Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Night of the Following Day Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 24, 2023

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

Note: The text below was initially used in our review of Kino Lorber's North American release of The Night of the Following Day, which was produced in 2021.

I made three guesses while viewing Hubert Cornfield’s The Night of the Following Day, and all three turned out to be very poor, though for different reasons. Twice I tried to predict where the film was heading and how it would end, and twice I missed by a wide margin because I could not profile the main characters right. I found this very odd and a day later saw the film again, just to be sure that I did not miss crucial clues that I could use as an excuse for my misses. But I did not discover any. The final poor prediction is easier to explain because approximately fifteen minutes into the film I already knew exactly what had happened. I will tell you why later.

The film opens up at the airport in Paris where the Chauffeur (Marlon Brando) picks up the Girl (Pamela Franklin) in a spotless black Rolls-Royce. But as soon as they exit the area and go on the highway, the Chauffeur pulls over and a stranger from another car, Leer (Richard Boone), quickly jumps in the Rolls-Royce, sits next to the Girl, and while she screams forces her head between his legs. Somewhere in the countryside, the Girl is then transferred to another car driven by the Blonde (Rita Moreno), while another man, Friendly (Jess Hahn), takes the Rolls-Royce away.

Soon after, the group arrives at a secluded beach house, where Leer explains to the Girl that she has been kidnapped but will not be harmed if she follows his instructions. Together they record a message for her father (Hugues Wanner), a wealthy industrialist, and the Chauffeur and Friendly go to work to deliver it. They do it while using public phones at different locations so that the police can’t track their location. While the ransom money is being withdrawn from the bank and then prepared according to the kidnappers’ instructions, the entire group gathers at the beach house.

For a while, the perfect plan to get rich quickly seems to be working exactly as intended, but then the kidnappers begin to second-guess each other and it quickly becomes clear that they will not be able to function as a team.

Three-thirds of The Night of the Following Day quite easily could have been directed by Jean-Pierre Melville because his classic gangster films emphasize minimalism and atmosphere in much the same way the two are utilized before the crucial resolution. This is essentially the formula behind the ‘cool’ that makes Melville’s films unique. However, in The Night of the Following Day there is a bit of psychedelic kink as well, which happens to be the key reason I could not guess correctly where the film was heading. Cornfield does not allow it to erode the film’s identity, but there is enough of it to ensure a few important developments that ultimately make the resolution impossible to predict.

The other unexpected curve ball emerges from Stanley Myers’ soundtrack, which undergoes a quick and fascinating transformation. Indeed, by the time the Girl’s father is contacted, it already feels like Myers is attempting to outdo the legendary soundtrack Miles Davis delivered for Louis Malle’s directorial debut, Elevator to the Gallows. Admittedly, Cornfield does not use the music as well as Malle does to strengthen the suspense, but the quality of the material and performances is undoubtedly of the same caliber.

The beach shootout and Brando’s performance there are enough to certify The Night of the Following Day a cult film. Willy Kurant lenses the entire sequence as if it was meant to appear in a classic American western, not a contemporary gangster film about a perfect kidnapping gone terribly wrong.

*Apparently, Stanley Kubrick had acquired the rights to Lionel White's novel The Snatchers and planned to use it to shoot his directorial debut. However, for several different reasons he had to abandon the project, and instead began working on The Killing.

The Night of the Following Day 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, 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).

The Night of the Following Day 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.

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.

The Night of the Following Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Rita Moreno in Conversation - in this archival conversation, actress Rita Moreno discusses her career and shares a few hilarious stories. The best ones feature Marilyn Monroe. The conversation was filmed at the BFI Southbank in London on March 3, 2013. In English, not subtitled. (63 min).

• Neil Sinyard: Dangerous to Know - in this exclusive new program, critic Neil Sinyard discusses the conception and style of The Night of the Following Day. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Commentary - a very interesting archival audio commentary with director Hubert Cornfield, who discusses in great detail the conception of The Night of the Following Day, its production, reception, etc. This commentary was also included on Kino Lorber's release of The Night of the Following Day and I enjoyed it a lot, so if you like the film, listen to it in its entirety.

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Night of the Following Day. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Trailers From Hell - an archival episode of Trailers From Hell with Joe Dante. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for The Night of the Following Day.

• Booklet - a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Jeff Billington, archival interviews with director Hubert Cornfield, and stars Marlon Brando and Rita Moreno, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and technical credits.

The Night of the Following Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.