless of the danger to both himself and his girlfriend Giulia (Suzy Kendall).

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was the very first film from cult Italian director Dario Argento. It patented the stylish, ultra-sadistic psycho-thrillers that have since become Argento’s trademark.
The film is considered a landmark in the Italian giallo genre. It is the first installment in the Animal Trilogy, and was followed by The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1972).

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:36:44 | 45.1 Gb, 7.80 Gb
Language: English, Italian
Subtitles: English

Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi
Country: Italy, West Germany
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Extras:

• Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth features the author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, who provides a wealth of background information on the cast and crew as well as some the stylistic tendencies on display.

• The Power of Perception (1080p; 20:57) is an interesting visual essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas which examines Argento's love of offering data that isn't always exactly what it seems to be (as in the famous early scene in this film in the art gallery). As with several other supplements on this disc, this comes with a spoiler warning (in this case for several Argento films), so forewarned is forearmed.

• Black Gloves and Screaming Mimis (1080p; 31:54) offers some analysis of the film by Kat Ellinger. As with several other supplements on this disc, this comes with a spoiler warning, so forewarned is forearmed.

• Crystal Nightmare (1080p; 31:24) is a 2017 interview with Dario Argento, who offers some thoughts on what sparked the film, along with his memories of both this shoot and other aspects of his career.

• An Argento Icon (1080p; 22:05) is a 2017 interview with actor Gildo Di Marco.

• Eva's Talking (1080i; 11:19) is an archival interview with Eva Renzi from 2005. This also includes a spoiler warning.

• Trailers