The Strange Vice of the Bird with the Crystal Plumage

Last night was the seasonal Cinema Overdrive double-feature at The Colony, the two featured films were: The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. I learned a valuable lesson last night--I am no longer young like I once was. When I was young I used to be able to sit in the front row of a movie and be just fine, now I wake up the following day feeling like my spine was corkscrewed into the grown and then pulled out to quickly and my head... Oh... Don't get me started on my head... What did I drink last night? Nothing... Why does it feel as if I have a massive hangover then... Big screen, front row... no space in-between, that's why! Also, when I was young and I worked at the United Artist in G-town USA, I grew quite fond of going to movies by myself and quickly began to dislike someone next to me--friend or other. Now that I am older... I have become spoiled. I had a great friend for a long time that went to these features with me, and this is the first time he didn't... It was sad and lonely, not nearly as enjoyable as it would have been if he had been beside me. I found myself wishing I could just leave... I was cold--shivering, but not so much from the fact that the temperature had dropped so drastically due to the storms (which felt as though they were apart of the pain I felt inside of myself, but was refusing to show), but I believe was from his absence. Onto the reviews I suppose.

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh--also known as Blade of the Ripper--was the second film to play, with some minor complications both during the break and during the screening (due to the weather). The print was an older print, and while I watched the movie I feared it would catch fire, though it did not. I'm not typically squemish--however--I was upset about some things which tends to make me a little more emotional when it comes to certain themes in a movie. The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh was not lacking in sexual elements and the director, Sergio Martino, really did a great job with the giallo element. The movie takes place in Russia, following a beautfiul woman, Mrs. Wardh (who is played by Edwige Fenech), is married to a diplomat, is ex-mistress to a crazy man, and is in love with her best friends cousin who happens to be an heir. Sounds like something straight off TV soaps, right? Right. Well there's more because there's also a crazed "Sex Fiend" on the loose who is cutting down women and killing them all over Russia. Shit kind of hits the fan, not literally, and Mrs. Wardh and George, the heir, disappear to Spain. After some time strange things start happening again and Mrs. Wardh "commits suicide"--or does she? I'm not going to spoil the whole movie for you however, I would give The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh a 6.5/10. Check it out if you like giallo movies.

The first feature was The Bird with the Crystal Plumage which was written and directed by one of my all time favorite directors: Dario Argento (novel written by:  Fredric Brown). Some of you may recognize the name, Dario Argento and rightfully so because he did such great pieces as: Once Upon a Time in the West, The Cat o'Nine Tails, Four Flies on Grey Velvet, Deep Red, Suspiria ***,Inferno ***, Tenebre, Phenomena, Demons, and Mother of Tears ***, just to name a few. I have enjoyed many of these titles and more by Argento and even the shoddy ones that have come out were still decent and enjoyable. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is another giallo movie which focuses on a writer from the States who is in Italy trying to relax. He is soon to return to the states when he witnesses a brutal attack and attempts to rescue the victim. He soon gets rapped up in the investigation--as a victim and a mock-detective. His intrigue gets him and his lady love into quite a bit of danger. I won't go into more about this film except to say it is a must see for giallo fans and movie buffs. I give The Bird with the Crystal Plumage an 7.5/10.