Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Blindfold Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 16, 2019

Philip Dunne's "Blindfold" a.k.a. "New York Express" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include a gallery with vintage promotional materials for the film and TV spot. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Pick the right girl!

On a beautiful day in New York City, Dr. Bartholomew Snow (Rock Hudson) is approached by a high-ranking general (Jack Warden) who asks him to examine a former patient who has suffered a serious nervous breakdown. Soon after, while wearing a blindfold, the doctor is flown to an undisclosed location referred to only as Base X.

It turns out that the sick man (Alejandro Rey) is a government scientist who has been working on a top-secret project, which is why the general and a whole bunch of other high-ranking military officials are concerned that he could become an easy target for various dangerous foreign players. It is why they have also been keeping him at an undisclosed location, hoping that his condition will gradually improve, and eventually he will be able to resume his duties. The doctor immediately recognizes the patient, but after he examines him, it immediately becomes clear that it would take a long time for him to recover.

Meanwhile, back in New York City, the patient’s sister, Vicky (Claudia Cardinale), concludes that the doctor has kidnapped her brother and begins working on a plan to get him arrested by the police. The plan collapses when the doctor convinces a group of naïve detectives that he and Vicky are lovers and that their relationship isn’t working as it should, which is why the beauty is desperately trying to destroy his reputation. Around the same time, a CIA agent working undercover enters the doctor’s office and reveals to him that the general is a foreign agent who is desperately trying to get his former patient to reveal important government secrets to him. The confused doctor then decides to team up with his angry ‘lover’ and do whatever it takes to save her brother. Of course, the two do not know where to look for him because the only clues that they have to work with are some scattered noises from the doctor’s journey to Base X.

Philip Dunne’s final film was released in 1965 and actually fits very nicely between Stanley Donen’s Charade (1963) and Arabesque (1966). The main concept behind all three is essentially the same: two characters, played by big stars, with completely different goals in life become a team and go against some very bad people with some very bad intentions. The circumstances under which they meet are different, but the rest is pretty much the same. There is plenty of well-paced action, a good dose of humor with a few splashes of old-fashioned romance, and enough decent twists to keep the audience guessing for a while.

Donen’s films are a bit more exotic and ultimately flashier, but there is good chemistry between Hudson and Cardinale and this film never becomes a bore. The second act is where the plot could have been opened up even more to give the two stars better opportunities to shine, but once their opponents are identified, there is indeed plenty to like.

The footage from the swamp is terrific, and some of these giant alligators look pretty damn scary. It would have been great to find out exactly how Dunne and cinematographer Joseph MacDonald shot it with the two stars running around, but unfortunately, this release does not have any archival features from Universal’s vaults.

Blindfold Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Philip Dunne's Blindfold arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Two years ago we reviewed this Region-B release of Blindfold from British label 101 Films, which was sourced from an older but good master that was licensed from Universal Pictures. This new release of the film from Kino Lorber is sourced from the same master.

There are no meaningful discrepancies to highlight in our review. This release might be slightly better encoded, but I did some quick comparisons with the previous release and can confirm that there are no visible improvements. Clarity, depth, and fluidity are identical. What this means is that the film again looks healthy -- which is always great news when a master that emerged from Universal's vaults was used -- and occasionally even quite vibrant. The best news here is that there are no traces of sharpening adjustments, so even on a bigger screen the visuals boast quite good organic qualities. The age of the master shows in the color palette -- saturation can be better and some nuances and highlights should be expanded. However, the overall balance is still very, very nice. There are a few darker sequences where light dark crush can be spotted, but this is also a minor limitation of the master. A few tiny white specks pop up here and there, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, stains, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, even though a brand new 4K remaster can make the film look fresher and lusher, and improve depth in larger panoramic shots, the current presentation has pleasing organic qualities. I like it. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Blindfold Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

There are no technical issues to report. The audio is clean, stable, and nicely balanced. There are some decent for a film from the 1960s dynamic nuances as well, particularly in areas where Lalo Schifrin's score makes its presence felt. Unlike the Region-B release of Blindfold, this release does have optional English SDH subtleties that some viewers might find helpful.

Blindfold Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Image Gallery - an automated gallery with original promotional stills, lobby cards, and posters for Blindfold. (2 min, 1080p).

• TV Promo - a remastered TV promo for Blindfold. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following releases from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. A Farewell to Arms
  2. The Tarnished Angels
  3. Hornets' Nest
  4. Avalanche
  5. Mirage

Blindfold Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You will probably enjoy Philip Dunne's Blindfold if you like Stanley Donen's Charade and Arabesque. It is an old-fashioned action thriller that bets heavily on the chemistry between its two stars, Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale, and basically delivers what it promises after the opening fifteen or so minutes. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from the same master that initially British label 101 Films worked with to produce this Region-B release of the film. It is older but with good organic qualities, which is why I like it. RECOMMENDED.