The bird with the crystal plumage โทน ม เซนเต

An American writer living in Rome witnesses an attempted murder that is connected to an ongoing killing spree in the city, and conducts his own investigation despite himself and his girlfriend being targeted by the killer.

The feature directorial debut of legendary horror filmmaker Dario Argento is a stylish (of course!) mystery thriller about an American writer (Tony Musante) in Rome who finds himself stalked by a killer after trying to save a young woman from a brutal attack. A key film in the giallo canon of Italian thriller cinema, it boasts striking widescreen cinematography by three-time Oscar winner Vittorio Storaro. The first of five Argento films scored by Ennio Morricone, its wordless vocals helped define the musical voice of giallo.

DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: Dario Argento. WITH: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Eva Renzi, Enrico Maria Salerno. 1970. 96 min. Italy/Germany. Color. Scope. English. Rated PG. 4K DCP. Courtesy of Cinecittà, 4K digital restoration by Cinecittà.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

Theater accessibility accommodations available upon request. Learn more about our accessibility initiatives.

An American writer living in Rome witnesses an attempted murder that is connected to an ongoing killing spree in the city, and conducts his own investigation despite himself and his girlfriend being targeted by the killer.

An American expatriate in Rome attempts to unmask a serial killer he witnessed in the act of an attempted murder - and is now hunting him and his girlfriend.An American expatriate in Rome attempts to unmask a serial killer he witnessed in the act of an attempted murder - and is now hunting him and his girlfriend.An American expatriate in Rome attempts to unmask a serial killer he witnessed in the act of an attempted murder - and is now hunting him and his girlfriend.

  • 141User reviews
  • 147Critic reviews

Videos3

More like this

Review

Excellent thriller, intelligent with surprising end

This is one rare jewel of an intelligent thriller that was also the break-through effort for people like Dario Argento, the director and scriptwriter, Vittorio Storaro, the director of photography, and last but not least Ennio Morricone who composed the soundtrack. There are great performances by a cast of lesser known European actors who did not make it big but are great in this one. I would just like to mention two outstanding supporting performances by Eva Renzi who was never better before or after, and by Mario Adorf who convinces as half-crazed cat-eating painter. The movie will keep you glued to your seat and surprise with an absolutely unexpected twist at the end. Watch and enjoy!

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage has been credited as a significant milestone in the popularization of the giallo genre. The genre is considered to date back at least as far as Mario Bava's 1963 film, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, but The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was the first giallo to achieve significant commercial and critical success. The film spawned a brief fad for gialli with similar verbose titles involving animals such as Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971), The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire (1971), and Don't Torture a Duckling (1972).