Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The | 4K UHD

Dario Argento occupies a space very similar to Brian De Palma in my heart. Both men have made one of my favorite films of all time (for Argento, Suspiria; for De Palma, Phantom of the Paradise), but a lot of the rest of their output leaves me more impressed with their technical craft than it does in love with the end product. Deep Red, Tenebrae, Four Flies on Gray Velvet— all fascinating films, but not quite my thing.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, however, is exactly the kind of fun mystery + giallo style I want out of Argento and the genre he helped bring to prominence. A lot of that (like Suspiria) is down to an amazing score, this time by Ennio Morricone. It’s also down to a director still trying to find exactly what he wants his work to be.

In later years, Argento’s interest in horror imagery often pushed plot into the background. As his first step into feature filmmaking, this just might be his most cautiously and carefully plotted film. I love the man’s stylistic flair, but I also really appreciate an interesting story. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage has both.

Special Features (via arrowvideo.com)

• 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• Audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
• Black Gloves and Screaming Mimis, an interview with author and critic Kat Ellinger exploring the film's themes and its relationship to both the giallo and Fredric Brown's novel The Screaming Mimi
• The Power of Perception, a visual essay on the cinema of Dario Argento by Alexanda Heller-Nicholas, author of Devil's Advocates: Suspiria, reflecting on the recurring theme of perception and the role of art in Argento's filmography
• Crystal Nightmare, an interview with writer/director Dario Argento
• An Argento Icon, an interview with actor Gildo Di Marco
• Eva's Talking, an archival interview with actor Eva Renzi
• Original Italian and international theatrical trailers
• 2017 Texas Frightmare trailer
• Image galleries
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative