Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Night Has a Thousand Desires Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 2, 2017

Jess Franco's "Night Has a Thousand Desires" a.k.a. "Mil sexos tiene la noche" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro. The supplemental features on the disc include a new featurette with film historian Stephen Thrower and the archival documentary "The Diabolical Mr. Franco". In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Irina

What makes Jess Franco’s films special is their ability to temporarily transport their audience to a place where a lot of very strange things can happen. This isn’t an unusual practice as there are a lot of bigger and much better films that do the same, but they don’t have the style of Franco’s films. Now, whether this is a good thing is something that will likely be debated for as long as these films are around and can be seen, but this is largely irrelevant. Why? Because the appeal of Franco’s films actually comes from their rejection of just about everything ‘good’ that the other films are typically praised for -- from the writing and acting to the technical nature of the visuals and the manner in which they are edited. So in Franco’s creative universe there is a fundamental shift of the values that actually define what is good and bad. Remember this when you approach his films and you will rarely, if ever, be disappointed with them.

Night Has a Thousand Desires (also known as Night of 1000 Sexes) begins with a long sequence that in a way sums up the entire film. In a smoky bar somewhere in Spain, the elegant medium Irina (Lina Romay) and her partner Fabian (Daniel Katz) perform an act that impresses but also spooks some of the guests -- after she is hypnotized by Fabian and with her eyes blindfolded, Irina describes correctly personal objects the guests have brought with them. While it lasts the act looks and feels like a strange dream that has suddenly come alive, causing reality to temporarily bent in someone’s favor. The rest of the film is essentially one big psychedelic puzzle in which many of the guests from the bar die while Irina is trying to determine if her mind is playing tricks on her or if she has a sinister role of some sort that she can’t comprehend.

There are moments when it definitely feels like the story is trying to head in multiple directions at the same time, but this isn’t surprising for a Franco film. In fact, the fluid nature of the story is one of the main reasons why the film is worth seeing -- after the bar gig it quickly becomes a phantasmagoria of sex, crime and odd ambient sounds that can easily make you feel slightly drunk without having a drop of alcohol. The entire film offers that kind of a fuzzy experience that seems right and feels quite good while it lasts and when it eventually ends is hard to describe as anything but silly.

I have a soft spot for these types of films and like to watch them in the wee hours of the night because the mind games they tend to play make the most sense then. It is true that a lot of them have obvious flaws, but even the most problematic ones typically find ways to be refreshingly different and pull off a few genuine surprises. This film, I think, also has to be seen at the right time in order to work as intended. While structurally it makes the most sense as a thriller, its strength is undoubtedly in its ability to temporarily slow down the rhythm of time and then pull you into a place where anything seems possible. If your mind does not immediately reject it, you are in for quite a treat.

*Mondo Macabro’s Blu-ray release of Night Has a Thousand Desires is sourced from a new High-Definition transfer that was struck from the original camera negative.

Night Has a Thousand Desires Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jess Franco's Night Has a Thousand Desires arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro.

It is easy to tell that the release has been sourced from a recent master because density is very good. As it is typically the case with most Franco films from the 1970s and 1980s, however, there are some obvious fluctuations in terms of depth and clarity. The overwhelming majority are of course inherited -- the camera movement in Franco's films can be quite erratic at times and abrupt close-ups and quick zooms can create plenty of visual anomalies -- but there are also a few areas where it is easy to see that time has left its mark. For example, there is one very short segment with momentary color flutter, and another where some light fading traces pop up. Detail is good, but it appears that some very minor touch-up digital work has bend done to rebalance the image. This is the reason why in some areas the film looks slightly softer than it should, though it is very clear that Franco's chosen style also exacerbates some of the softness. Brightness levels can be better balanced, but there are no distracting anomalies to report. Overall image stability is very good. A few specks pop up, but there are no large cuts, damage marks, or torn/warped frames. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Night Has a Thousand Desires Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Sound is very important for the film's intended atmosphere. Fortunately, the lossless track does not disappoint. Indeed, the psychedelic sounds and noises and the music open up various segments (see the orgy segment) and never struggle with age-related imperfections. There are a few segments with some small balance issues, but they are typical for Jess Franco's films from the era. The English translation is very good.

Night Has a Thousand Desires Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Diabolical Mr. Franco - this archival documentary takes a closer look at Jess Franco's extraordinary diverse body of work. Included in it are clips from interviews with the cult Spanish director, Nigel Wingrove (Redemption Films), producer Daniel Lesoeur (The Hot Nights of Linda, Devil Hunter), and actor Michel Lemoine (Kiss Me Monster, Sadist Erotica), amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080i).

• Interview with Stephen Thrower - in this new video piece, film historian Stephen Thrower discusses Night Has a Thousand Desires and its production history. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080i).

• Trailers - a gallery of trailers for other Mondo Macabro releases.

Night Has a Thousand Desires Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

People like and dislike Jess Franco's films for a number of different reasons. I enjoy them because they tend to play with the mind in some very interesting ways. Sometimes the games can be underwhelming, but even when they are, quite often there is an element of surprise in them that I find refreshing. Night Has a Thousand Desires is a psychedelic mind-bender that has just about the right dose of craziness that in my opinion Franco's films need to be effective. I think that it is great to see in the wee hours of the night, and it looks quite nice on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.