Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Night Has a Thousand Eyes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 13, 2023

John Farrow's "Night Has a Thousand Eyes" (1948) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Tony Rayns; new audio commentary by critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme; two vintage radio plays; archival promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

A pitch-black night. The lights from the train station have made it easier for the man (John Lund) to run, but it seems like he has lost precious time. He stops, looks around, and then picks up something from the ground. He is at the right spot, searching for something -- or someone. A little further ahead, after he picks up what appears to be an abandoned purse, the man finally sees what he has been looking for. It is a woman (Gail Russell), quickly going up the nearby overpass. He rushes after her and moments later, as she leans over to jump off in front of an approaching train, he pulls her back and she collapses in his arms.

Later on, as they prepare to leave the train station with his car, the woman asks her savior to put the top up because she is terrified by the stars above.

In the city, the man and the woman enter a chic nightclub and in a quiet corner meet an older man (Edward G. Robinson) smoking a cigarette. The woman instantly recognizes him and, while looking at her savior, declares: “That’s how you know”. The man with the cigarette then invites the couple to join him and begins telling them a fascinating story.

For years, the man with the cigarette made ends meet as a cheating clairvoyant. He had two partners -- a woman who assisted him on the stage, and a man who would look after their finances -- that followed him across the country. Together they had crafted a brilliant act that had people convinced that the man with the cigarette can dig deep into their past and predict their future. They did not make a lot of money, but there was plenty of work and they never struggled.

Then one day, while performing on the stage, the man with the cigarette became a real clairvoyant -- he could see what was yet to happen, and he could tell exactly when it would happen. At first, he was perplexed by his newly acquired skill, but later on nearly lost his mind because he was able to see precisely when his own life would come to an end. In a desperate attempt to prove that his mind was simply playing tricks on him, he abandoned his act and walked away from his associates, but his terrifying new skill remained with him.

It is how eventually the man with the cigarette was able to see that the young woman before him would die prematurely on a night full of stars. It is why he contacted her friend, too. He wanted to help prevent the tragedy. Can he really prevent what is meant to happen? He has thought of a plan that may work, must work, but he needs help executing it. And why does he want to help the girl stay alive? She is the daughter of his former partner, the woman who helped him do his act while he was still a cheating clairvoyant, with whom he was once madly in love and wanted to spend the rest of his days.

John Farrow’s cinematic adaptation of Cornell Woolrich’s novel has the stylish appearance of a classic film noir but produces suspense that would have been perfect in an old-fashioned thriller inspired by one of Agatha Christie’s brilliant novels. Indeed, without the excellent period footage from LA, it probably would have been impossible not to profile as a Victorian thriller.

The film’s pacing is immaculate. Even though the flashbacks easily could have caused some unevenness, there isn’t a single frame of footage that is wasted. Immediately after the opening credits disappear, the film chooses a direction and then heads toward its final destination without any hesitation. While this may sound like an obvious blueprint, it actually isn’t. The story the film tells has a lot of very particular twists and turns which together with the overlapping that is introduced by the flashbacks quite easily could have pulled it in opposite directions at the same time.

Robinson is brilliant and leads throughout the entire film, but he needs Russell’s solid performance because without it the legitimacy of the story would be impossible to replicate. Lund does a fine job with his character, but his contribution isn’t as easy to praise.

Farrow worked with cinematographer John F. Seitz, who lensed such masterpieces as Double Indemnity, Sullivan's Travels, The Lost Weekend, and Sunset Boulevard.

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

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Night Has a Thousand Eyes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from the same master that the folks at Kino Lorber worked with to produce this release in 2021. The master was supplied by Universal Pictures.

Even though there is room for meaningful improvements, I quite like how the film looks in high-definition. For example, despite sporadic density fluctuations, delineation and depth range from good to very good. There is quite a bit of indoor and darker footage that reveals fine nuances as well. Yes, there is some noticeable crushing but it never becomes distracting. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections, so even the visuals with the most obvious density fluctuations still look very filmic. Image stability is good. However, if in the future the film is fully restored several transitions will be strengthened to look even better. This is an improvement that will undoubtedly have a positive effect on fluidity as well. Some specks, scratches, and blemishes can be seen, but there are no large cuts, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

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

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

The audio track can use some careful cleanup work but I think that the improvements will not affect clarity, depth, and sharpness. They are quite good, often even very good, and the cosmetic work will only eliminate the occasional background hiss that sneaks in. Dynamin intensity is good for a film from the 1940s. There are no distortions or audio dropouts to report in our review.

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

• Trailer - a vintage theatrical trailer for Night Has Thousand Eyes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Suspense: 'The Man Who Thought He Was Edward G. Robinson' - an archival radio play that targets Edward G. Robinson's personality and style with some good old-fashioned witty humor. It was originally broadcast on October 17, 1946. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Screen Directors Playhouse: 'Night Has a Thousand Eyes' - presented here is an archival radio adaptation introduced and directed by John Farrow, and starring Edward G Robinson and William Demarest. It was originally broadcast on February 27, 1949. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Between Heaven and Earth - in this new program, critic Tony Rayns discusses Night Has a Thousands Eyes. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme.

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials.

• Booklet - limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Jill Blake, archival interviews with actors John Lund and Gail Russell, an archival profile of screenwriter Jonathan Latimer, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.

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

My impression is that John Farrow constantly attempted to bend all sorts of different genre rules to produce unique cinematic thrills. Admittedly, I have not seen all of his films because some are quite difficult to track down, but I have seen enough to declare that his 'experimental work' was very effective. Men in Exile, The Saint Strikes Back, Alias Nick Beal, and Plunder of the Sun come from different periods in Farrow's career, but reveal the exact same type of narrative and stylistic flexibility that makes his work exciting. Night Has a Thousand Eyes is another example that supports this short description of Farrow's modus operandi. Indeed, it has the stylish appearance of an early film noir, but frequently behaves as a twisty Victorian thriller that could have been inspired by one of Agatha Christie's famous novels. I like it a lot.

Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release is sourced from the same master that the folks at Kino Lorber worked with to produce the North American release of Night Has a Thousand Eyes a couple of years ago. However, it has exclusive new and archival bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.