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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (February 2021): Kino have transferred Helmut Käutner's Port of Freedom to Blu-ray. A screen prefaces the film; "For the original release of Port of Freedom (Die Grosse Freiheit No. 7), two separate negatives were shot and edited: one for release within Germany and one for export to other markets. In 1944, government censors halted the German release, but allowed the film to be shown abroad. Prints struck from the export negative have been preserved, but the negative itself no longer survives. The other negative, presumably for the German release, has survived in the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv. In terms of content, the German version does not differ significantly from the export version. The original German negative was the basis for this 4K restoration in 2017-18. Two rolls of negative were badly damaged and these sections have been replaced with footage from a print. The audio was derived from the sound negative. Color reference was a postwar print struck from the Bundesarchiv negative."

The 1080P image quality is very strong having an earthy/green hue that works for the film. There is some very nice contrast layering and healthy textures. It is only on a single-layered disc but has s supportive bitrate and the visuals look stable and pleasing in-motion. There may be a speckle here and there but nothing fatal.

NOTE: We have added 37 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 (16-bit) in the original German language. Not strong effects but a score by Werner Eisbrenner (1943's Titanic), and there are quite a few musical pieces performed, and sung, by Hans Albers and another, 'Beim ersten Mal, da tut's noch weh', sung by Hilde Hildebrand. This sounds clear but unremarkable in the lossless. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Olaf Möller - he did the commentary on Kino's Blu-ray of Black Gravel. He extols the director Helmut Käutner who cared about the zeitgeist ('a concept from eighteenth- to nineteenth-century German philosophy, meaning "spirit of the age". It refers to an invisible agent or force dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history' - Wikipedia.) Käutner did a lot of TV work after Black Gravel (made 17-years after Port of Freedom) appearing to be ahead of his time. There are quite a few long gaps where he lets complete scenes run. When he does talk it is usually informative and he isn't afraid to give his opinion. It is informative and I enjoyed listening to him - his English is acceptable but with an occasionally trying accent.

Helmut Käutner's Port of Freedom is an interesting film and the commentary helped me appreciate the director even more. I would love to see his 1956 film The Captain from Köpenick and The Rest Is Silence from 1959. I didn't enjoy Port of Freedom as much as I did Black Gravel but I am glad to have watched it with the hypnotic Ilse Werner, plus learning more about this director. The Kino Blu-ray offers the restored presentation and a commentary. Absolutely recommended!

Gary Tooze