Mauvais Sang 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Mauvais Sang 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 21, 2026

Leos Carax's "Mauvais sang" a.k.a. "The Night is Young" (1986) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with editor Nelly Quettier; Tessa Louise-Salomé's documentary film "Mr. X"; archival content; and vintage trailer. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The new thief

The future. In Paris, a mysterious disease known as STBO has started killing young people who have sex without being in love. A powerful pharmaceutical company has developed a vaccine, but only the wealthy can afford it.

Two aging gangsters, Marc (Michel Piccoli, Belle de jour) and Hans (Hans Meyer, Boy Meets Girl), have hatched a plan to steal a culture of the vaccine and sell it to a rival company. When the best man for the job is eliminated by the ruthless American Woman (Carroll Brooks) and her gang, they decide to approach his son, a kooky punk named Alex (Denis Lavant).

Meanwhile, after making love to his girlfriend (Julie Delpy, Three Colors: White), Alex decides to pack up his bags and leave Paris for good. Later that night, however, he is overwhelmed by the beauty of a lonely girl (Juliette Binoche, Three Colors: Blue) as he sees her wandering the city’s empty streets alone. He follows her, and she leads him to Marc and Hans’ place. After the old-timers tell him about the job his dead father would have been hired to do, Alex decides to fill his shoes.

Leos Carax’s The Night is Young (also distributed under the alternative title Bad Blood) is virtually impossible to describe in a way that makes perfect sense. The best one could do is compare it to other films. For example, its atmosphere mimics that of Jean-Luc Godard’s mind-bender Alphaville while its overlapping of the real and the surreal appears to have been directly inspired by Andre Technie’s noirish thriller Barocco.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the cinematography is very unique. Many close-ups of faces and objects utilize unorthodox angles, carefully selected colors, and surprising shadow nuances, many of which would have been ideal in the most unconventional New Wave films. However, these close-ups are routinely countered by long sequences utilizing conventional techniques, giving The Night is Young a distinct modern appearance and rhythm. (See the break-in).

The camera loves Binoche. Virtually all close-ups of her face can easily be used in a fashion magazine. Lavant rarely speaks, but he doesn’t need to because his arsenal of facial expressions is simply extraordinary. Lavant’s movement is also fascinating to behold. For example, his sudden, amusing bursts of energy make it seem as if many muscle groups in his body operate on their own. (Lavant is even more impressive in Carax’s third film, The Lovers on the Bridge, where he plays a homeless drunkard who unexpectedly discovers true love).

The Night is Young does not have an elaborate music score. However, it brilliantly incorporates David Bowie’s Modern Love in one of its most memorable sequences, where Lavant, looking borderline possessed, runs through the dark streets of Paris.

Cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffier reunited with Carax for The Night is Young and soon after also shot his most ambitious film, The Lovers on the Bridge.

In 1986, The Night is Young won the Prix Louis Delluc award in France. A year later, it won the first Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, which is given to films that open new perspectives on cinematic art.

***

Also included on this release is Tessa Louise-Salomé's documentary film Mr. X (2014), offering an in-depth look at Carax's fascinating career and filmography. The documentary gathers various interviews with Carax, Godard, composer Neil Hannon, Serge Toubiana (director of the Cinémathèque française), Gilles Jacob (president of the Cannes Film Festival), Kylie Minogue, critic Kent Jones, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, among others.

Mauvais Sang 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criteiron's release of The Night is Young is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the Blu-ray. We have not provided downscaled screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray.

The combo pack presents a new 4K restoration of The Night is Young on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, sourced from the original camera negative. The 4K restoration was supervised by cinematographer Caroline Champetier, who collaborated with Leos Carax on Holy Motors. In native 4K, the 4K restoration cannot be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR grades.

The 4K restoration is very frustrating. After viewing it, I was left with the impression that its intent must have been to reimagine The Night is Young for a contemporary audience. The main issues are again in the area of color reproduction and management. Like the new 4K restoration of The Lovers on the Bridge, this 4K restoration is plagued by plenty of tealing that effectively alters the native identity of The Night is Young, which plays with color in very particular ways. For example, Juliette Binoche's blue robe now looks completely tealed. This is the new color of the robe, and this is the original color of the robe. (For what it's worth, this is the type of digital color shift that also collapsed the native appearance of Three Colors: Blue). Additionally, close-ups are very important in The Night is Young, and many are now compromised because the teal overwhelms subtle nuances. You can see how the teal removes the white in Denis Lavant's eyes here. In some areas, the tealing completely erases entire ranges of supporting nuances, as seen here. I found the color changes incredibly distracting because I know The Night is Young very well and the errors were simply too big. Also, they are enormously frustrating. The 4K restoration produces visuals that easily outclass the ones from the previous Blu-ray release of The Night is Young. On my system, the density levels of these visuals were particularly impressive. All in all, this new 4K restoration is the latest missed opportunity to deliver a definitive presentation of yet another wonderful color French film from the last century.

Mauvais Sang 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I have several older releases of The Night is Young in my library, Blu-ray and DVD, and the upgrade in quality that the lossless tracks on the Blu-rays offered were huge. This combo pack has a newly restored lossless track. It is great, but I didn't notice any major improvements because the lossless tracks on the previous Blu-rays were already great. The English translation is excellent, and I like the size of the English subtitles a lot.

Mauvais Sang 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Nelly Quettier - in this new program, editor Nelly Quettier discusses her professional relationship with Leos Carax. The program was produced for Criterion in 2026. In French, with English subtitles. (19 min).

• Mr. X (2014) - presented here is Tessa Louise-Salomé's documentary film Mr. X (2014), offering an in-depth look at Carax's fascinating career and filmography. The documentary gathers various interviews with Carax, Godard, composer Neil Hannon, Serge Toubiana (director of the Cinémathèque française), Gilles Jacob (president of the Cannes Film Festival), Kylie Minogue, critic Kent Jones, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, among others. In French, English, and Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (71 min/Dolby Digital 5.1/1080i).

• Deleted Scene - presented here is an unrestored deleted scene. In French, with optional English subtitles. (6 min).

• Archival Footage - presented here are several screen tests with the stars of The Night is Young and raw footage from its production process. (21 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for The Night is Young. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Booklet - a 42-page illustrated booklet featuring Amina Cain's "Vital Signs", Leos Carax's "It's All Just Words", and film and technical credits.

Mauvais Sang 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In France, the damage that various classic and cult French color films have suffered is incalculable now. It is a real tragedy because no one seems to care, and the few people who should know what is happening and could stop the damage can't seem to recognize it. In France, Leos Carax's The Night is Young was a huge hit and almost instantly acquired the reputation of a contemporary cult film. Many people should know that the 4K restoration featured on this combo pack is problematic. More than a decade ago, Carlotta Films introduced a 2K restoration of The Night Is Young that wasn't ideal, but it respected its native appearance. You should consider tracking it down if you wish to see the film Carax directed.