Night Train Murders Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Night Train Murders Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 17, 2015

Aldo Lado's "Night Train Murders" a.k.a. "L'ultimo treno della notte" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film and exclusive new video interview with actress Irene Miracle. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an exclusive conversation with director Aldo Lado. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The elegant woman

College students Lisa (Laura D'Angelo) and Margaret (Irene Miracle, Inferno, Midnight Express) board an overcrowded train to Verona to spend Christmas with Lisa’s family. Soon after, they are approached by two hooligans, Blackie (Flavio Bucci, Suspiria) and Curly (Gianfranco De Grassi, The Church), who begin teasing them. (Early into the film the two are seen robbing a man dressed as Santa). An older and very elegant woman (Macha Méril, Belle de jour, Mortelle randonnée) also joins the group after Blackie forces her to have sex with him in the restroom.

The girls manage to get away from the hooligans when the train stops somewhere in the countryside because of a bomb scare. Then they promptly board a different train, hoping that they will get to Verona on time for the Christmas celebrations.

The new train is very different -- it is dark, dirty and cold. But the girls are not intimidated, and after they eat the sandwiches they have brought with them, they decide to take a nap. This is where the film gets very bizarre. Blackie, Curly, and the elegant woman appear again and begin playing some really nasty games with the two girls.

Without going into any specific details -- I assume that if you are reading this review you are probably not familiar with Aldo Lado’s Night Train Murders and are trying to determine whether it is worth spending some time with -- I would like to say that there is a good reason why this film was once banned as a 'video nasty' in the United Kingdom. Indeed, it is quite graphic and, more importantly, it has an attitude that could very easily send a very wrong message to its audience.

The script is very uneven. The entire second half makes very little sense and the character transformations are quite simply unbelievable. This isn’t overly surprising, however, because it is very obvious that all of the controversial sequences are in fact intended to provoke specific reactions. As a result, the episodic climaxes feel very underwhelming and the film never really earns the respect of its audience.

Enjoying Night Train Murders is still possible, but it has to be approached with the right mindset. The film has a good period atmosphere and Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack makes a lot of the excess look far more stylish than it is. The acting is far from impressive, but it does not disappoint. Bucci and Méril are better than everyone else, but there are a few scenes where even they appear uncharacteristically stiff.

Lado lensed the film with Hungarian cinematographer Gabor Pogany, who is probably best known for his contribution to Vittorio De Sica’s La Ciociara a.k.a. Two Women. There is no groundbreaking material, but some of the more atmospheric footage from the second train is very good.

Note: Lado was Bernardo Bertolucci’s assistant director on The Conformist and Maurizio Lucidi’s The Designated Victim. Other popular genre films he directed are Short Night of Glass Dolls, Who Saw Her Die?, and Woman Buried Alive.

Night Train Murders Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Aldo Lado's Nigh Train Murders arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films.

The main issue here is a familiar one -- light scanner noise which has destabilized detail and clarity. Depth also suffers, though select close-ups with plenty of light could look rather decent. It appears that some additional digital work has been performed as well because at times the image also becomes smeary (see screencaptures #3 and 16). Contrast levels remain relatively stable. Colors are also stable, but it is quite obvious that the harshness and the digital adjustments have altered the balance between some of the blacks and grays. The good news here is that image stability is excellent. Also, there are no distracting debris, cuts, or stains. All in all, the film looks quite harsh and at times the smearing that is mentioned above could be distracting. The film certainly can look better, but a new master is needed to produce a proper Blu-ray release. My score is 2.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Night Train Murders Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional blue English SDH subtitles are provided for the Italian track.

I viewed the film with the lossless English track and liked it a lot. It is obvious that it has been remastered because depth and especially balance are very good. Stability is excellent as well -- the harmonica solos are very clean and with very good high frequencies (there are no distortions). The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow. You will notice some minor sync issues, but the transfer/restoration is not to be blamed for them. Indeed, the majority of the actors were overdubbed and the minor sync issues are actually inherited. (What I mean by issues is slightly uneven lip movement. The images and sounds are synced just fine).

Night Train Murders Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Strangers on a (Late Night) Train - in this new video interview, actress Irene Miracle (Margaret) explains how she entered the film business (after meeting Pier Paolo Pasolini and Michelangelo Antonioni), how she was offered her part in Night Train Murders, how she felt during the shooting of the disturbing rape scene, etc. In English, not subtitled. (22 min, 1080p).

• Further Adventures in Italy - Luigi Cozzi's La portiera nuda a.k.a. The Nude Porter (1976) was the second film actress Irene Miracle appeared in. In this bonus segment, the actress discusses the shooting of a few of the sexy scenes from The Nude Porter and her work with Stella Adler. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Trailer - original English-language trailer for Night Train Murders. Not subtitled. (4 min).

• Trailer - original Italian-language trailer for Night Train Murders. Not subtitled. (4 min).

• Leaflet - the leaflet features new conversation with director Aldo Lado. The conversation was conducted by Calum Waddell exclusively for 88 Films' Blu-ray release of Night Train Murders.

• Cover - reversible cover with original poster art for Night Train Murders. Please see the screencaptures included with our review.

• Card - collectible 300gsm original poster post dard.

Night Train Murders Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have very high expectations for 88 Films' Italian Collection. The British distributors have pre-announced some very interesting genre films that have never had decent home video releases and I can't wait to see how they transition to Blu-ray. The desire to produce beautiful Blu-ray releases is obvious, so I hope that the technical presentations will be just as impressive. Aldo Lado's Night Train Murders does not look as good as it should, but I think that 88 Films are already aware what type of quality their fans will expect from them. I wish them luck and I am looking forward to receiving the next two installments in the Italian Collection, Antonio Bido's The Bloodstained Shadow and Umberto Lenzi's Spasmo.