"While Plumage may not demand active spectatorship, the two-killer theory of Tenebre and Stendhal Syndrome makes its first appearance in an Argento film." - Ed Gonzalez

81.125

I can't remember what prompted me to put this one in my queue, but as the opening credits rolled I saw two names that got me excited: Storaro and Morricone. And the two masters did not disappoint. It's not The Conformist, but it does look beautiful and there's some wonderful camerawork. Morricone's score is appropriately creepy and eccentric. And the film is first-rate giallo: a stylish, compelling mystery that doles out twists and information at just the right pace. I really enjoyed it.

"You've come a long way, baby"...lol Awful contrived, but still pretty much fun.

Early giallo from Dario Argento about an American writer in Rome who witnesses a brutal knife attack on a young woman in the midst of a local string of slashing murders. Initially a suspect, he becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the killer, which puts both him and his wife in great danger. Argento's visual style is a little muted, but Morricone's score is wonderful at creating tension and mood.

More sedate than his later work. This film is exceptionally well paced - and unusually for Argento actually makes sense. A lot of what you see will be replicated and occasionally improved upon in his later films - such as a great score (this time provided by the legendary Ennio Morricone) colourful cinematography - and of course MURDER HANDS.

Maybe the coolest ending reveal shot ever put to film.

Bears many of the telling traits of Argento's stylistic approach to filmmaking, though the imagery and compositions on show here lack, say, the visual panache and technical depth of his better work (Suspiria, Tenebre, Opera). After the fact, it may be Argento's most fiercely Hitchcockian work, at times seeming to anticipate Brian De Palma's great 1980 movie Dressed to Kill.

a hitchcock fever dream

The suspense builds very nicely and there is actually a coherent story. This sounds all well and good, but I think I've come to enjoy the craziness of Argento and this just doesn't have it.

The Italian Hitchcock earns his name with this smart, effective thriller. I'd double this with "Deep Red" and call it a night.

The first minutes of the film are very stylish (the truely Argento quality). Good tempo and quite nice suspense.

I'm being a bit harsh here but I must say that I've never liked a single film by Argento. His movies often lack any interesting characters and his plots are so boring and generic that it becomes difficult to remain interested despite his unique visual style. Frankly, Crystal Plumage felt no different or better.

another early argento movie that fails in every way possible i find it hard to believe that the near collective approval for this movie is not a joke, because this movie sure produced a horrific laugh from me. the kind of laugh that only comes out when something is so terrifyingly bad that you have nothing else to do.

A moody giallo wonderfully dressed by the great Storaro.

Nice

Quite good early Argento. One of the better gialli, and one where you actually care about the outcome.

Great Dario Argento thriller

Argento's first solo directorial effort. His trademark visual style already shows. A well made mystery/thriller.

L%u2019uccello dalle piume di cristallo: 9 // 7 // 7 // 7 // 7 // 7 // 6

Horrormeister Argento establishes his durable and elegant pattern in his first feature: a witness to a crime knows more than he knows he knows. How and when will his subconscious cough it up? More of an atmosphere, more of an air of mystery, less of a blood bath, than in later Argentos. One terrifically nightmarish episode of a distressed damsel cowering behind a locked door through which an anonymous knife-wielder is methodically carving a hole.

Exceptional soundtrack, color palette that sets the tone for movies to come, scenes that seems to be impossible to scratch out of the head, and most importantly - suspense worthy of Hitchcock. Very bold and still fresh after all these years.