7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
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.
Starring: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi, Umberto RahoHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 60% |
Mystery | 22% |
Psychological thriller | 12% |
Thriller | 5% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
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.
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.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 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.
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.
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:
- Italian Trailer (1080p; 3:11)
- International Trailer (1080p; 2:48)
- 2017 Texas Frightmare Trailer (1080p; 00:55)
- Posters
- Italian Lobby Cards
- French Lobby Cards
- Spanish Lobby Cards
- German Promotional Material
- US Publicity Stills
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.
Arte Originale / Limited to 1,500 / L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo
1970
L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo
1970
L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo
1970
L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo
1970
L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo | Remastered | Limited Edition
1970
L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo | Remastered
1970
Profondo rosso
1975
Standard Edition
1982
Il gatto a nove code | Special Edition
1971
Sei donne per l'assassino
1964
Non ho sonno | Standard Edition
2001
Cosa avete fatto a Solange?
1972
1980
Standard Edition
1985
4 mosche di velluto grigio
1971
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale / Carnal Violence
1973
Limited Edition | La sindrome di Stendhal
1996
Reazione a catena
1971
Le foto di Gioia
1987
Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso
1972
Special Edition | La morte cammina con i tacchi alti
1971
Chi l'ha vista morire?
1972
Passi di danza su una lama di rasoio
1973
Communion / Holy Terror
1976
2018
Featuring The Girl Who Knew Too Much / La ragazza che sapeva troppo
1963