Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Endless Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 2, 2020

Sidney Gilliat's "Endless Night" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film and new audio commentary by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Howard S. Berger. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The limo driver

I don’t think I had ever seen Endless Night before. If I did it must have been a very long time ago and for some reason I forgot all about it, but this would be very unusual considering that it is from the ‘70s, which is my favorite cinematic decade. The most likely scenario is that somehow I ignored the film, or perhaps had it mixed up with another film and never realized that I hadn’t seen it.

So, I sat down to view Endless Night the other night and right from the get-go I knew that I would enjoy it quite a bit. It is based on the novel of the same name by Agathe Christie, but unless you know the novel very well it is actually quite difficult to tell. The main reason why is the manner in which Sidney Gilliat shoots his adaptation of the original material, which basically suppresses the classic period suspense Christie’s work promotes and instead gives his film a modern edge. As a result, at one point it really begins to look like Gilliat might be on track to pull off the same trick Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up does. (Do you recall what Blow-Up does? It spends a lot of time pretending that it is focused on a complex murder mystery, but it is actually a very clever and very chic time capsule).

Immediately after the opening credits disappear Gilliat begins following Hywel Bennett’s character, Michael Rogers, who is constantly looking for a new job. He is not a putz or a troublemaker, just a free spirit that has plenty of ‘exciting’ new ideas clogging his mind -- like mingling with city millionaires at prestigious auctions and raising the prices of exotic items they are after while working as a limo driver -- which always end up costing him his job. He knows and his mother worries about him, but it is the way he likes living his life and never does anything to change it. Then one day, while in the countryside, Michael meets Ellie (Hayley Mills), a very, very rich American girl and, initially without realizing, she turns his life around. They begin meeting, then fall in love, then marry, and finally move in a stunning contemporary mansion.

A quick pause. At this point the film has passed the hour mark and has been firmly focused on Michael and Ellie’s evolving relationship. There have been a few odd hints that the mansion might be cursed, plus a rather spooky old lady occasionally pops up in the area where Ellie rides her horse, but this is still very much a film about a modern couple dealing with familiar issues.

The classic period suspense that is associated with Christie’s work enters the film with the arrival of Ellie’s dear friend Greta (Britt Ekland), who is young, very attractive, and single. Michael has an awful time tolerating her presence, but to please Ellie does a lot of acting which eventually makes it possible for the visitor to become a permanent addition to their relationship. It is here that the film abruptly switches gears and becomes very dark and then spooky, almost like an atmospheric gialo that an Italian director would have conceived. However, instead of doubling down on the atmosphere surrounding the suspense, Gilliat does a few neat things to make you realize that you have actually missed the significance of various tiny but very important details from the progression of Michael and Ellie’s relationship.

I liked this film for a couple of different reasons. First, it moves very slowly but manages to keep the mind on the edge, constantly speculating when something terrible might happen, and this waiting game very effectively replaces the familiar atmosphere that a ‘classic’ cinematic adaptation of the Christie novel would have relied on. In other words, the film plays the old genre game but in a modern (for the ‘70s) way. Second, the main and a few important secondary characters are quite difficult to judge right despite the fact that Gilliat does not seem to be doing any obvious misdirecting work. Needless to say, at the end there are all sorts of great surprises that also look entirely legit.

Gilliat was fortunate to secure the services of cinematographer Harry Waxman, who lensed the classic horror thriller The Wicker Man.

Bernard Herrmann delivered the orchestral score, which is a rather unusual one. It blends classical harmonies with special audio effects that would eventually become quite common on synthesizers and other similar electronic equipment.

Endless Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Endless Night arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from the same 4K master that Indicator/Powerhouse Films worked with to produce this Region-B release. Quite predictably, the basic characteristics of the technical presentation here are identical. Indeed, the same rougher spots with the exact same density fluctuations are retained. (To be clear, these are not the type of fluctuations that stylistic preferences and unique lensing choices would introduce. They are source-related). Also, the same extremely light color pulsations are visible. The good news is that there are no traces of compromising digital corrections, so even though a few areas appear a tad softer than they should and have a somewhat dated appearance, the entire film still has a very pleasing organic look. Image stability is good. A few scratches and dark spots remain, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Endless Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is easy to follow. However, the audio could use a fresh remastering job that should improve overall balance and make the mid-/upper registers healthier. To be perfectly clear, there are no serious anomalies that would affect negatively your viewing experience, but from time to time the age of the audio shows. (For what it's worth, I like the larger font of the subtitles on the Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release).

Endless Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Endless Night. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Commentary - critics Nathaniel Thompson and Howard S. Berger have plenty of interesting observations about the film's style, very unusual soundtrack, production history, and Sidney Gilliat's legacy. (Mr. Berger mentions that Gilliat became a favorite of his by accident and also has a few very accurate observations about the 'different' attitude of the film). The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kno Lorber.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Ordeal by Innocence
  2. Return from the Ashes
  3. And Soon the Darkness
  4. The Bedroom Window
  5. Slayground

Endless Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't recall seeing another cinematic adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel as unusual as Endless Night. This film really is part modern psychological thriller part odd British giallo, though of the softer kind that had a more mainstream appeal during the late '60s and early '70s. Umberto Lenzi's Paranoia actually has an extremely similar identity, though it is set in a dramatically different area (Mallorca, Spain). I had not seen Endless Night before and was very happy to discover it on Blu-ray. Kino Lorber's release is advertised as being sourced from a 4K remaster, and while the film does have a pleasing organic appearance, I think that ideally it could look better. Nevertheless, this is a fine film worth owning. (If you really enjoy the film, also consider the Region-B release because it has some interesting exclusive bonus features). RECOMMENDED.