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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (August 2021): Kino have transferred David Miller's Back Street to Blu-ray. It is a supremely lush, Eastmancolor, Ross Hunter-produced, melodrama. The 1080P exports the rich colors with vivid intensity. Primaries are deep - dominated by dark, royal blues. The aspect ratio is 2.0:1 and the visuals show heavy grain and - it can border on saturation in many scenes, but the overall look is very impressive. Contrast is likewise rich with very deep black levels that accentuate the abundant color expression. There is frequent depth countering the heavy textures. It looks very appealing in 1080P with only minor inconsistencies.   

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On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (16-bit) in the original English language. Back Street has only a few aggressive scenes - a car crash, plane noises, but mostly parties, social gatherings... and romance. What is notable about the film is the hyper-dramatic score by Frank Skinner (Shenandoah, Written on the Wind, Canyon Passage, Magnificent Obsession, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, All That Heaven Allows, and The Naked City)  that establishes moods and heightening emotion. Kino offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by David Del Valle and David DeCoteau. The two Davids do a wonderful job infusing anecdotes, minutia and production details. They discuss this being the third film version of Fannie Hurst's 1931 novel, they talk about Jean Louis's spectacular gowns, Ross Hunter, the sets, the film's nuances, the Stanley Cortez cinematography, a lot on Susan Hayward, John Gavin, Vera Miles and Virginia Grey. Del Valle really was the perfect choice for a commentary on Back Street. I learned a lot and enjoyed it. There is also a trailer for the film prefaced by "Mastered in HD from the best available film and audio elements." There are also 6-trailers for related films.  

David Miller's Back Street is another Ross Hunter 'weepie' with a sweeping score, gorgeous costumes and a stormy romance of the rich and the beautiful. It's hard not to compare as a lesser-nuanced Douglas Sirk masterpiece like All That Heaven Allows. (also with brief support from Hayden Rorke - aka Dr, Bellows.) The leads, Hayward, John Gavin, however, don't have a lot of shared screen time as the love-birds have limited opportunities to be together - as Del Valle states "probably accentuating their desires". They don't make films like Back Street anymore. The Kino Blu-ray is quite appealing with the jaw-dropping color palette exported impressively in 1080P, the dramatic score in lossless and a superior example of this delightful tear-jerker genre. Plus we get the essential double-David commentary. This is strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze