It Happened One Night Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

It Happened One Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 1, 2022

Sony has released the classic 1934 film 'It Happened One Night,' starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, directed by Frank Capra, to Blu-ray. At time of writing, this Blu-ray disc is exclusive to the third volume of the prestigious 'Columbia Classics Collection' boxed set, where a UHD copy of the film, and five other films, are included. The film was previously released to Blu-ray by Criterion in 2014. This set includes a blend of Criterion's extras and other vintage supplements that are new to Blu-ray. Note that not all of the Criterion extras are included. Also included is new 1080p video sourced from the 4K master and mono lossless audio.

Official synopsis: Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert team up for laughs as mismatched lovers in this 1934 screwball comedy classic. Spoiled Ellie Andrews (Colbert) escapes from her millionaire father (Walter Connolly), who wants to stop her from marrying a worthless playboy. En route to New York, Ellie gets involved with an out-of-work newsman, Peter Warne (Gable). When their bus breaks down, the bickering couple set off on a madcap hitchhiking expedition. Complications fly when the runaway heiress and brash reporter fall in love. Directed by Frank Capra, 'It Happened One Night' was the first movie to be honored with all five major Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

For a full film review, please see Dr. Svet Atanasov's excellent analysis accompanying the 2014 Criterion release by clicking here.

It Happened One Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: I did not review, nor do I have access to, the Criterion disc, so there are no direct comparisons with that disc's video presentation.

Sony's 1080p Blu-ray presentation has been "sourced from the 4K master." While it is not nearly so robust, either texturally or in terms of its grayscale presentation, as the superb 4K/Dolby Vision UHD, this is certainly a very good presentation. It is steadily handsome, presenting with a fine natural grain structure that is largely even with only some density spikes in low light or transitional shots. Detail is very good; viewers will note fine fabric textures on suit coats and dresses. Faces aren't revealing down to the finest pore or hair, but overall detail is very strong, especially environmentally, in everything from bus interiors to city street exteriors where storefronts, wares, signage, and other elements are crisp and intimate. The grayscale is fine, again lacking the razor tonal precision from the UHD. Whites are a bit creamy here, but blacks are adequately deep and robust. There is good differentiation within the grayscale range. Whatever trace source issues remain are not a distraction, and there are no encode problems to report. For those purchasing this set more for the Blu-rays rather than the UHDs, this is a bonafide winner of a transfer from Sony.

It Happened One Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Note: I did not review, nor do I have access to, the Criterion disc, so there are no direct comparisons with that disc's audio presentation.

The 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio mono soundtrack is in good shape, especially considering the source elements are now nearly 90 years old. The opening title music is a little uneven, as is dialogue, but the presentation is generally satisfying and best defined as "mostly clear" and "highly capable." Dialogue does image nicely to the center, though not perfectly so; there is obvious mild drift to the sides. Still, clarity is fine, even with a sometimes very subtle underlying hiss. Light atmospheric effects are pleasantly integrated, such as on a busy bus around the 8-minute mark. A few heavier effects – the bus rumbling and honking at the 8:38 mark – are surprisingly rich and robust. There is no sense of surround immersion, of course, but the net effect is positive enough. Musical clarity is fine with good spacing out to the sides.

It Happened One Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sony's Blu-ray release of 'It Happened One Night' includes some of the extras from the Criterion release and some that are new to Blu-ray. Coverage of the carryover content can be found by clicking here. Note that not all of the Criterion disc's supplemental content carries over. New content (which is new to Blu-ray, not necessarily newly produced for this disc) is marked as such and briefly reviewed below. As it ships in the above-linked "Columbia Classics" boxed set, a slipcover and a digital copy code are included.

• Frank Capra Jr. Remembers..."It Happened One Night" (480i, 4x3, 11:15)
• Screwball Comedy? A Conversation Between Critics Molly Haskell and Phillip Lopate (1080p, 38:35)
• NEW! Original Live Radio Broadcast (480i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 4x3, 59:37): The full radio broadcast, including advertisements, starring the main cast from the film. This production was originally broadcast on March 20, 1939, as part of Lux Radio Theatre programming. A still image of a radio appears center screen against twinkling stars.
• NEW! Audio Commentary: Frank Capra Jr. discusses the film and also much of the history behind it. It is a fairly well-spoken track and a fine complimentary voice to the film as it story is told from the director's son's perspective.
• NEW! Vintage Advertising (1080p): Still images of promotional posters, artwork, and photographs. Available individually or as part of a slide show.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 4x3, 1:24).

It Happened One Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sony's Blu-ray release of It Happened One Night proves that buying the Columbia Classics collection solely for the Blu-ray discs is a perfectly viable option. The picture quality is absolutely stellar, and the supplements are terrific, even if the set does not include everything from the Criterion disc. The film itself is, of course, a bonafide classic of its genre and of the film medium. As it ships in the Columbia Classics collection, this release earns my highest recommendation, but do hang on to the Criterion disc for the additional bonus materials.