Bird with the crystal plumage
(aka Bird with the Glass Feathers)
(aka Gallery Murders, The)
(aka Phantom of Terror)

Dario Argento (1970, Italy)

Cast: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Reggie Nalder, Enrico Maria Salerno

Plot:
An American writer (Musante) vacationing in Rome winds up as the sole witness to an attempted murder at an art gallery, watching the horrors while trapped fish-like between two glass doors. Afterwards, he is horribly convinced that there is something else that he saw that he can’t remember, but can’t forget about it. He launches his own investigation, provoking new murders and finding new suspects, all ending up in a very clever conclusion.

Appreciation: 8/10
Argento’s debut feature is a quality one, in many aspects. First, from the first scenes you can easily see his artistic approach to filming, the close-ups of the killer’s gloved hands with the weapon, his beautiful use of colors (his most significative trademark if you ask me). The plot is an original one, not excessive but twisted enough to make it interesting and the ending, I just loved it. The middle part of the movie seemed a bit long at times but in the end the repetitive use of the murder scene worked its way. I was quite puzzled everytime it showed this scene (isn’t it the whole point of it?), asking myself, "damn am I missing something here, what is it about this scene?", exactly as the main character was asking himself this very moment.
The main character left me a bit puzzled too, i.e. I’m not sure if I found he was acting good or not. The other main characters though were very convincing, especially the apparent victim of the attempted murder, a totally crazed out girl.
Overall, maybe not as stunning as Suspiria, but definitely worth it, and a really impressive debut film.

Other suggestions: Any movie by Argento (Opera, Phenomena)