Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 27, 2021

Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage continues to have a perhaps unexpectedly outsized impact over fifty (!) years after its original theatrical release, and that may be at least one reason that it continues to see regular releases for the home video market. Blue Underground, VCI and Arrow have all offered 1080 versions of the film, with the Arrow version being my personal preferred favorite. Arrow is back now with a 4K UHD release which retains all of the excellent supplements from their 1080 release of a couple of years ago. Arrow continues its slightly baffling strategy of not including a 1080 disc with its 4K UHD releases, and so this new release sports only one 4K disc. This might seem especially odd since Arrow made its 1080 Blu-ray release "backwards compatible" by also including a DVD with that one.

The Bird With the Crystal Plumage has had several previous releases on Blu-ray, per my comments above. For those wanting plot summaries, lists of supplements, and the opportunity to compare screenshots between the versions, please click on the following review links:

Blue Underground release reviewed by Martin Liebman:
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage Blu-ray review

VCI release reviewed by yours truly:
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage Blu-ray review

Arrow (1080) release reviewed by yours truly:
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage Blu-ray review

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's previous 1080 release. A 1080 disc is not included with this release.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with a 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage / L'uccello daile plume di cristallo is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with Italian and English mono sound.

The original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope negative was scanned and restored in 4K resolution at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The film was graded in 4K HDR / Dolby Vision at Silver Salt Restoration, London.

The mono mixes were remastered from the original sound negatives at L'Immagine Ritrovata. The audio synch will appear slightly loose against the picture due to the fact that the dialogue was recorded entirely in post-production, as per the production standards of the period.

All original materials supplied for this restoration were made available by Intramovies and are preserved at Cineteca di Bologna.

This is another generally fantastic looking 4K UHD upgrade from Arrow, one that offers upticks in both detail levels and perhaps especially in terms of tonal variances and vividness of the palette courtesy of HDR and/or Dolby Vision. Fine detail is improved, if subtly, and things like the fabrics of costumes enjoy greater precision in renderings, to the point that elements like individual threads can sometimes be made out. The increased highlights of this version are more than noticeable almost from the get go, with reds especially brilliantly suffused, starting with the sweater the girl is wearing during the credits sequence, and then continuing on to all important blood stains and the like. The 4K version also sports at least marginally better shadow detail in the many dark scenes, though there are still occasional very slight flirtations with crush, as in the first reveal of the killer's black gloves and overcoat (which admittedly takes place during the optically printed credits sequence). As with previous versions, grain is quite heavy most of the time, and is especially apparent against lighter backgrounds. Potential problem areas like the walk home through the fog resolve without any issues. One thing that struck me since this version offers such a deeply suffused palette is how Argento managed to craft a film filled with at times almost lurid colors, but without what might be termed "Bava-esque" lighting techniques.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Bird With the Crystal Plumage features mono DTS-HD Master Audio tracks in both English and Italian, which to my ears sounded identical to the tracks on Arrow's 1080 disc. While there's arguably marginally more clarity on both of these tracks (hence my slightly upgraded overall score compared to the VCI release), there's still the same noticeable disparity between the English and Italian tracks that I mentioned in the VCI review. The better highs in the English track are perhaps even more noticeable now, though to be fair, to my ears, the Arrow Italian track had a bit more clarity than the VCI Italian track.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While Arrow has not included their 1080 disc in this release, per my comments above, they have seen fit to commendably port over all of the excellent supplements from that version to this 4K disc:

• Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth features the author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, who provides a wealth of background information on the cast and crew as well as some the stylistic tendencies on display.


• The Power of Perception (1080p; 20:57) is an interesting visual essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas which examines Argento's love of offering data that isn't always exactly what it seems to be (as in the famous early scene in this film in the art gallery). As with several other supplements on this disc, this comes with a spoiler warning (in this case for several Argento films), so forewarned is forearmed.


• Black Gloves and Screaming Mimis (1080p; 31:54) offers some analysis of the film by Kat Ellinger. I personally find Ellinger's thick accent a little hard to decipher at times. As with several other supplements on this disc, this comes with a spoiler warning, so forewarned is forearmed.


• Crystal Nightmare (1080p; 31:24) is a 2017 interview with Dario Argento, who offers some thoughts on what sparked the film, along with his memories of both this shoot and other aspects of his career.


• An Argento Icon (1080p; 22:05) is a 2017 interview with actor Gildo Di Marco.


• Eva's Talking (1080i; 11:19) is an archival interview with Eva Renzi from 2005. This also includes a spoiler warning.


• Trailers

  Italian Trailer (1080p; 3:11)

  International Trailer (1080p; 2:48)

  2017 Texas Frightmare Trailer (1080p; 00:55)

Also, for what I think may be the first time in my Arrow reviewing duties, Arrow has also upped the ante by offering a supplement on a 4K UHD release that was not included on a previously released Arrow 1080 disc, with several image galleries that were not on the 1080 disc. My Oppo is reporting them all in native 2160p:

• Image Galleries (2160p)

  Posters

  
  

  Italian Lobby Cards

  
  

  French Lobby Cards

  
  

  Spanish Lobby Cards

  
  

  German Promotional Material

  
  

  US Publicity Stills

Those who like to play with the directional buttons on their remote may want to do so when perusing the above "new, improved" extras.

This is another extremely handsome release from Arrow, housed in a nice sturdy chipboard slipbox that contains the keepcase, a typically well appointed booklet with essays and photos, and a (folded) poster. Additionally, the keepcase has reproductions of lobby cards tucked inside.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Arrow has been establishing itself rather easily as a quality purveyor of 4K UHD product, and this new release of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage should further burnish their reputation. Technical merits are solid, and as usual with an Arrow release, the supplementary package is outstanding. Highly recommended.