Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

History Is Made at Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 12, 2021

Frank Borzage's "History is Made at Night" (1937) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new filmed conversation between author Herve Dumont and film scholar Peter Cowie; new program with critic Farran Smith Nehme; audio excerpts from an archival interview with Frank Borzage; and more. Also included with the release is an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Dan Callahan as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

We will meet again in America

We know that the 1930s were not quite as gleeful and romantic as they are portrayed in Frank Borzage’s History is Made at Night. The Great Depression officially ended in 1933, the recovery process that followed was slow and uneven, and for years after that many people still struggled to make ends meet. Sure, there were a lot more opportunities that made it possible for people to choose a new direction in their lives, but how many found the happiness they were looking for? Actually, quite a few already had it, but could not tell. Remember what was happening at the same time on the other side of the big pond?

In Borzage’s film, there is an important event that redefines happiness for its two leads in a similar way -- essentially, by forcing them to see the bigger picture at a very particular moment -- and I think that it is the reason why the melodrama in it does not feel dated. I would concede that this isn’t a popular opinion, but I wish to explain why I think Borzage felt the event was needed in his film.

The film begins with a dirty arrangement. The wealthy industrialist Bruce Vail (Colin Clive) pays his chauffeur, Michael Browsky (Ivan Lebedeff), to visit the hotel room of his wife, Irene (Jean Arthur), in Paris and have her caught in a compromising one-night stand. But a stranger (Charles Boyer) who has been taking care of a drunk friend in the adjacent room notices the drama, interferes while pretending to be a thief, and then takes Irene hostage. After they quickly jump in a taxi and disappear into the thick shadows of the night, the stranger introduces himself as Paul Dumond, reveals his true intentions, and invites Irene to have dinner with him at the famous restaurant Chateau Bleu, where he makes ends meet as a headwaiter. Paul’s best pal, Cesare (Leo Carrillo), who might be the greatest chef in Paris, then cooks the couple a spectacular meal. Back in the hotel room, Bruce puts a bullet in his chauffeur’s head and contacts the local authorities to report the crime, hoping that the man that has ‘kidnapped’ his wife would be blamed for it. By the early morning hours Irene and Paul fall madly in love and vow to see each other again, convinced that fate has brought them together for a reason. But when Irene returns to the hotel and realizes that her jealous husband is about to destroy an innocent man, she agrees to escort him back to America so that her savior can remain free. Unaware of Bruce’s dirty game, initially Paul misinterprets Irene’s decision, but when bits of the truth begin to emerge, he immediately decides to abandon Chateau Bleu and travel to America to find her. Cesare refuses to stay behind and follows him as well.

The event that I referenced above comes later, after Paul and Irene meet again in America and decide to travel back to Paris because the local authorities have detained another innocent man and charged him for the murder of Bruce’s chauffeur. For a while, Borzage builds up the melodrama in a very straightforward manner and it seems like it is only a matter of time before his film wraps up with a very predictable resolution. But the twist at the end makes it awfully difficult to profile the film simply as a classic romantic melodrama because it forces the two lovers -- and by default the audience -- to agree that life is in fact what happens while you are busy making plans. There is a touch of cynicism here that is perfect for the film because it accomplishes two things:

First, it humanizes Paul and Irene and makes their story look a lot more authentic. It has the same effect on Bruce as well. Second, it makes the audience ponder how happiness ought to be defined and appreciated, which is a rather bold move for an early romantic melodrama. Why exactly? Because in the old days these types of films were quite content when they could simply bring the right people together. After that, all was well. Borzage’s film understands and promotes happiness a little differently, a lot like most of us get to experience it in real life. We begin to fully understand and appreciate it only when we are reminded of our mortality.

History Is Made at Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, History is Made at Night arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new 4K digital transfer was created primarily from a 35mm nitrate duplicate negative preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with some sections of a 35mm safety fine grain also used. All scans were done on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner in 16-bit 4K resolution. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the nitrate optical soundtrack negative using Avid's Pro Tools and iZotope RX.

Colorist: Lee Kline.
Film scanning: EFILM, Hollywood; Roundabout Entertainment, Burbank, CA."

I watched the restoration featurette that is included on this release with great interest because I thought that the film looked really good but could instantly tell that its makeover must have been a challenging project. My suspicions were confirmed, and I think that even the apparently very problematic foggy footage looks excellent. Yes, there are some areas where minor density fluctuations remain, but overall the visuals are actually balanced really, really well. The grayscale is very solid, but this does not surprise me at all given that Lee Kline had the final say on it. Image stability is good. Grain could be a tad looser at times, but this is an inherited limitation, not an anomaly that was introduced by questionable digital work. The entire film has been thoroughly cleaned up as well. All in all, given the surviving elements, I think that the end result is quite fantastic. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).

History Is Made at Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I had the volume turned up quite a bit and I could hear some light hiss more or less throughout the entire film. It is not of the kind that introduces distortions and other distracting anomalies; clarity and sharpness are actually quite good. However, you will know that you are viewing a film from the 1930s. On the other hand, I would not describe the audio as having dated qualities. There are just certain inherited limitations on it that were kept in for a reason.

History Is Made at Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Restoration Demonstration - a very interesting featurette that highlights some of the challenges Lee Kline and his crew faced while restoring History is Made at Night. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

• Herve Dumont and Peter Cowie - this conversation between Herve Dumont, former director of the Cinematheque suisse and author of Frank Borzage: The Life and Films of a Hollywood Romantic, and film scholar Peter Cowie was recorded at Lausanne, Switzerland, in January 2018. The gentlemen discuss the production of History is Made at Night and the evolution of Frank Borzage's career. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Farran Smith Nehme - in this new program, critic Farran Smith Nehme discusses the role of romance in Frank Borzage's film. The program was produced in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Frank Borzage - presented here are audio excerpts from an interview with Frank Borzage conducted by film historian and curator George Pratt in 1958, in honor of the director's gift of a print of his film 7th Heaven to the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. In them, the director discusses his career in Hollywood and working on History is Made at Night. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, 1080p).

• The Screen Guild Theater (1940) - presented here is an adaptation of History is Made at Night that was recorded for the radio anthology series The Screen Guild Theater. Charles Boyer reprises his role as Paul Dumond. In English, not subtitled. (28 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Dan Callahan's essay "Taking a Chance on Love" as well as technical credits.

History Is Made at Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't know if it is right to constantly compare the past with the present. A lot has changed, and plenty more will never again be as it once was. However, whenever I see a film from the pre-war years, I always end up comparing the old vs. the new Hollywood, and inevitably I come to the same conclusion. The difference is staggering, and I am not referring to the manner in which cinematic technology has evolved. Each year, for instance, I revisit some of my favorite Preston Sturges films and I am always astonished by the quality of the writing. It is witty, sharp, and thought-provoking, and this is just one reason why Sturges' films are timeless. Frank Borzage's films are different but work as well as they do for the same reason -- they entertain yet make you look at life and ponder it from a different angle. You can learn how to appreciate a lot of different things from them, things that matter in life. History is Made at Night is that kind of a film, simple and hopelessly romantic, but educational as well. Kudos to Lee Kline and his team for restoring it in 4K and bringing it to Blu-ray. I loved it. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.