Night After Night Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Archie Mayo
USA 1932

Screen greats George Raft (Spawn of the North) and Mae West (She Done Him Wrong) star in the Pre-Code drama Night After Night, about a speakeasy owner with a colorful past. Joe Anton (Raft), an ex-thug intent on losing his street-smart manner, hires a proper spinster named Mabel (Alison Skipworth, The Song of Songs) to accompany him and Miss Healy (Constance Cummings, The Battle of the Sexes) to dinner at his swanky establishment. Complicating matters, his flamboyant ex-girlfriend, Maudie Triplett (West), breezes over to their table and innocently begins to expose Joe’s past. Making her screen debut, Mae West delighted audiences with her wit, beauty and charm, thus launching her career as one of the most unforgettable Hollywood icons of all time. Co-starring Louis Calhern (The Magnificent Yankee) and wonderfully directed by Archie Mayo (The Petrified Forest).

***

It seems strange to find the stately Mae West playing a jolly character called Maudie Triplett, and even stranger to find her fourth in the cast list, but after all this was her first film. Her scenes are few, yet she throws so much into them that the leading players in this comedy drama (cool Constance Cummings and icy George Raft, the Archie Andrews of gangsters) momentarily fade into oblivion. They soon come back, though, along with the muddled story (from a novel by Louis Bromfield) about a speakeasy proprietor's love for a Park Avenue dame.

Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 29th, 1932

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:13:45.421
Video	1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,584,024,075 bytes Feature: 21,032,122,368 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.30 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,584,024,075 bytes Feature: 21,032,122,368 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.30 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson • Night After Night Trailer (02:39) • 6 Mae West Trailers Blu-ray Release Date: June 29th, 2021 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (July 2021): Kino has transferred many Mae West Films, including Archie Mayo's Night After Night, onto Blu-ray. This is a single layer Blu-ray disc, with the 1.33:1 1080P image boasting a very high bitrate. The detailed image benefits from a strong contrast ratio, giving much more depth to the black & white picture. The 1932 film still shows a little damage in some scenes or frames, typically a vertical line or hair-like scratch. These instances of wear and tear are thankfully not too distracting if and when they appear. When compared to the older SD DVD version, one can spot many advancements in picture quality, thanks to this newer Blu-ray's 1080p HD presentation. Note how in the first comparison cap below the subtitle, the gentleman's lower suit jacket appears as a thick uniform black nothingness in the DVD presentation, now look at how much more is visible. It is these new details (and contrast) that make this Kino Blu-ray a worthy upgrade.

NOTE: We have added 50 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Night After Night was originally released in 1932, so it's all the more impressive that Kino's 16-bit DTS-HD Master audio track sounds as crisp as it does. Dialogue only sounded muffled and muddied once or twice, while the picture's energetic stock music and sound effects are quite lively. Though uncredited, some familiar tunes make appearances, with Richard Rodgers' “Isn't It Romantic” and “Mimi” played at the speakeasy and bar. Bert Kalmar's “Everyone Says I Love You” is also there in the background. This is a Region 'A' Blu-ray from Kino Lorber with optional English subtitles.

The main draw of Kino's new Blu-ray release of Night After Night is a new audio commentary with film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson. The two begin their commentary by discussing how Mae West's appearance later in the film basically solidified her as a star. This is of course West's first Hollywood role, and I found it intriguing to hear later in this commentary that her character Maudie was further developed in the short story as being Joe Anton's old pimp (with Anton being a former gigolo). Heller-Nicholas and Nelson have a great repartee, while discussing West and her career, as well as this picture and its unique place in Pre-Code Hollywood. I absolutely recommend this commentary track to anyone curious about West or pre-code Hollywood in particular. The only other extras on the Kino Blu-ray are the film's (must-see) trailer as well as other Mae West trailers.

Mae West certainly does make an appearance! Over 30-minutes into this (already entertaining) gangster/romance picture comes West's Hollywood debut, and it is a knockout. Fans will absolutely love the commentary track with film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, and I highly recommend checking out the Night After Night trailer that is also included on Kino's Blu-ray. Highly recommended.