Original Italian Theatrical Poster.The Morricone gaze.
From the album sticker:
“For this 1968 cult Italian thriller based on a script by DarioArgento, the Maestro EnnioMorricone composed a dark and oppressive score, with experimental and avant-garde elements that describes perfectly the brutality of the plot”
Album Sticker.Reverse Album Cover.Lato ALato B
AlanBishop’s album review from ForcedExposure’s website:
“This is an obscure 1968 mafia film score that begins with a short dramatic theme complete with pounding tympani, a horn section, distorted electric piano, ascending strings and a monumental vocal chorus. This title track has been a neglected masterpiece of sound forgotten over time. The same can be said for the lovely vocal track Solo Nostalgia sung by Jane Relly set to echoed drums, electric bass, and baroque organ. The screenplay to the film was co-written by Dario Argento and the balance of music is a pastiche of dark moods and colorfully orchestrated intensity. Dagored had great taste in prioritizing this LP for reissue.”
Earlier Album Pressing.Earlier Album Pressing.Earlier Album Pressing.
The Film:
From Mubi’s synopsis of director AlfioCaltabiano’s 1968 Italian crime picture, “ComandamentiPerUnGangster” (aka “CommandmentsForA Gangster“):
Still from “Comandamenti Per Un Gangster.”
“Norton is a retired gangster who wants to avenge the death of his sister, who was married to Frank Cline. Cline disappeared while transporting a large shipment of the Organization’s gold, leaving three dead bodies before him. “
Still from “Comandamenti Per Un Gangster.”
The screenplay for “ComandamentiPerUngangster” was co-written by legendary horror director (and frequent Morricone collaborator) Dario Argento.
An edgy, young Dario Argento with his favourite prop.
“We can’t rule out the possibility that he is a pervert.”
-Quote from “The Bird With The Crystal Plumage.”
EnnioMorricone circa 1970, the year “The BirdWithTheCrystalPlumage” was released.Original theatrical poster.Spanish DVD art for “The Bird With The Crystal Plumage.”Italian DVD art for Arrow’s home video release of “TheBirdWithTheCrystalPlumage.”Front album cover art.Reverse album cover sleeve.Vinyl Side 1Vinyl Side 2
Morricone’s score for DarioArgento’s debut picture, 1970’s Rome-set thriller “TheBirdWithTheCrystalPlumage,” is the first of three scores the Maestro composed for Argento’s so-called “AnimalTrilogy” (followed swiftly by “The Cat O’ Nine Tails,” and “Four Flies On Grey Velvet“).
“The Cat O’ Nine Tails.““4 Flies On Grey Velvet.”
Morricone would later compose the music for Argento’s “The Stendhal Syndrome,” and “The Phantom Of The Opera,” bringing the total of Argento-directed films with Morricone scores to 5.
Of course, Argento was already an established screenwriter of note before making his directorial debut on “The Bird With The Crystal Plumage.” Argento penned the screenplays for the Morricone-scored pictures “Comandamenti Per Un Gangster,” “Once Upon a Time In The West,” “Metti Una Sera A Cena,” “Un Esercito Di 5 Uomini,” and “La Stagione Dei Sensei,” making it a 10 film-collaboration over four-decades.
“The Bird With The Crystal Plumage” director DarioArgento with the Maestro himself.
The “The Bird With The Crystal Plumage” score begins with a light touch, very much in the vein of Morricone’s more melodic lounge compositions, but things quickly get weird, with strange vocalizations, moans, and heavy breathing over sparse, jagged, anxiety-inducing discordant themes.
SuzyKendall and TonyMusante in “TheBirdWithTheCrystalPlumage.”
The effect is that Morricone’s score lulls you into a dreamy state before it strikes with dissonance and unnerving sounds meant to put you on a razor’s edge, only appropriate given the nature of the film to which this music belongs.
Tony Musante and a soon to be murder-victim in “TheBirdWithTheCrystalPlumage.”TonyMusante interviewed by the police in “TheBirdWithTheCrystalPlumage.”A staple of the giallo picture: the silhouette of a mysterious killer all in black.
Although it wasn’t the first (credit MarioBava‘s “The Girl Who Knew Too Much” with that honour) Argento’s oft-imitated suspense picture set the benchmark for the giallo genre.
The original giallo picture, Mario Bava’s “The Girl Who Knew Too Much”
Literally translated as “yellow” from Italian, gialli are Italian thrillers that take their name from “Il Giallo Mondadori,” a series of popular Italian murder mysteries originally published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, with their iconic yellow jackets.
“Giallo” was an Italian literary genre before bleeding into Italian cinema.Argento wields the knife.
Argento was the best of the best in the giallo business, and has become synonymous with the genre, but there are many other classics to seek out, from LucioFulci’s “Don’tTorturea Duckling,” to one of my personal favourites, LuigiBazzoni’s “TheFifthCord” (also scored by Morricone).
Poster for LucioFulci’sgiallo classic.Poster for LuigiBazzoni’s giallo classic.
After you check out the soundtrack, don’t forget to see the film! And on the subject of gialli, ArrowVideo has been releasing a number of significant giallo pictures both on blu-ray and on their Arrow Player streaming app.
Visit the giallo section of ArrowVideo’s website here:
https://www.arrow-player.com/giallo-essentials
Along with Spaghetti Westerns (Italian westerns) and Poliziotteschi (Italian cop thrillers), the giallo sub-genre shows what a rich period the 1960s and ’70s were for Italian cinema. For more on everything giallo, check out the documentary “AllTheColorsofGiallo,” which is a fun deep-dive for fans of the genre and newcomers alike.
Watch the complete documentary “AllTheColorsofGiallo” here:
“AlltheColorsofGiallo” on YouTube.
And for more on poliziotteschi and why the ’60s and ’70s were the heyday for Italian genre cinema, check out the trailer for “Eurocrime: The Italian Cop & Gangster Films That Ruled The 70s” here:
If you are in the Toronto area, say hi to my Filmography podcast co-host Bjorn, and rent or purchase “The Bird With The Crystal Plumage” by visiting the last great video store, BayStreetVideo, in store or with the link below:
