Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Twilight Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 26, 2022

Robert Benton's "Twilight" (1998) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with editor Carol Littleton; exclusive new program with film music historian Daniel Schweiger; exclusive exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Alain Silver and James Ursini; exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Alexei Toliopoulos and Blake Howard; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Harry Ross

At the center of Robert Benton’s Twilight is an interesting story. It is about an aging detective who has had a rough life and learned to live with the consequences of various mistakes he made in years past. The story is also about the reappearance of an old secret and relationships that have become too complicated. It is the type of story that could have made a very nice film noir if it was available during the 1950s or even the 1960s. Paul Newman plays the detective and is surrounded by some equally impressive actors, like Gene Hackman, James Garner, Susan Sarandon, and M. Emmet Walsh.

In 1966, Newman appeared in Jack Smight’s Harper, which is a similar film about a private detective whose personal life is in disarray, a secret, and some intricate relationships. Like Twilight, Harper was also set in LA and shot in color. Curiously, like Twilight, Harper got the era that would have been perfect for its story wrong as well. (Instead of being set in the 1960s, Harper should have been set in the 1940s). In Harper you will see some great actors too, but virtually all of them are at the top of their game. It is why Harper turned out to be a very good film.

I wanted to link Twilight and Harper because I feel that the former could have been a very good film, too. There is some quality material in it and bits of it even have a proper neo-noirish ambience, but it is seriously mismanaged. The rest of the material routinely creates the impression that the stars are failing to connect as they should. Needless to say, Twilight can be awkward to watch because the majority of it looks like a collection of extracts from a very long and very unnecessary audition that was staged for an imaginary jury that lost interest in it and somehow forgot to terminate it.

What is even more awkward, however, is that all of the older actors look, well, very, very old. Twilight does not need to exude tremendous energy to work as it should, but it needs actors capable of convincing that their presence in it is justified. (The trick that creates cinematic magic is still the same. With a terrific performance, the obvious line that separates the actor from the character is erased and the former temporarily becomes the latter. But a terrific performance requires proper energy). It pains me to write it but Newman, Hackman, Garner, and Sarandon never look like they have the energy to be fully in control of their characters. They just utter their lines while drifting through different sequences until Twilight reaches that crucial point where Newman’s detective connects a few crucial dots and shortly after the past and present of his employer are properly aligned.

Benton worked with a screenplay that he co-wrote with Richard Russo (Nobody's Fool), so he should have delivered a much more convincing film. However, it is hard to imagine that he could have had this more convincing film done with the current cast. Simply put, the chemistry between the ‘twilight actors’ isn’t happening for multiple reasons. Many of them can indeed be traced back to the screenplay, but as odd as it may sound some of these great actors are also not right for the parts they were cast to play.

Twilight looks good, but you will easily come to the conclusion that had Piotr Sobocinski (Red) shot it in black-and-white it would have looked magnificent.

Twilight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Twilight arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an old and unfortunately pretty weak master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. The bulk of the visuals look quite harsh and delineation is far from convincing. Clarity and depth fluctuate and are rarely satisfying. It is true that there is plenty of outdoor footage where strong natural light tends to exacerbate various issues, but this master has limitations and traces of digital corrections. Colors are stable, but the overall balance is problematic. For example, a lot of the lighter supporting nuances are very weak and in some areas even collapse (see screencapture #6 and 18). Saturation can be improved as well. On top of this, various halo-like effects pop up and further destabilize balance. Darker areas range between acceptable and problematic, but most are clearly missing plenty of native nuances. Image stability is good. I noticed various minor dark spots and blemishes, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, the existing master does not have the qualities to ensure a pleasing organic presentation of the film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Twilight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5,1 track. Clarity and sharpness are very good. I thought that dynamic intensity is pleasing as well. I did not encounter any areas with age-related anomalies either. There were a few spots where I felt that perhaps balance could have been a bit better, but it is very difficult for me to tell whether the lossless track was responsible for them. Can the audio be improved with a brand new remix? Probably, but at the moment I must speculate that all improvements will be cosmetic enhancements.

Twilight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Reflecting on Noir" - in this new program, editor Carol Littleton explains how she entered the film business as an editor, the important relationship she had with editor/producer/director Richard Einfeld, Robert Benton's personality and working methods, and her involvement with Twilight. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• "Elmer's Twilight" - in this new program, film music historian Daniel Schweiger discusses the unique qualities of the soundtrack Elmer Bernstein created for Twilight. There are some general comments about Bernstein's career and political views as well. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Alain Silver and James Ursini. The two gentlemen discuss the stylistic identity of Twilight, Paul Newman's character and the type of noirish drama he becomes involved with, the contributions from the rest of the excellent cast, Robert Benton's direction, etc.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Alexei Toliopoulos and Blake Howard. The bulk of the comments addresses the film's noirish personality, critical reception (with some good comments about Roger Ebert's take on the film), the glamorous cast, and the main reasons the film may or may not work as intended.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage theatrical trailer for Twilight. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - 60-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by critics Walter Chaw and Pater Galvin.

Twilight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Twilight was supposed to be that great final genre film in the filmographies of its iconic stars that critics and scholars would love to describe as their swan song. Unfortunately, the crucial connection between its noirish material and the swan harmonies is quite unconvincing, often even problematic. I am sad to say that Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, and James Garner, even the significantly younger Susan Sarandon, simply do not look very good before Robert Benton's camera. There are a few bits of quality material, but the film is seriously underwhelming. Via Vision Entertainment's release is sourced from an old and regrettably quite poor master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. It is included in After Dark: Neo Noir Cinema Collection One, a six-disc box set.