Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Night Tide Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 8, 2020

Curtis Harrington's "Night Tide" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage audio commentary by the director and Dennis Hopper; exclusive new audio commentary by critic Tony Rayns; archival promotional materials; short films; and more.

Curtis Harrington's first feature film, Night Tide, made its high-definition debut in the United States via Kino Lorber in 2013. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see Casey Broadwater's review of the first release here.

Night Tide Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Night Tide arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a gorgeous 4K restoration. I was actually quite surprised to see how consistently good it is because there are hardly any noticeable density fluctuations -- depth, delineation and fluidity are simply terrific. (Screencapture #12 highlights the most prominent type of a density shift that I could spot on my system, and it is an irrelevant one). The grading job is equally impressive. The daylight footage has tremendous ranges of healthy nuances, while in the darker/nighttime footage shadow definition is as good as it can be. Needless to say, someone was very careful when the newly restored master was being finalized. Image stability is excellent. There are no age-related imperfections. (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). For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Night Tide 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 quality of the lossless audio track is reflective of the nature of the production. What does this mean? It means that the film's original soundtrack is so simple and casual that from time to time it feels like it recorded on the go. The dialog is very clean and easy to follow, but from time to time it does feel like the main protagonists converse in a hall with background music played by a chamber ensemble. But this is how the soundtrack was done, and these are the qualities that the lossless tracks reproduces.

Night Tide Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Night Tide. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Sinister Image: Curtis Harrington - presented here are two episodes from David Del Valle's series in in which Curtis Harrington discusses his past as an experimental filmmaker and his transition into genre cinema, the production of Night Tide and Roger Corman's 'help, his failed plan to cast Marlene Dietrich, his interactions and work with Simone Signoret (Games), the evolution of his career, etc. In English, not subtitled. (72 min, 720p).

• Harrington on Harrington - in this archival program, Curtis Harrington discusses what attracted him to do certain films and in what ways, his passion for cinema, the important lessons that Roger Corman taught him, the production of stylistic appearance of Games, etc. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 720p).

• Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials. (1080p).

• Commentary One - critic Tony Rayns discusses his acquaintance with Curtis Harrington, the director's career and the conception of Night Tide, the casting process, the thematic similarity to Cat People, the careers of selected cast members, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

• Commentary Two - this vintage audio commentary was recorded by Curtis Harrington and Dennis Hopper has appeared on previous releases of Night Tide, including Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release. The bulk of the comments address the shooting of different sequences at particular locations and the people that helped make the film.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Image Gallery - a large collection of promotional images and portraits. (1080p).

• Short Films - presented here are eight short films which Curtis Harrington directed at different stages of his career.
  
  1. The Fall of the House of Usher (1942). Silent. (10 min, 1080p).
  2. Fragment of Seeking (1946). With optional English subtitles. (14 min, 1080p).
  3. Picnic (1948). With optional English subtitles. (23 min, 1080p).
  4. On the Edge (1949). With music-only and music & effects soundtracks. (7 min, 1080p).
  5. The Assignation (1953). With optional English subtitles. (8 min, 1080p).
  6. The Wormwood Star (1956). With optional English subtitles. (10 min, 1080p).
  7. The Four Elements (1966). With optional English subtitles. (13 min, 1080p).
  8. Usher (2002). With optional English subtitles. (37 min, 1080p).
  

• Book - limited edition exclusive 80-page book featuring new writing on Night Tide by Paul Duane, Curtis Harrington on Night Tide and the short films, archival articles by Harrington on horror cinema, experimental films and the making of Picnic, an overview of critical responses, Peter Conheim on the restoration of Night Tide, and film credits.

• Cards - an exclusive set of five facsimile lobby cards.

Night Tide Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Recommending this upcoming release of Curtis Harrington's first feature film, Night Tide, is very, very easy. It is sourced from a gorgeous 4K restoration and has an entire bonus disc with eight shorts from different stages of his career. I personally am not a fan of his experimental work, but Usher for instance is a very interesting piece. If you do not reside in a Region-B country, you will be pleased to hear that the entire set -- including all bonus features -- is Region-Free as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.