ADDITION: Studiocanal (2025) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (October 2025): Studiocanal have re-released Marcel Carné's Le Quai des Brumes (Port of Shadows) to Blu-ray. This 2025 edition features a new 4K restoration presented in 1080P at the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, reconstructed from the film's incomplete original negative combined with a 1938 standard nitrate fine grain, with color grading referencing a vintage 35mm nitrate print to capture Eugen Schüfftan's (The Hustler, People on Sunday, Eyes Without a Face) atmospheric cinematography and Alexandre Trauner's (The Apartment, Witness for the Prosecution, Rififi) set designs. This results in sharper close-ups, a more even and healthier grain structure, and enhanced grayscale, making the fog-shrouded visuals more immersive with improved detail and cleanliness, though some native fluctuations - like softer or grainier footage and uneven transitions - persist due to source limitations, explaining minor quality variances between scenes as noted in the disc's introductory text. Overall, it's a solid upgrade from prior editions, with a darker, more foreboding atmosphere, the ratio distortion corrected and more consistent textures honoring the film's age.

NOTE: We have added 62 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

The 2025 Studiocanal Blu-ray offers French and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks, with the primary French mono presentation delivering very good clarity, stability, and dynamic range, ensuring Maurice Jaubert's (Hotel Du Nord, Le Jour Se Leve, L'Atalante, Drole de Drame, Truffaut's The Green Room,) haunting score and Jacques Prévert's poetic dialogue come through with healthy highs and minimal thinning in select spots. Transitions are seamless, and the audio avoids revealing the reconstruction's patchwork nature, maintaining immersion in the port's ambient sounds and melancholic atmosphere. Optional English subtitles are excellent (French and German also optional), providing accurate and idiomatic translations that enhance accessibility without detracting from the film's raw emotional delivery. The Studiocanal Blu-ray is Region "B"-locked.

This edition bolsters its appeal with a thoughtful array of supplements vintage and new, including the 2025 hour-long documentary "The Poetry of Misfortune", which delves into Jacques Prévert's legacy and the film's creative process through interviews with academics, writers, and collaborators. We get the repeated 6.5 minute "Introduction by Ginette Vincendeau", where the King's College London professor and French cinema expert contextualizes the film's status and key elements. "On the Dock" runs 3/4's of an hour, exploring Marcel Carné's direction, Trauner's designs, and the film's initial reception; and the new, 4-minute "Alternate Credits" , a rediscovered sequence created by producer Grégor Rabinovitch (Tell Me Tonight) amid fears of censorship by French or German authorities during the Occupation era, as highlighted in the disc's on-screen notes.

Marcel Carné's Le Quai des Brumes (Port of Shadows) stands as a cornerstone of French poetic realism, a cinematic movement that blended gritty social observation with lyrical fatalism. Directed by Carné (Children of Paradise) with a screenplay by Jacques Prévert (The Crime of Monsieur Lange,) the film stars Jean Gabin (Hi-Jack Highway, Touchez Pas Au Grisbi, French Cancan, Razzia sur la chnouf, Speaking of Murder aka Le rouge est mis, La Grande Illusion, La bête humaine, Le Jour Se Leve) as Jean, a disillusioned army deserter; Michèle Morgan (The Chase, Naughty Girl, Passage to Marseille) as Nelly, a vulnerable young woman; Michel Simon (Blanche, La Poison, Not Guilty, Beauty of the Devil, La Chienne, Boudu Saved from Drowning, The Head) as Zabel, her enigmatic guardian; and Pierre Brasseur (Eyes Without a Face, Spotlight On A Murderer, The Love of a Woman) as Lucien, a petty gangster. Adapted from Pierre Mac Orlan's novel, the story unfolds in the fog-enshrouded port of Le Havre, capturing a brief, doomed romance amid a milieu of outcasts and criminals. This work not only solidified Carné's reputation but also encapsulated the pre-World War II zeitgeist of despair and disillusionment in France. StudioCanal's 2025 Blu-ray of Le Quai des Brumes stands as a definitive home video release for Marcel Carné's poetic realist masterpiece, offering a commendable 4K-sourced restoration that elevates the visual and auditory experience while respecting the film's inherent limitations, paired with enriching extras that illuminate its production turmoil, cultural impact, and enduring themes of fatalism and human ambiguity. It outshines previous editions, earning high marks for its faithful presentation and making it an essential addition for fans of French cinema and film noir precursors that reaffirms the timeless allure of this pre-war gem. 

***

ADDITION: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray (August 2019): The presentation starts with: "This film was restored by La Cinematheque French and Studiocanal with the support of the Franco-American Cultural Fund

The Quai des Brumes has a difficult start. Adapted from Pierre Mac Orlan's novel by Jacques Prevert, the scenario is controlled by the filmmaker before filming. The film is then cut by the producer, Gregor Rabinovitch, who asks Marcel Cané to remove everything that is "dirty at the declaration of war, in September 1939, the film is banned because judge" immoral, depressing and unfortunate for the youth ". However, the Organizing Committee of the Cinematographic Industry, created in August 1940, allows the film to appear on the screens of January 1941. Thus, the film, although so well received by the public when it was released in May 1938, has been manipulated several times. The original negative is incomplete. Fortunately, a preservation element shot in 1938 allowed to reconstitute a version closer to the editing prepared by Marcel Came before the release of the film in theaters."

The restoration of the image consisted of cleaning the original negative and obtaining a new preservation element, which was scanned in 2K and completed by the 1938 print. The calibration was established thanks to a vintage copy. The sound has been restored from the original negative sound and the original mono format has been respected. "

Kino Lorber transfer the classic French film "Port of Shadows" on a dual-layered Blu-ray. The 1080p image has a maxed-out bitrate accompanying the film. This would seem to be from the exact same source as the Studiocanal Blu-ray since aside from the Kino looking darker and having a much stronger bitrate, the captures look identical. French title cards precede the film (see above).

Not only is the picture quality similar, to my ears this is the exact same 16-bit DTS audio track that appeared on the Studiocanal Blu-ray.

Once again we are treated to the "On the Port of Shadows" extra (46:03 Hardcoded English subs), as well as the introduction from professor Ginette Vincendeau. The professor describes this picture as one of the best films of the period, and a true classic of French cinema, thanks in large part to the large team of talent assembled for the shoot. 

Studiocanal had a lovely package back in 2012 with their Region 'B' Blu-ray of "Port of Shadows aka Le Quai Des Brumes", and this 2K Kino Lorber Blu-ray is no different. The extras are also here, and the image is slightly improved thanks to a slightly darker image and stronger bitrate. If you have passed on picking up this classic film before now, don't hesitate.

Colin Zavitz

***

ADDITION: Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (October 2012): The restoration has removed some of the scratches that appeared on the Criterion DVD - but being darker it has a tendency to obscure some of the detail. Side-by-side the Criterion does look marginally boosted and I think the darker, thicker 1080P image is probably more accurate to the original. I was initially on the fence but watched scenes from both toggling back and forth and the Blu-ray transfer has none of the artifacts that the SD has. It looks like Criterion did the best with what they had. I did get the feeling some of the Studio Canal may have been over-digitized. The hi-def did look better in-motion but the brighter Criterion image does have some attributes.

Audio gets the lossless treatment on the Blu-ray and this is clearly an advancement but the extras are the most significant bonus in favor of the European disc. Supplements include an excellent 45-minute video piece entitled On The Port Of Shadows with optional subtitles. We also get an introduction to Le Quai Des Brumes by Ginette Vincendeau, Professor and Film Critic running 7-minutes in English a well as a 10-minute piece Restoring Le Quai Des Brumes about the extent and details of the improvement. The package is a Digibook with images and text on the movie written by Vincendeau.

the extras are a significant selling feature and the restoration has many positives even if you are sensitive to some of the digitization. I'd still recommend!

***