CLASH BY NIGHT (1952) (Warner Archive Blu-ray Review)

CLASH BY NIGHT (1952)

Label: Warner Archive 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 104 Minutes 59 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS HD-Master Audio Dual-Mono 2.0 with Optional English Subtitle 
Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.37:1)

Director: Fritz Lang 
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe

The Fritz Lang (The Big Heat) directed adaptation of the Clifford Odets' stage play Clash By Night tells the sordid tale of Mae Doyle (Barbara Stanwyck, Sorry, Wrong Number), a woman returning home to Monterey, California after ten years away, returning home penniless after a decade long stint with a married man that didn't end up the way she wanted. Showing up on the doorstep of her brother Joe (Keith Andes, Blackbeard, the Pirate), he seems not overly pleased to see her, but gives her a place to stay. 

Mae is reserved but strong willed and and not a bit old fashioned, she does however crave the security and comfort of being taken care of, which lands her in the arms of big-lug fishing captain Jerry D'Amato (Paul Douglas, Panic in the Streets), and they end up marrying and having a kid, despite the fact that Mae told him upfront she was no good and would probably be unhappy and prone to leave. Jerry's a nice guy and a bit thick, so much so that he cannot see or won't acknowledge that his newly divorced pal, the misogynist Earl Pfeiffer (Robert Ryan, The Boy with the Green Hair) is clearly after his wife, and she for him, drawn to his cocksure ways, and she ends up two-timing Jerry, but when Jerry threatens to keep the kid she's left to make a decision. 

Odets' stylized wordplay from the stage play at times makes for stagey dialogue but it worked for me, Stanwyck is a force of nature and her delivery is super-tasty, even when fast-talking some chunky verbal zest, the same can be said for Ryan as the overly confident Earl, their scenes together are dynamite and their sexual tension palpable. Notable side characters include Mae's bother's girlfriend Peggy (Marilyn Monroe, Some Like It Hot) in an early role, Jerry's sweet lush of a father (Silvio Minciotti) and his conniving deadbeat uncle (J. Carrol Naish, Dracula vs. Frankenstein) who attempts to goad the kind-hearted brute into committing a murder.

If I had to lay a critique it's pretty tame by modern standards but was probably pretty sizzling for it's era. This love triangle melodrama is gorgeously shot, superbly acted and deftly directed, and this attractive HD presentation is an easy recommend for anyone curious about it. 

Audio/Video: Clash By Night (1952) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Warner Archive in 1080p HD, sourced from a new 2023 HD Master from 4K scan of the original camera negative, framed in the original 1.37:1 full frame aspect ratio. Its a gorgeous B&W presentation with lush, organic film grain, strong contrast and inky blacks that highlight the moody noir-inflected cinematography of Nicholas Musuraca (The Cat People). Audio comes by way of uncompressed English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. A perfectly solid track that is clean and free of hiss or distortion, argumentative dialogue comes through nicely as does the moody score from Roy Webb (Notorious). 

Archival extras include a terrific  Audio Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich that features archival interview excerpts from director Fritz Lang he recorded while interviewing him in 1965; its a typically engaging commentary from the late Bogdanovich; there's also a 2-min Original Theatrical Trailer. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a sleeve of artwork featuring the original film poster artwork. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich (featuring archival interview excerpts from director Fritz Lang)

- Original Theatrical - Trailer (2:25) 

Screenshots from the Warner Archive Blu-ray: 

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