6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A concentration camp survivor discovers her former torturer and lover working as a porter at a hotel in postwar Vienna. When the couple attempt to re-create their sadomasochistic relationship, his former SS comrades begin to stalk them.
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti, Giuseppe AddobbatiDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Liliana Cavani's "Il portiere di notte" a.k.a. "The Night Porter" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival documentary film and exclusive new video ineterview with the Italian director. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by scholar Gaetana Marrone, author of The Gaze and the Labyrinth: The Cinema of Liliana Cavani, and an excerpt from a 1975 interview with Cavani. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
"It can end for you at once... if you go to the police."
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"Supervised by director Liliana Cavani, this new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative and a 35mm interpositive. Thousnads of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt and jitter. The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX3.
Transfer supervisors: Liliana Cavani, Lee Kline.
Colorist: Massimo Gubinelli/Technicolor, Rome.
Additional scanning: L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna."
I was very pleased with the Region-B release of The Night Porter, which used a restoration of the film that first appeared through Wild Side Video in France. Criterion's presentation is fairly similar. The improvements in detail and clarity are just as impressive, with the darker footage in particular looking very strong (this is the area with the most dramatic improvements, though it has to be said that the old R1 DVD release of The Night Porter is so problematic that there are massive improvements in terms of clarity and depth throughout the entire film). The prominent greens, blues, and grays are retained, but on this release there is a wider range of reds and browns (you can see the difference if you compare screencapture #9 with screencapture #8 from our review of the Anchor Bay release). During the flashbacks, the heavy greenish tint is also retained (see screencapture #17). Brightness levels are slightly elevated here, or on the Anchor Bay release they are slightly toned down (compare screencapture #2 with screencapture #15 from our review of the Anchor Bay release). As far as I am concerned, the obvious discrepancies are noticeable during the darker footage -- the encoding is better and on the Criterion release grain is certainly better resolved. During well-lit close-ups the difference is also easy to see, especially if one views the film on a large screen (see screencapture #3). There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, and scratches have been carefully removed. There are no stability issues. All in all, while similar to Anchor Bay's presentation, Criterion's presentation of The Night Porter is the one I prefer. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
Depth and clarity are excellent. The moody oboe and violin solos also sound wonderful (there are no distortions or balance issues). The dialog is crisp, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or distortions. Unlike the Anchor Bay release, this release comes with optional English SDH subtitles, which some viewers may find helpful.
Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter is a fascinating and exceptionally bold film reminiscent of Luchino Visconti's legendary The Damned and Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist. It is the type of film that can no longer be made. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is a fantastic upgrade of the very problematic R1 DVD release. I am convinced that viewers will be thrilled with the technical presentation. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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