The Bird with the crystal plumage = L'Uccello dalle piume di cristallo

An American writer (Tony Musante) working in Italy witnesses an attempted murder when passing an art gallery one night. The attacker escapes making the writer the key witness and potentially, the next victim. Loosely based on a novel by Brian Edgar Wallace, Argento’s first feature helped established the Italian filmmakers reputation as the master of the Gaillo genre (Giallo meaning yellow, the colour of the cheap and lurid horror/thriller paperback novels sold in Italy). ‘The bird with the crystal plumage’s‘ stylish and violent set pieces (enhanced by Vitorrio Storaro’s fluid cinematography and Ennio Morricone’s unnerving score) had Argento dubbed in his home country as the Italian Hitchcock. The comparisons don’t end there however, as both directors also share a taste for sly black humour which Argento displays through the array of oddball characters that populate the film, including a demented artist who eats cats and a pimp with a neurotic streak. Cast also includes Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi, Reggie Nalder and Mario Adorf. See also ‘Deep red’ (1975), ‘Suspiria’ (1977) and ‘Trauma’ (1993).