NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (March 2020): Kino have transferred another Marlene Dietrich film; René Clair's The Flame of New Orleans to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The 1080P shows significantly more information in the frame - notably on the left edge, top and bottom. It varies from scenes to scenes but surprising how much was lost on the SD transfer. Grain textures are well supported - its has the same damage marks as the SD but the higher resolution. The black and white image is a shade 'lighter' but has more layered contrast. Overall it looks very pleasing in-motion.

NOTE: We have added 28 large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio and score by Frank Skinner (Naked Alibi, The Appaloosa, Madame X, Magnificent Obsession, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, All That Heaven Allows, Thunder Bay, and The Naked City). This is augmented by What's the Matter with Father played during the opening credits reprised at the 'Oyster Bed Cafe'. AS well as Charles Previn and Samuel Lerner Salt o' the Sea sung by Andy Devine, Frank Jenks, Eddie Quillan and Joe Devlin and Sweet Is the Blush of May played on piano and sung by Marlene Dietrich. It sounds clean - not an abundance of depth but jovial and suits the film experience. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray has an audio commentary by author/film historian Lee Gambin and actress/film historian Rutanya Alda. Her acting credits, impressively, include The Deer Hunter, Garrett & Billy the Kid, The Long Goodbye, The Panic in Needle Park, and Rosemary's Baby among others. Lee discusses the delightful Frank Skinner score, cinematographer Rudolph Maté, writer Norman Krasna, director René Clair and the iconic Marlene Dietrich. About 1/4 hour in Rutanya has some comments about 1800's Nawlins', René Hubert's costume design lavish gowns, Dietrich's appearance, her Max Factor make-up, gold flecks sprinkled in her hair, how she was notorious for going to be with her leading men (and three Kennedys!), and her magnetizing personality. Rutanya talks about the comedic timing and many of the bit players. Lee returns at the 1/2 hour mark... and Rutanya takes over later.  All very interesting and revealing. There is also a trailer for The Flame of New Orleans, and for a handful of other films.

The Flame of New Orleans is grandiose production cinema that vintage-era film fans relish. René Clair's genre mixture of musical, comedy, romance and adventure has a lot to love - primarily, for many, Dietrich adorned in some breathtaking costumes. She may not be at her most intense here but her hypnotic allure is in full gear. It's a fun 'old' film - great to watch on a Sunday afternoon - I am very happy to own on Blu-ray... with the commentary. Absolutely recommended to the right crowd.

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVD: This is a shade grainer than most others in the collection and still looks exceptional considering the age of the film and its single layered DVD transfer production. Clear audio and plenty of optional subtitles give this a universality to be shared with many. This is a reasonably priced DVD (as are all in the collection) and is a must-own for the patient fans who have anticipated these releases.     

Gary W. Toozz