Italy, West Germany, 1969
35mm film, Technostampa, Techniscope, Cromoscope, colour
2.35:1
mono
An Italian horror film directed by Dario Argento.
Plot Summary
American writer Sam Dalmas is in Rome when he witnesses the attempted murder of the wife of an art gallery owner. The woman survives the attack, but Dalmas finds himself stalked by the would-be killer, who has already successful claimed a number of previous victims. Dalmas begins to investigate but comes to realise that what he thinks he saw that night and what was actually happening may not necessarily be the same things…
Credits
* = uncredited
Crew
Directed by: Dario Argento
© MCMLXiX [1969] by Seda Spettacoli S.p.A.
Seda Spettacoli S.p.A. – Rome, C.C.C. Film G.m.b.H. – Berlin
Produced by: Salvatore Argento
Written by: Dario Argento
Novel: Screaming Mimi by Frederic Brown [uncredited]
Director of Photography: Vittorio Storaro
Editor: Franco Fraticelli
Music by: Ennio Morricone
Sound Technician: Carlo Diotavelli
Set Dressing and Costumes by: Dario Micheli
Make-up Man: Pino Ferrante
Hairdresser: Lidia Puglia
Locations: Rome, Lazio, Italy [uncredited]
Studios: De Paolis-IN.CI.R
Cast
Tony Musante (Sam Dalmas)
Suzy Kendall (Julia)
Enrico Maria Salerno (Morosini)
Eva Renzi (Monica Ranieri)
Umberto Raho (Alberto Ranieri)
Raf Valenti
Giuseppe Castellano (agent)
Mario Adorf (Berto Consalvi)
Pino Patti
Gildo Di Marco
Rosa Toros
Omar Bonaro (other agent)
Fulvio Mingozzi
Werner Peters (antiques dealer)
Karen Valenti
Carla Mancini (girl in street)
Bruno Erba
Gianni Di Benedetto [Professor Renaldi] *
Reggie Nalder [assassin] *
Renato Romano [Carlo Dover] *
Alternative Titles
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – US title
Bird with the Glass Feathers
The Gallery Murders
Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Handschuhe – West German title
Phantom of Terror
Point of Terror – US title
El pájaro de las plumas de cristal – Argentine/Spanish title
Fuglen med krystalfjerpragten – Danish title
Kuoleman lintu – Finnish title
Ljudet av kristallf̴geln РSwedish title
Ljudet fr̴n kristallf̴geln РSwedish title
L'oiseau au plumage de cristal – French title
O Pássaro com Plumas de Cristal – Portugese title
O Pássaro das Plumas de Cristal – Brazilian title
Paratiisilinnun arvoitus – Finnish title
As Plumas de Cristal – Brazilian title
Le sadique aux gants noirs – French title
Svarta handsken – Swedish title
Links
See also
Suspiria (1977)
Dust Devil (1992)
Trauma (1993)
Screaming Mimi (1958)
Extracts included in
Il mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento (1985)
References
Periodicals
- Board of Trade Journal vol.199 no.3836 (23 September 1970) p.663 – note (Registrations of British and foreign films)
- Cinefantastique vol.1 no.1 (Fall 1970) pp.29-30 – review
- Cinema d'oggi 9 March 1970 p.12 – review
- European Trash Cinema vol.2 no.6 pp.9-10 – review
- Fangoria no.191 (April 2000) pp.65-69 – note on DVD release (by Michael Gingold and Matthew Kiernan)
- Filmwoche no.58 (4 July 1970) p.9 – review
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.212 no.8 (23 July 1970) p.3 – review by Craig Fisher
- Kine Weekly no.3284 (19 September 1970) – review by Graham Clarke
- Monthly Film Bulletin vol.37 no.442 (November 1970) pp.233-234 – review (by anonymous), credits, synopsis
- Spielfilm im ZDF no.1 (January-June 1984) p.72 – review
- Today's Cinema no.9840 (18 September 1970) p.8 – review (by Marjorie Bilbow)
- Variety 29 July 1970 p.15 – review by Rick
Newspapers
- New York Times 23 July 1970 p.25 – review (by Roger Greenspun)
Books
- The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror by Phil Hardy (ed.) p.226-227
- Blood and Black Lace by Adrian Luther Smith pp.7-8 – credits, review
- Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento by Maitland McDonagh p.246 – credits, article
- Creature Feature Movie Guide Strike Again by John Stanley p.43 – credits, review
- English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema by Jonathan Rigby p.286
- Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema by Jonathan Rigby pp.204-205, 234
- Feature Films, 1960-1969: A Filmography of English-language and Major Foreign-language United States Releases by Harris M. Lentz III p.38
- Horror and Science Fiction Films IV by Donald C. Willis p.44
- Horror Films by Subgenre: A Viewer's Guide by Chris Vander Kaay and Kathleen Fernandez-Vander Kaay pp.96-97
- Serial Killer Cinema: An Analytical Filmography by Robert Cetti p.52-53
- The World of Fantasy Films by Richard Myers p.18
Other Sources
- British Board of Film Classification Monthly List September 1985 – British censorship details
