6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Four professional criminals kidnap the teenage daughter of a millionaire in order to extort money from him. Keeping her in an isolated location, their plans become derailed when their personal demons and greed lead to a series of betrayals that culminate in a furious and explosive climax.
Starring: Marlon Brando, Richard Boone (I), Rita Moreno, Pamela Franklin, Jess HahnDrama | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Hubert Cornfield's "The Night of the Following Day" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary recorded by the director; exclusive new program with critic Neil Sinyard; archival program with Joe Dante; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The Chauffeur
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Night of the Following Day arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
In the United States, Kino Lorber released The Night of the Following Day on Blu-ray in 2021. (You can see our review of the release here). This release is sourced from the same master that the folks at Kino Lorber worked with to prepare their release. The master is old and is supplied by Universal.
I revisited The Night of the Following Day earlier today and the only notable discrepancy that I could spot was during the opening credits, which are not windowboxed now. However, I did not think that the windowboxing was an issue on the previous release, and I am not bothered when it makes an appearance on other releases. (Another release that has it is this release of Black Sunday from Australian label Via Vision Entertainment). Even though the master has some obvious limitations, I think that it is quite nice. The most obvious limitations emerge during the shootout on the beach -- you will notice a few larger halo-like effects but they are inherited, not a byproduct of terrible digital adjustments (see screencaptures #23 and 24). If the film is properly restored in 4K, this footage will appear a lot tighter, with superior grain exposure, and the improved density levels will effectively minimize the halo-like effects. The rest of the film looks very good. Yes, there are various density fluctuations but the visuals have good organic qualities. They just look slightly dated, so the bigger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to conclude that the film could look a little better. Color balance is very convincing. However, saturation levels can be improved and some nuances, particularly in darker areas, strengthened. Some minor surface imperfections can be spotted, such as blemishes and small dark spots, but there are no warped or torn frames to report. All in all, even though the film looks slightly dated, I think that the current master has good organic qualities. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
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.
In our review of Kino Lorber's release of The Night of the Following Day, I mentioned that there are a few areas with minor but noticeable unevenness that does not appear to be inherited. The same unevenness is present on this lossless track. I do not find it distracting at all. However, if the audio is fully remastered, I am quite certain that it will be addressed. The dialog is always clear and easy to follow.
If Hubert Cornfield was French right now his film The Night of the Following Day would be considered a genre masterpiece. It is as stylish as some of the crime films Jean-Pierre Melville and Louis Malle made, perhaps even better than a few of them as well, which is why it needs a serious critical reevaluation.
After Kino Lorber released The Night of the Following Day in 2021, I did a couple of screenings of it for good friends, and yesterday I saw it yet again. I genuinely believe now that it is one of the best films Marlon Brando did, though I think it is fair to say that Richard Boone frequently overshadows him. The Night of the Following Day reminds me a lot about Andre De Toth's Day of the Outlaw, which was made a decade earlier and blends film noir and western aesthetics to build its atmosphere in a surprisingly similar, very effective manner. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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