Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Night Passage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 14, 2017

James Neilson's "Night Passage" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and other vintage promotional materials. In English or German, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Grant McLaine

There are a lot of interesting stories about how this film got made, and if even half of them are true then it is probably fair to say that plenty of people that contributed to it knew from the get-go that it would not turn out to be special. For example, the only thing that apparently kept Jimmy Stewart on board was the fact that his character was a gunslinger who would never lose sight of his favorite accordion, which provided the iconic star with a great excuse to show off his performing skills. Also, Anthony Mann, who was initially considered to be in charge with the project, reportedly walked away from it because he wasn’t convinced that the script was good enough, and it is said that it was this exact decision that consequently irreversibly damaged his relationship with Stewart. James Neilson was brought over to direct only after it was made clear that Mann wasn’t interested and had already shifted his attention to an entirely different project.

The film is set against the backdrop of the Westward Expansion as large construction camps emerge across the railroad tracks where workers, aspiring businessmen and all sorts of shady opportunists are trying to coexist. Stewart is Grant McLaine, a loner who visits these sites and makes ends meet by playing his accordion in front of anyone that is willing to throw a few dimes at him. He is also a man who knows how to kill, which is why he is approached in Colorado and offered a lucrative deal: If he agrees to transport $10,000 in payroll money to a construction site that has become a target for the Whitey Harbin gang, he will be paid a nice fee for his service that could help him turn his life around. McLaine agrees to do the job and soon after jumps on the train that would take him to his final destination. However, it quickly becomes clear that Whitey Harbin’s men already know the exact day that the payroll money will be transported and have prepared for another robbery.

It is really difficult not to compare Night Passage to the great westerns that Stewart made during the 1960s, and unfortunately the closer one examines these films, the clearer it becomes that Mann was right to stay away from it. There is a lot here that simply does not gel, and even with Stewart working hard to make it look legit the end result remains average at best.

The entire film relies heavily on two character transformations to build up the drama and infuse the story with a classic western flavor that would make it attractive. McLaine quickly emerges as a man with a long and possibly dark past but by the time he boards the train it is already painfully obvious how his personality would evolve and the rest of the film basically ends up confirming the inevitable. The other character is the Utica Kid (Audie Murphy), who also has a troubled past, and during the robbery is expected to make some ‘crucial’ decisions to redeem himself. The climax, however, is so predictable and so transparent that it essentially becomes yet another inevitable formality.

After the train leaves the camp there are some spectacular panoramic vistas from the American countryside, but regrettably nature’s beauty remains the film’s biggest strength.

The energetic soundtrack was created by Oscar-winning composer Dimitri Tiomkin, whose credits include such legendary westerns as The Alamo, Red River, and High Noon.

Night Passage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, James Neilson's Night Passage arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media.

I found the technical presentation quite frustrating. It is pretty obvious to me that at some point Night Passage must have been remastered because the entire film looks very stable and clean (there are a few very tiny specks, but none of the scratches, marks, and stains that older transfers typically have). The color palette is also very impressive -- there is a very nice range of wonderfully saturated primaries and a variety of healthy nuances. Frankly, in terms of color balance and stability there isn't anything to be unhappy with. Unfortunately, someone appears to have applied a gentle filter over the entire film to make it look 'cleaner' than it should. This is work that was almost certainly done over at Universal as Explosive Media never do digital corrections on these types of catalog releases -- and it was the wrong decision because if I had to guess I would say that the unfiltered master probably looks a lot like the one that Universal has for Rollercoaster, possibly even better. I believe so because because there are actually rather large portions of the film where the visuals are still quite good, but the larger your screen is, the easier it will become for your to spot the flatness that begins to emerge during panoramic shots and some darker nuanced footage. All in all, this is certainly a stronger presentation of Night Passage than what DVD has to offer, but as far as I am concerned it does not have the consistent organic appearance that I believe it should. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play on your player or PS3 regardless of your geographical location).

Night Passage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The excellent lossless English track is another reason why I believe that Night Passage was remastered. I thought that dynamic movement was outstanding for this type of period western and balance as good as one can expect it to be. Dimitri Tiomkin's energetic soundtrack also sounds great. Most importantly, however, there are absolutely no traces of age-related anomalies. Great lossless track.

Night Passage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• U.S. Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Night Passage. In English, not subtitled.

• Aartworks - original promotional materials for Night Passage from around the world. With music. (3 min).

• Promotional Stills - original studio promotional stills for Night Passage. With music. (2 min).

• Sleeve - reversible sleeve.

Night Passage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't dislike Night Passage and actually think that rather large parts of it are incredibly beautiful, but I believe that folks that have argued over the years that it was made from a pretty average script are right. It is a very uneven film and on top of this it plays safe with its characters in a way that essentially forces the viewer to remain indifferent. There are a few sequences where Jimmy Stewart shines, but the truth is that there are far better westerns in his filmography. Explosive Media's Blu-ray release is sourced from a master that was delivered by Universal which is also quite uneven. It offers a much better technical presentation of Night Passage than DVD does, but I think that ideally the film should look heather. RECOMMENDED only to hardcore fans of Jimmy Stewart, and until a better release emerges on the market.