6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A successful ex-boxer buys a high-class speakeasy and falls for a rich society girl, who doesn't know about his past. Complications ensue when some ex-girlfriends from his boxing days show up.
Starring: George Raft, Constance Cummings, Mae West, Alison Skipworth, Roscoe KarnsDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Mae West in Hollywood.
For a star who was perceived to be such a voluptuous female sex symbol, Mae West had, well, swagger. Just look at the way she
gallivants,
even
marauds, physically through
her scenes, walking almost like a prize fighter observing some prey she's just devastated. She frequently has a masculine mien in her gait, hands
on
hips almost threateningly, and with a kind of pugnacious attitude that nonetheless never completely masks a rather unexpectedly sweet and kind
aspect to many of her characters, even if those characters are just as apt to be tough as nails. Specifically in terms of West's memorable saunter, if
none of her
other unforgettable aspects, one of the commentaries included with this set calls West's distinctive stride a "shimmy" that West supposedly
overtly stated was culled from watching black women, though some may jokingly wonder if West was also watching black men for a few
pointers. What is
kind of fascinating about West's ineluctable allure in terms of behaviors and mannerisms, though, is how she manages to be slyly seductive and
ridiculously overheated almost
simultaneously, but it's
instructive to note that this layering of attitudes and demeanors, as well as "mere" physical presence, was part and parcel of West's own writing
and character building acumen, since it
seems only obvious that West was more than aware that she was putting on a show on any number of levels. West's proclivities as "another" kind
of
auteur, one who crafted a series of films that frequently were based on West's own ideas and/or writing, are rather prominently on
display in this handsome new(ish) set from Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint, which aggregates
together ten features ranging from 1932 to 1943.
Night After Night is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Film's Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.34:1. The back cover of this release advertises a "2014 high definition remaster" of the film, and it may also be salient to note that the aspect ratio of this release is just slightly wider than the Kino Lorber release put out for the North American market. Based solely on screenshots, it looks like this release is quite similar in overall grading and contrast to the Kino Lorber release. There's a rather heavy grain field which can easily be seen in the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, and it can be a tad splotchy on occasion, especially against lighter backgrounds. There are a fair number of age related wear and tear defects on display, though the vast majority of them tend to be in the relatively minor form of smaller scratches and nicks. My score is 3.25.
Night After Night features LPCM Mono audio. Fidelity is generally fine, though the film understandably can't escape from the then still developing sound technologies, and so the entire track is rather boxy and hollow sounding, without much depth or dynamic range. Dialogue is nonetheless easy to discern throughout. Optional English subtitles are available. My score is 3.25.
Powerhouse Films has packaged this release with both Night After Night and She Done Him Wrong sharing a disc. The following is a complete listing of supplements on the disc:
Mae West was such a force of nature in all of the films in which she starred (and many of which she wrote or at least contributed to the writing of), that it can kind of seem downright weird to see her in a supporting role in an at least somewhat tamped down form. She nevertheless pretty much walks away with this picture, leaving Raft and the trio of other female stars in her dust. Video and audio both have some hurdles to overcome, but the supplemental features are fun. With caveats noted, Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Indicator Series
1932
2005
Indicator Series
1943
1939
非常線の女 / Hijôsen no onna
1933
1937
Masters of Cinema
2014
La religieuse / Vintage World Cinema
1966
2009
1983
Le feu follet / A Time to Live and a Time to Die
1963
Adieu au Langage 3D
2014
Masters of Cinema
1961
Entre les murs
2008
2017
Ahlat Ağacı
2018
Out 1: Noli me tangere / Out 1: Spectre | Arrow Academy
1971
Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1948
2018
2014