There is a fine line between what we consider horror and the
movie genre known as the thriller. Horror makes us think of monsters both big
and small, ghosts and goblins and the otherworldly. Thrillers tend to be
suspense filled movies where a deep plot concerns the future of the known
world. But there was a time when thrillers fell into the horror category,
stories of murders most foul by killers we thought normal before their acts
were revealed.
One group of films captured this style of movie, often made
in Italy and given the term giallo, Italian for yellow. This was due to a
series of mysteries released in that color and designated by the yellow covers
they sported. Many consider the film THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH made by Mario
Bava as the first movie of this genre. But while he may have begun the genre it
was director Dario Argento who mastered it and made it more popular. And his
first film as director, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, is now available in
pristine condition from Arrow Video.
The story is straightforward it seems. Writer Sam Dalmas
(Tony Musante) has been in Italy for a few months trying to get over a case of
writer’s block. Authoring a non-fiction book to make ends meet he now has the
funds to return to the US with his girlfriend, model Julia (Suzy Kendall).
Taking a walk through the city before heading home he sees something going in
the local gallery. A dark clothed figure is in the middle of trying to stab a
woman to death.
Sam runs to her aid but finds himself up against a pane of
glass, the doorway into the gallery. As he tries to enter the fleeing killer
presses a button and traps him between the two doors this and the pane behind
him. A passerby sees him and Sam sends him for help. When the police arrive the
woman is still alive and Sam becomes the initial suspect in her attempted
murder putting an end to his plans to leave.
Disturbed by what he saw, Sam tries to help the man
investigating the attack, Inspector Morosini (Enrico Maria Salerno). It seems
that this was not the first such attack to happen. A series of murders of young
women has been taking place and frightening the entire city. With alibis for
those murders suspicion is lifted from Sam but he continues to investigate on
his own, knowing that there is something he is forgetting, something he saw
that night that continues to elude him.
The deeper Sam digs into the case the more danger he places
himself and Julia in. A phone call from the killer reveals just how much danger
that involves. As the clues mount and the victims increase, it is only a matter
of time before the killer makes an attempt on Sam or Julia. With each clue he
discovers Sam’s memory begins to un-cloud and the killer will be revealed, a
killer most will never guess.
All the ingredients of a typical giallo film are here. There
is the killer, clothed all in black wearing black gloves we see time and time
again. They select the knives he uses to kill, dial the phone and more. The
involvement of the police detectives trying to find the killer is there. The
gore filled (for its time) murder sequences are there. And the innocent victim
accused of the crime who tries to find the real killer is the centerpiece of
this film.
Elements of the giallo can be found in numerous movies made
since and a few before. But the style was put to the greatest effect by the
Italians and Argento in particular. In this and subsequent films his sense of
style was such that it was easily recognizable and marveled over by fans of the
genre. He went on to not only work in this genre but horror as well, most
notably when he created the Three Mothers series of films that began with
SUSPIRIA. His use of color and light, of shadows and mysterious visions and the
use of electronic music (most often by the band Goblin) all worked together to
make some of the most visually arresting movies in the most horrific of genres.
As with previous efforts Arrow has done and amazing job here
making this worthy of adding to any collection. The film comes in a brand new
4k restoration from the camera negative making it the best version visually
released to date. Extras include Italian and English soundtracks, English
subtitles, audio commentary by giallo historian/author Troy Howarth, “The Power
of Perception” visual essay by author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, analysis of
the film by critic Kat Ellinger, a new interview with Dario Argento, an
interview with actor Gildo Di Marco and a limited edition 60 page booklet about
the film. As you can see they jam pack the extras.
As a horror fan I was glad to finally get the chance to see
this film and in this condition. As I said earlier, it is one for movie fans to
add to their collections and for all others to seek out to watch. Last week I
discussed the disappearance of DVD or the question of will it happen. If movies
of this caliber are released in this format then the odds of that decrease.
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