Blu-ray Review: The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (Arrow Video 2017)

Shot in 1969 and released the following year, Dario Argento's debut feature inspired filmmakers to don black gloves, sharpen their knives and enter the bloody arena of giallo cinema.
The late, great Mario Bava had already kicked things off almost a decade earlier with "The Girl Who Knew Too Much", but it was "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage" that really kickstarted this movement.

Here, Tony Musante plays Sam Dalmas, an American writer who arrived in Rome 2 years earlier, in search of tranquility and inspiration.
After exhausting the sights of this wonderful city, Dalmas signs off a book on the preservation of rare birds - anticipating an important discovery later in the film - written purely for commercial gain, rather than a burning interest in the subject matter.
Dalmas is walking back to his apartment one night when he witnesses a beautiful woman who appears to be stabbed by a black clad figure inside an art allery.
Dalmas finds himself trapped between two glass doors, and when the police arrive, the assailant has taken flight, leaving the victim with a serious but not life-threatening wound.
Sam is interviewed by the police, who link this assault to a trio of slayings that have terrified the city's inhabitants and has his passport confiscated in the hope he will be of further assistance. After going through events several times, Sam is troubled by an incomplete vision of exactly what happened. Something doesn't quite make sense, and the question of what we see and what we think we see would become a recurring theme in Argento's cinema.

Although "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage" was not well received at the start of its life, the film went on to garner acclaim from audiences and critics and is, I believe, top-tier Argento.
With a score from Ennio Morricone that sets the scene beautifully, weaving the upbeat with the eerie, and inspired camerawork by Vittorio Storaro, "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage" offers a delicious twist-and-turn plot, several exciting set pieces and a cast reacting well to a screenplay that's both gripping and punctuated with humour.
Musante excels, leaving his mark as one of Argento's best leads, his performance unaffected by the various tensions that were present between actor and director.
Enrico Maria Salermo makes for an engaging police inspector; Eva Renzi and Suzy Kendall handle their duties with aplomb, and watch out for two contrasting quickies: a gripping sequence involving Reggie Nalder, and a memorable meeting with Gildo Di Marco's pimp who makes us laugh with his 'So Long' character.
It's a wholly entertaining ride, shocking in places and thought provoking always.
Those of you unfamiliar with Argento's work will find this an excellent starting point, while 'old timers' will once again relish this landmark film.

My first encounter with this film came via a Betamax videotape, released, I think, on the Stablecane label, and cost me the princely sum of £40.
Arrow Video's release unleashes a 4K restoration from the camera negative in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, that boasts exquisite detail.
The supplementary material begins with "Black Gloves and Screaming Mimis" (31m 54s).
This is an excellent video essay from film critic Kat Ellinger, who manages to pack in a wealth of material. Kat explores Frederic Brown's novel "The Screaming Mimi", offering a detailed breakdown of book vs film, and covers the 1958 film "The Screaming Mimi" starring Anita Ekberg.
Impotency and gender are also covered in an enlightening essay that's beautifully delivered.

"The Power of Perception" (20m 57s)
This features the thoughts of Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, who reflects on the role of art and the theme of perception in Argento's films.
"Four Flies On Grey Velvet", "Tenebrae" and "Phenomena" - a key example of heightened perception - are just a few of the films covered, together with "The Stendhal Syndrome" which Alexandra labels his last great film. Once again, it's a stimulating essay, underlining the many comlex themes at paly in Argento's work.

"Crystal Nightmare" (31m 24s)
This is a new interview with Dario Argento, shot in 2017.
Dario talks about how Plumage was written after a trip to Tunisia, and explains why he was almost fired during the shoot.
We get plenty of background info regarding the making of this film, including the lowdown on the director's experiences with Tony Musante, together with memories of working with Morricone, Storaro and Reggie Nalder. We also learn about which city held the key to Argento's future career. Fans will enjoy this recent interview with the great man.

"An Argento icon" (22m 5s)
Here, actor Gildo Di Marco recalls his role of 'So Long' (Garullo, the pimp), explaining how he got into acting and of Argento's way of working with actors.
We are also privy to his memories of Musante and Storaro and his amazement that people ask him for interviews.
It's a joy to witness this humble man discuss his own involvement in a film that still delights almost 5 decades on.

"Eva's Talking" (11m 19s)
This is an interview with Eva Renzi, recorded in 2005. Eva talks about her career (including "Funeral In Berlin"); Klaus Kinski and Tony Musante also crop up in conversation and she's not shy on holding forth about what she really feels about Plumage and the effect she thinks it had on her career.

Last, but by no means least, we have an audio commentary track from author Troy Howorth.
Troy delves into Argento's background; enthuses over Musante's performance; talks about "The Screaming Mimi " book; Krimi films; how "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage evolved and still finds time to cover Reggie Nalder's involvement (who apparently passed on a role in one of Argento's most famous films) and Argento's fallout with Morricone.
It's an excellent commentary, beautifully delivered with a fair amount of humorous asides that reflect the playful moments in the film.
Arrow also includes a trio of trailers: Italian (3m 11s), International (2m 48s) and Texas Frightmare 2017 (55s).

The final extra comes in the form of a 60-page booklet (which I haven't seen), illustrated by Matthew Griffin, featuring an appreciation of the film by Michael Mackenzie, and new writing by Howard Hughes and Jack Seabrook.
This is a compulsory purchase for Argento buffs, and highly recommended for newbies curious to see what all the fuss is about.
"The Bird With The Crystal Plumage" will be released on 26th June

Blu-ray Review: Tenebrae

Made in 1982, Dario Argento's Tenebrae marked a triumphant return to the Giallo after the Italian director had previously shot Suspiria (1977) and Inferno (1980) - two memorable forays into the supernatural which departed from Argento's previous fare. I've seen Tenebrae labelled on more than one occasion as Argento's last great film and while I'd certainly take issue with this assertion, there's no doubt that it represents top-drawer material.

The film is set in Rome; more specifically a Rome of the near future, as Argento makes sure he keeps well away from landmark architecture and crowded streets to unveil a city that will seem unfamiliar to all but local residents and the most committed of tourists. American writer Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) arrives in the eternal city to join personal assistant Anne (Daria Nicolodi) and PR guy Bullmer (John Saxon) aiming to successfully promote his latest novel. Tenebrae (Latin for darkness/shadows) is the next in line of murder mysteries, and its storyline inspires the murder of a shoplifter and high roller played by Ania Pieroni, who is slashed with a razor while pages of Tenebrae are stuffed into her mouth.
Enter police Detective Altieri (Carola Stagnaro) and his assistant who team up with Neal in an attempt to catch the deranged killer before any more blood is spilt. When the detective confesses he never guesses the killer's identity in Neal's books, it gives some idea of the calibre of detection on offer here; a deficiency that is amplified when a rather large murder weapon - barely concealed in a tree - is missed by Altieri and his merry band.

For the benefit of potential first-time viewers, I'll refrain from delving into the various plot twists of this film, except to say their are several surprises along the way en route to justifiably famous reveal near the end which is beautifully choreographed and shot. There are several clues during Tenebrae that point to the killer's identity, but many of us missed them first time round which makes repeated viewings a must, establishing just how ingenious the screenplay really is.

The supremely stylish murder sequences were brilliantly conceived, driven by a superb score from Simonetti-Morante-Pignatelli, and Franciosa's performance is a real stand-out; particularly when compared to some of the phoned-in performances from past (and future) Argento leads.

Tenebrae was originally released on Blu-ray in the UK by Arrow Video, but a sub standard master and DNR rendered their presentation to beyond disappointing. Now, a new master has emerged and the encoding process has delivered a stunning transfer. Now, skin tones are bang on, and the brightly lit interior and exterior scenes look fantastic with a fine layer of grain that remains this time round. Those who passed on the first release can now buy with confidence, and can also enjoy the supplementary material that was previously on offer and replicated here.

First off, we have a pair of audio commentary tracks: Kim Newman and Alan Jones share the first track, with Newman's vast knowledge of film nicely hooking up with Jones' wealth of industry experience which crucially includes many days of on-set exposure to Argento's films. It's a hugely enjoyable an enlightening chat, full of anecdotes and sharp observations, which leave you with a much greater appreciation of what was accomplished here.
The second track sees Thomas Rostock deliver an in-depth look at one of his favourite films, talking about the clever framing devised by Argento and ace cameraman Luciano Tovoli; discussing visual and thematic motifs, which include the 'doubling' aspect that runs through the film. An enjoyable and rewarding commentary.

Next up is an interview with Daria Nicolodi 'Screaming Queen: Daria Nicolodi Remembers Tenebrae' (16 min) in which Daria recalls she wanted Argento to start work on the final chapter of 'The Three Mothers' trilogy, and how she had her eyes on another role in Tenebrae. She also chats about the photography in Suspiria, Inferno and Tenebrae, and declares "Murder can be an art".

'The Unsane World Of Tenebrae: An Interview With Dario Argento' is a 15 minute interview with the great man, where he talks about the reason why he stopped doing Giallo's for a while, a most unnerving situation when he was stalked by a telephone nutter in LA and fellow director Michele Soavi is also mentioned.

'A Composition For Carnage: Claudio Simonetti On Tenebrae' (10 min) sees the ace musician and composer holding forth on Argento and recalling how they got the gig for Tenebrae.

'Goblin: Tenebrae And Phenomena Live From The Glasgow Arches' is next on the agenda, and includes 16 minutes of music from a gig on 25th February 2011. It's an absolute pleasure to see these great musicians at work with two of the standout tracks from those films.

Last up is a new interview, 'Maitland McDonagh On Tenebrae' (12 min) which was specially recorded for this release. McDonagh - author of the essential 'Broken Mirrors, Broken Minds' (a must for Argento buffs) makes some excellent points about the film and its location, ending this most special edition in style.

Tenebrae is released on 23rd December, and is Region B. A most welcome release for Argento's legion of fans, and a great place for newcomers to start.

Blu-Ray Review: Dressed To Kill

Set in New York, Brian De Palma's psycho sexual thriller opens with a day in the life and death of frustrated housewife Kate Miller (Angie Dickison). Bored with the lack of bedroom excitement in her marriage, Miller visits a museum where a tense game of cat and mouse begins with a fellow visitor.
This beautifully shot 8 minute scene (shot without dialogue) culminates in a rather eventful taxi ride to an apartment where Kate gets the expert attention she craves, courtesy of her one afternoon stand.After leaving her sleeping partner, Miller checks out for the final time when a blonde knife wielding psychopath launches a bloody attack in a lift, with

classy hooker Liz Blake (Nancy Allen)
a prime witness to the carnage. Blake is subsequently accused of the murder by a police detective (Hill St Blues' Dennis Franz) and joins forces with Miller's son (Keith Gordon) in an attempt to unmask the killer, while suave shrink Dr Elliott (Michael Caine) refuses to divulge the true identity of a possible suspect.

It's a stylish, beautifully crafted ride and far more of a homage to the Italian Giallo thrillers of Dario Argento and Mario Bava than a flat-out Hitchcock imitation as has often been opined.
Witness the gory elevator murder which is beautifully shot, and has to be one of the finest sequences in De Palma's career. Here we have a razor slashing black gloved killer reminiscent of the aforementioned Italian thriller, though we'd better say that Dressed To Kill anticipated Argento's Tenebrae by two years.

I was lucky enough to catch Dressed To Kill during its opening week at UK cinemas in 1980 and, in my opinion, the film hasn't dated. It's well nigh impossible to pick out a single performance that didn't deliver straight down the line, and the film's tone and scenes of violence which really did push the envelope back then, are just as hard hitting today.
Add to this a haunting score from Pino Donaggio that is memorable in the extreme, and you have a film that easily repays multiple viewings.

Arrow Video's Blu-Ray presentation seems faithful to the original source material. Colours are often muted and some scenes are a little on the soft side, but the image is generally sharp, exhibiting good detail.
On the bonus material front, Dressed To Kill is blessed with the participation of all the main players with the regrettable absence of Michael Caine.

Symphony Of Fear.

This featurette sees producer George Litto discussing problems that beset the film, from finance to its controversial subject matter and the difficulties experienced in finding shooting locations.
It's a fascinating piece which also covers the involvement of Samuel Z. Arkoff.

Dressed In White

Here, Angie Dickinson talks about her favourite role and performance, recalling her experiences with the actors and with De Palma as comes over as genuinely proud of her involvement and accomplishment.
There are a few chuckles along the way (listen out and look out for her museum 'To-Do' list, which includes 'Pick up turkey') and overall, it's a delight to sit through. And yes, she still has the gloves!

Dressed In Purple

This is a wonderful interview with Nancy Allen who lovingly discusses the role De Palma (then her husband) wrote for her, and provides some great memories and smart ideas about her director's influences, with the name of Dario Argento cropping up.

Lessons In Filmmaking

An interview with Keith Gordon - now an accomplished director - who recalls Michael Caine's generosity and regrets they only shared one scene together. Gordon also mentions Dario Argento, along with the late Mario Bava and Roman Polanski as influences on Dressed To Kill.

The Making Of A Thriller.

A 45 minute documentary featuring observations and anecdotes from the aforementioned artists plus De Palma and Dennis Franz. Although some of their memories have been repeated from other sections of the extras, it's still essential viewing.

Unrated, R-Rated And TV Rated

This is a comparison of different takes of the more controversial scenes in this film. It's worth noting that Arrow's Blu-ray is the first time the uncut version has been made available for home viewing in the UK.

Slashing Dressed To Kill

De Palma and Gordon hold forth on the changes made to avoid the dreaded Adult Rating.

As usual, Arrow have generously included a collectors booklet which features work from Maitland McDonagh and an interview with poster designer Stephen Sayadim by Daniel Bird.
Arrow's Blu-ray is locked to Region B, and will prove a rewarding purchase for fans of this film.