Remember the Night Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Remember the Night Blu-ray Movie Review

It Happened One (Christmas) Night.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 6, 2014

Has it started yet? Oh come on, you know what it refers to: the incessant, unavoidable onslaught of holiday themed movies that start populating the broadcast airwaves and cable coaxials at virtually the same moment that the last trick or treater retreats to his or her sugar induced coma after Halloween. It's a Wonderful Life. A Christmas Carol. A Christmas Carol. A Christmas Carol. Scrooge (AKA A Christmas Carol). Or, just for a bit of titular variety A Christmas Story. Of course this barely begins to scratch the top of the veritable icicle, and chances are there’s at least one evergreen (sorry) that might be a personal favorite that isn’t mentioned in that cursory list. But the idea remains the same, as indeed does the “set list” of films that occupy this small screen season every year. It’s somewhat akin to a Christmas card which caught my fancy several years ago. On the cover, an image from an old advertisement of a June Cleaver 1950’s housewife type, replete with perfectly coiffed hair, designer dress, apron and (of course) a string of pearls, screamed in horror at some unseen menace, probably something along the lines of “waxy yellow build up” or the like. Upon opening the card, the simple inscription “No more Christmas music!” was emblazoned in a festive script. There’s something undeniably comforting about the predictability of the multimedia assault the accompanies this time of the year, but there’s also something just as undeniably repetitive that brings with it a certain sense of ennui and maybe even boredom, instead of the hoped for nostalgia. And so for those wishing on a Christmas star for something a bit unusual, TCM Vault’s new release of Remember the Night may help to fill that void. Filmed in 1939 but released (perhaps a bit oddly, considering its Christmasy setting) in January 1940, this Preston Sturges penned and Mitchell Leisen directed piece of fluff has the requisite story of (minor) sin and salvation, wrapped up in a fun tale of a shoplifter and the Assistant District Attorney assigned to prosecute her for her crime.

Lee Leander (Barbara Stanwyck) doesn’t look like your typical shoplifter. After all, she’s rather decorously decked out in a luxe mink coat and mink hand warmer, but she evidently isn’t quite smart enough to stuff her jewel encrusted wrist into the muffler to hide the fact that she’s just walked out without paying for the bracelet. In a quick scene that plays mostly without dialogue, she walks quickly away from the store and then evidently goes into a pawn shop, where the owner instantly recognizes the item is purloined, and locks Lee inside.

The wheels of justice evidently turned a lot faster circa 1939-40, for within mere minutes Assistant District Attorney John Sargent (Fred MacMurray) is interrupted at home as he prepares to leave for his mother’s home for the Christmas holiday, informed that he needs to handle Leander’s prosecution post haste. (This scene has some potentially offensive stereotypes with regard to John's black butler, played by Fred 'Snowflake' Toones.) That sets up the meeting between John and Lee, in a somewhat raucous court scene that does not exactly ring with authenticity. Sturges invests the scene with a manic proclivity (especially with regard to Lee’s rather verbose defense attorney). Typically convenient plot machinations get the trial delayed until after Christmas (so that John doesn’t have to deal with salvation minded jurors, who might acquit) and then, in the film’s single biggest slice of suspending disbelief, a road trip shared by John and Lee as John attempts to get Lee to her mother’s for Christmas.

The road trip angle and that Night in the film’s title may remind some viewers of another “night” film, Frank Capra’s immortal It Happened One Night. Remember the Night lacks Capra’s ebullience, offering instead a somewhat more trenchant tone that is typically Sturges-esque, albeit perhaps not quite as provocative as the auteur would become once he started directing his own scripts (Remember the Night was the last time another director helmed a Sturges written film). This is especially evident with regard to Lee’s kind of prickly demeanor, one whose genesis is at least hinted at in a rather devastatingly sharp scene with her mother (Georgia Caine), who is not exactly brimming with the milk of human kindness when her errant daughter walks through the door.

That aspect is countered by a more Hollywoodized schmaltzy element once Lee accompanies John to his home, which is much more functional and loving. It should come as no surprise that romance begins to blossom between the pair, and there’s an especially nice moment between John’s mother (the wonderful Beulah Bondi) and Lee where Mom urges the erstwhile thief not to ruin her son’s chances at a stellar career in law enforcement (or at least prosecution). There’s a subtle but urgent tugging at the heartstrings here that Sturges’ inherent cynicism can’t quite pull off, and which may in fact have kept this film from entering the traditional canon of holiday themed fare.

Fred MacMurray famously opined that his next film with Stanwyck, Billy Wilder’s inimitable Double Indemnity, was one of the few major films he made where he was required to actually act, but Remember the Night shows what an affable, if somewhat lightweight, presence he was in relatively undemanding roles. Stanwyck carries the bulk of the film’s performance fireworks here, nicely outlining Lee’s tough exterior (something at which Stanwyck excelled) and (naturally) vulnerable emotional tenor. The film also benefits from a typically superb Golden Age supporting cast, which includes such stalwarts as Tom Kennedy and even a young Sterling Holloway.

Remember the Night isn’t exactly the forgotten masterpiece that TCM’s press hype makes it out to be, but it’s a resolutely charming and enjoyable film that offers just enough of a holiday ambience to make it a suitable diversion to all those other films you’ve seen a million times already.

Remember the Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Remember the Night is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the TCM Vault Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.35:1. Despite this being a Paramount film, that "presented by Universal" may give deep catalog lovers pause, especially when added to Robert Osborne's comment that Universal supervised the restoration of the film, but this is by and large a good looking transfer, albeit with some anomalies. The typical barb aimed at Universal's treatment of a lot of catalog material, the over aggressive use of digital noise reduction, is not as prevalent here as in some other releases, though there has apparently been both digital clean up and noise reduction applied. While grain is evident (spiking appreciably in things like dissolves), there's a just slightly digital look to this presentation, though it should be stated that there is still some noticeable damage as well that wasn't just obliterated willy-nilly with a preset digital paintbrush. For example, a small but recurrent (and at times persistent) scratch toward the center of the frame is still evident throughout much of what would have been the first reel. Contrast and clarity are both excellent, and in fact blacks are really luscious throughout the presentation (take a gander at MacMurray's jet black hair in some of the early courtroom shots, where it looks like it must be shellacked under a pound of Pomade). On the whole this is a pleasingly if not spectacularly sharp looking transfer, with some midrange shots lacking a wealth of detail (see screenshot 19).

Remember the Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Remember the Night's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track is a bit shallow sounding, especially with regard to some of the music, but dialogue comes through just fine. There's light but noticeable hiss in evidence, especially in quieter moments, and an occasional pop, but nothing very dramatic. Fidelity is very good, though dynamic range is quite limited.

Remember the Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Trailer (1080p; 1:49)


• TCM Archive Interviews (1080p; 5:19) feature Art Director Henry Bumstead and Actress Constance Moore.


• Publicity Stills (1080p; 2:00)


• Scene Stills (1080p; 6:40)


• Behind the Scenes Photos (1080p; 1:00)


• Movie Posters (1080p; 1:00)


• Lobby Cards (1080p; 00:40)


• TCMDb Article


• Biographies include entries on Preston Sturges and Mitchell Leisen.


• Trivia


• Robert Osborne Introduction (1080p; 2:06) leads directly into the film when selected. The film itself can be played without the introduction by selecting Play Movie.

Note: TCM has authored this disc without a Pop Up Menu.

Remember the Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Remember the Night is a charming entry in the holiday film sweepstakes, and perhaps its most winning asset is the fact that it hasn't been done to death—yet. Sturges' acerbic wit is very much on display here, with a lot of snappy banter and throwaway lines, and if MacMurray is a bit on the bland (if affably so) side, Stanwyck is her usual firecracker self, taking Lee on a rather noble journey of reflection and self- discovery. This is on the whole a very good if not perfect presentation of the film, and Remember the Night comes Recommended.