Dario Argento's first time directing and this film is a good sign of what is to come. It was released in 1970, five years before his iconic film Deep Red, so he has not fully come into his style yet. On his first try he makes a clean professional film that looks and sounds great. The colors, framing and lighting are subdued for now. The black gloves and story line were already genre staples before the film was made. However, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is credited for starting the giallo craze that created an entire 70's italian horror movie sub-genre. These movies are essentially murder mysteries, good ones. This film has a unexpected twist that will surprise most. For those who are Dario Argento or giallo film fans this is a must see. For the rest, this is a classic Italian slasher murder mystery that is not very gory and had no supernatural elements. I give it a 9 out of 10 not because I want to watch it over and over (even though I have) but because I understand the importance it holds in film history and it is very entertaining.
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