7.2/10
14,290
101 user 140 critic

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo (original title)
GP | | Horror, Mystery, Thriller | 12 June 1970 (USA)
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage Poster
Trailer
2:45 | Trailer

On Disc

at Amazon

A witness of an attack, a writer becomes stalked by a serial killer.

Director:

Writer:

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
2 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

See all 1 video  »

Photos

See all 60 photos »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)
Certificate: GP Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A newspaper reporter and a retired, blind journalist try to solve a series of killings connected to a pharmaceutical company's experimental, top-secret research projects and in so doing, both become targets of the killer.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak
Next »
Deep Red (1975)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

After witnessing the murder of a famous psychic, a musician teams up with a feisty reporter to find the killer while evading attempts on their lives by the unseen assailant bent on keeping a dark secret buried.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia
Next »
4 mosche di velluto grigio (1971)
Crime | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A musician is stalked by an unknown killer who's blackmailing him for an accidential killing of another stalker. But is everything what it appears to be?

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Michael Brandon, Mimsy Farmer, Jean-Pierre Marielle
Next »
Tenebre (1982)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

An American writer in Rome is stalked by a serial killer bent on harassing him while killing all people associated with his work on his latest book.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Anthony Franciosa, Giuliano Gemma, Christian Borromeo
Next »
Opera (1987)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A young opperata is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini
Next »
Phenomena (1985)
Horror | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence, Daria Nicolodi
Next »
Inferno (1980)
Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

An American college student in Rome and his sister in New York investigate a series of killings in both locations where their resident addresses are the domain of two covens of witches.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Leigh McCloskey, Irene Miracle, Eleonora Giorgi
Next »
Suspiria (1977)
Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci
Next »
6 donne per l'assassino (1964)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A masked, shadowy killer brutally murders the models of a scandalous fashion house in Rome.

Director: Mario Bava
Stars: Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner
Next »
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

A young policewoman slowly goes insane while tracking down an elusive serial rapist/killer through Italy when she herself becomes a victim of the brutal man's obsession.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, Marco Leonardi
Next »
Trauma (1993)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6/10 X  

A young man tries to help a teenage European girl who escaped from a clinic hospital after witnessing the murder of her parents by a serial killer and they try to find the killer before the killer finds them.

Director: Dario Argento
Stars: Christopher Rydell, Asia Argento, Piper Laurie
Next »
Don't Torture a Duckling (1972)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A reporter and a promiscuous young woman try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town that's rife with superstition and distrust of outsiders.

Director: Lucio Fulci
Stars: Florinda Bolkan, Barbara Bouchet, Tomas Milian
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Sam Dalmas
... Julia
... Inspector Morosini
... Monica Ranieri
... Alberto Ranieri
... Professor Carlo Dover (as Raf Valenti)
... Monti
... Berto Consalvi
Pino Patti ... Faiena
Gildo Di Marco ... Garullo
... 4th Victim (as Rosa Toros)
Omar Bonaro ... Police Detective
Fulvio Mingozzi ... Police Detective
... Antique Dealer
... Tina, 5th Victim
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

In Italy, the American writer Sam Dalmas witnesses an attempt of murder of the owner of an art gallery, Monica Ranieri, a couple of days before returning home. Inspector Morosini, who is in charge of investigating the three previous murderers of the serial-killer, asks for help to Dalmas and takes his passport. Dalmas decides to stay with his girlfriend Julia and to help the police in the investigation. The killer threatens Dalmas and Julia by phone and the police overhears a strange noise in the tape. Soon the serial killer stalks Julia and Damas. Who might be the killer? Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

giallo | j&b scotch | drive in classic | midnight movie | death | See All (115) »

Taglines:

A stunning portrait in psycho-terror! See more »

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Certificate:

GP | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

|

Language:

|

Release Date:

12 June 1970 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Point of Terror  »

Filming Locations:

 »
Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (1972) | (video)

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first solo directing credit for Dario Argento. See more »

Goofs

The rare Siberian bird from which the title of the film comes from is actually a Crowned Crane native to Africa. See more »

Quotes

Voice: [final lines, voiceover] I can hear it now: "Go to Italy. It's a peaceful country, nothing much ever happens there."
See more »

Connections

Featured in An Argento Icon (2017) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What significance does the title "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" have in relation to the film?
Q: What are the differences between the British BBFC-18 DVD version and the uncut version?
Q: What are the differences between the old US PG Version and the Uncensored Version?
See more »

User Reviews

 
Argento's first stab is a deep one!
18 November 2005 | by – See all my reviews

Splendid debut film for Italian horror master Dario Argento that nearly single-handedly launched the giallo genre.

American writer vacationing in Italy prevents a murder at an art gallery, then finds himself a pawn in the killer's deadly game.

Argento, who would go on to make such classic horror films as Deep Red (1975) and Suspiria (1977), shows his directorial talents well with this first film. Argento makes excellent use of such simple elements, like darkness, close up shots, and rustic locations to give this film a wonderfully garish style! He builds tight suspense through out the film, all the while giving us a nicely twisted murder mystery. The mystery is a gripping one, based upon Frederic Brown's novel The Screaming Mimi. The climax of the film is a truly clever twist. Composer Ennio Morricone adds greatly to the films dark atmosphere with his hauntingly beautiful music score. The film also sports one of the best titles of the giallo genre 'The Bird with the Crystal Plumage'.

The films cast does some good performances, the best being sexy Tony Musante as the films hero turned civilian investigator.

A terrific film, that is a must see not just for fans of Argentos work, but for those seeking a great thriller or clever murder mystery.

**** out of ****
14 of 17 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 101 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Rent or Buy Popular Movies With Prime Video

Explore popular movies available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Visit Prime Video to explore more titles