With The Night Porter, I might be in the minority, but despite a good premise and set-up, I found this to be utterly dull and boring to the point where I nearly dozed off a time or two. For sure the performances by Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling were fantastic but the pacing was slow and on the whole, I just didn’t find it very engaging.
The Night Porter: Criterion Collection
(1974)
Genre(s): Drama
Criterion Collection | NR – 118 min. – $39.95 | December 9, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Liliana Cavani Writer(s): Liliana Cavani & Barbara Alberti & Amedeo Pagani (story), Liliana Cavani & Italo Moscati (screenplay) Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti, Giuseppe Addobbati, Isa Miranda DISC INFO: Audio: LPCM (DTS-HD MA 1.0) |
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PLOT SUMMARY
In this unsettling drama from Italian filmmaker Liliana Cavani (Ripley’s Game), a concentration camp survivor (CHARLOTTE RAMPLING) discovers her former torturer and lover (DIRK BOGARDE) working as a porter at a hotel in postwar Vienna. When the couple attempts to re-create their sadomasochistic relationship, his former SS comrades begin to stalk them. Operatic and disturbing, The Night Porter deftly examines the lasting social and psychological effects of the Nazi regime.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5
Women of the Resistence (49:56; HD) – This is a 1965 documentary composed of interviews with female partisans who survived the German invasion of Italy.
Liliana Cavani (8:33; HD) is an interview, conducted by Criterion in Rome in 2014, with director Cavani as she talks about the various aspects of making The Night Porter.
Inside is a fold-out booklet with an essay and Q& with Cavani.
VIDEO – 4.5/5
The Night Porter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the Criterion Collection and this 1080p transfer, from the original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio, looks great providing sharp details and rich, natural-looking, colors. There’s a fair amount of noise but it’s not overabundant and the transfer itself appears free of debris and scratches.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
The LPCM Mono track provided showcases the clear dialogue levels as well as the wonderful score by Daniele Paris. It’s an obvious upgrade over any previous release which, from what I can tell, might only have been VHS or more recently, On Demand.
OVERALL – 3.25/5
Overall, with The Night Porter, I might be in the minority, but despite a good premise and set-up, I found this to be utterly dull and boring to the point where I nearly dozed off a time or two. For sure the performances by Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling were fantastic but the pacing was slow and on the whole, I just didn’t find it very engaging. Criterion’s Blu-ray release at least is amazing between the audio and video transfers while the documentary is well worth a watch.
Published: 12/13/2014