The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
This is Dario Argento's first take on the giallo genre which he himself helped to create and later became known as the master of the genre. This is also Argento's first feature he directed and as such it's quite a brilliant effort. The influence of Alfred Hitchcock can be seen very clearly as he frames some scenes just like Hitchcock did, but he still gives them his own unique style. Sure it wasn't as refined yet as it would become during the years, but you can still easily see his touch on this one. The story is quite simple as usual for giallos, a man witnesses a murder attempt and soon gets a serial killer stalker on his tail. Being a writer, he starts to investigate the case as the police seem to not be able to solve it. So basically it's your typical "whodunnit" but spiced up with the stylish storytelling of Argento. The stylish camerawork by Vittorio Storaro and the music by Ennio Morricone surely had their own impact on the mood of the movie which is absolutely brilliant. The cast is fairly ok, certainly nothing to complain about. Some of the scenes are just mind blowing in all their beauty and attention to detail. Even though it's not perfect as it loses track a few times, it's still a great movie and a must see for every giallo fan.
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