| buy the bird with the crystal plumage dvd from www.amazon.com |
| BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE SEDA SPETTACOLI ; ITALY dvd specification |
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| [video][sound][extras][conclusion] |
| This is a revised review of the dvd since it has now been remastered and reissued. If you want a review of the actual film, click here. |
| video |
| This transfer is taken from the same uncut print as the Roan Group LaserDisc and as that was known as the ultimate version, this should now take the crown. It is a 16:9 enhanced, 2.35:1 version and is minimally compressed for dvd which gives the best possible quality. |
 
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There are few artefacts visible even during the misty street sequence, the colours of which traditionally gives dvd a problem. The blacks are suitably black and the colours are rich and vibrant. The only minus point is the print itself which does show some signs of age but is by no means distracting. One point though, there seems to be about 4 extra frames out of sequence during the pantie ripping scene probably as a result of the insertion of the previously cut footage. I did not find this unduly distracting though. NOTE: This has since been corrected in the remastered version. |
 
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| sound |
| VCI have added a new Stereo Surround soundtrack which is very nice and brings out the best in Ennio Morricone's fine score. Although they initially had sound synch problems, they seem to have put them right. Indeed, the only noticeable problem is the usual one of poor dubbing. Not exactly unusual in Italian horror films! NOTE: Many thought the overall volume level was too low. This has also been corrected in the remastered version. |
 
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| extras |
| They haven't gone overboard with extra's but then the main thing is the quality of the film. There is a Biography of Argento, Musante and Kendall, the theatrical trailer, A web link to DARK DREAMS and VCI dvd previews. But best of all, there is a soundtrack only option with all the the tracks playable together or separately. This is a big bonus and I cannot understand why more dvd's don't have this option. NOTE: The DARK DREAMS link is now the correct URL. |
 
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| conclusion |
| The whole presentation of this dvd exudes class. Even the cool animated menu has had a lot of thought put into it. VCI are to be applauded for coming up with a version of the Argento classic that all true fans will want to own. |
| reviewed by NJD |
| cover artwork |
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| buy the bird with the crystal plumage dvd from www.amazon.com |
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