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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (October 2021): Kino have transferred Alexander Hall's Torch Singer to Blu-ray. It is on a single layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate for the 1 1/4 hour film. Like the 2009 DVD, part of Universal's Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, there are plenty of speckles and surface scratches - in almost every frame. There is also some warping (distortions in the final frame of scenes) but the source density seems fine with solid black levels. The 1080P contrast and textures raise it above SD. Despite the extensive speckling, it is very watchable in HD.   

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

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Torch Singer has no aggressive moments but a score by Ralph Rainger (City Streets, 1932's A Farewell to Arms) - this includes Give Me Liberty or Give Me Love, Don't Be a Cry Baby, It's a Long Dark Night, and The Slumber Boat sung by Claudette Colbert at a nightclub or on the radio program. The audio only suffers only marginally from its age and is exported relatively cleanly via the lossless. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Kat Ellinger. She discusses the maturity of Torch Singer, it's Pre-Code themes of illegitimacy, the un-judged protagonist's complex sexual history, she talks about Claudette Colbert - her personal insecurities about her looks (only wanting to be photographed on her left side when possible) and plenty about some of the other performers, the depression-era fairy tales, like Torch Singer, and what was going on at the studios at the time of production. She covers a lot of ground. There are also trailers but none for Torch Singer.   

Claudette Colbert's Torch Singer is a wonderfully honest and open Pre-Code film dealing with a rarely-addressed topic. We have a morally compromised protagonist navigating her life to the best of her abilities, using her femininity and street-smarts with her maternal instincts eventually eclipsing her misbegotten albeit successful lifestyle (carousing, drinking etc.) to be the focus of her life. It's quite above-average and the Kino Blu-ray provides a solid upgrade over SD and the valuable Ellinger commentary. There is a lot of like about this package. Certainly recommended to Pre-Code era and Claudette Colbert fans - she shines in this.

Gary Tooze