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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (May 2020): Kino have transferred Leslie Norman's The Night My Number Came Up to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and looks very strong in 1080P. There are a few speckles but contrast is upper tier with pitch black levels and excellent shadow detail. The image is extremely clear with depth present - it is in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio and the HD presentation is very pleasing in-motion.

NOTE: We have added 56 more 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 track (16-bit) in the original English language. We have an abundance of plane engine sounds but nothing is overly aggressive carrying substantial depth - this is more in-line with the film production than the audio transfer effectiveness. There is a score by Malcolm Arnold (The Captain's Paradise, The Holly and the Ivy, Tunes of Glory, No Highway in the Sky. The Bridge On the River Kwai, Island in the Sun, Stolen Face, Hobson's Choice) and it adds another layer of suspense and mystery. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a wonderful new commentary by film historian Samm Deighan who does an excellent job in trying to define a genre for The Night My Number Came Up. I learned about 'film blanc' which is a kind of bridge from fantasy-element features that couldn't be described as outright horror films - and were often comedies or musicals. She makes some great analysis quoting from two books; Celluloid Saviours: Angels, Deus Ex Machina and Reform Politics in Hollywood Film by Emily Caston and Giving Up the Ghost: Spirits, Ghosts, and Angels in Mainstream Comedy Films (Contemporary Approaches to Film and Media Series) by Katherine A. Fowkes. Samm mentions may of the other interesting fantasy films from Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death to many others - more in the comedy vein. She makes the case that these were popular as they helped people accept their mortality - especially during the war. Her commentary goes to mentioning war-camps, Ealing, Leslie Norman, Denholm Elliott and significantly more. I found it extremely interesting - great job Samm! There is also an HD theatrical trailer.

I loved The Night My Number Came Up. It was akin to a full-length, British, Twilight Zone episode. It's a film with constantly building suspense, great performances and multi-layered themes regarding fear, death, premonition - forcing you to question your own response if thrust into that situation. The Kino Blu-ray is a keeper for me with a chilling and rewarding film experience plus the Samm Deighan commentary. Strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze