This Is the Night (1932) Blu-ray Review – Cary Grant’s film debut on Blu-ray

Cary Grant is a Hollywood legend. He starred in so many great films during his career, from slapstick comedies like Arsenic and Old Lace to thrillers like Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest. These genres and all point in between. Now wonder he scored the #2 spot on the male actor stars on their 100 Years 100 Stars list.

But his career has to start somewhere. Of course, it started with a name change. He went from Archibald Leach to Cary Grant. In 1932, he made his film debut in Paramount Pictures' comedy This is the Night. Now Universal Home Entertainment has released this film on Blu-ray

Synopsis: This is the Night is a sparkling comedy of sexual innuendo and amorous infidelity. Claire (Thelma Todd) plots to rendezvous with her lover Gerald (Roland Young) in Venice for the weekend. When her husband Stephen (Grant) returns home unexpectedly, plans are hastily rearranged for a group outing joined by Gerald's pal Bunny (Charlie Ruggles) and Germaine (Lily Damita), a penniless woman hired to pose as Gerald's wife. Soon, Germaine finds herself ardently pursued by all three men while Claire tries to hide her jealousy.

This is the Night is a fun little film with great performances by Thelma Todd, Lili Damita and Charles Ruggles. Cary Grant shines in his feature film debut. But he hated this role so much. He felt that the man accepting the unfaithfulness of his wife so calmly was unbelievable. So strongly did he feel about this after seeing the film that he decided to quit the movie industry. Thankfully, his friend Orry-Kelly talked him out of it. Otherwise, we would never have got to see him in his best films.

Universal Home Entertainment has transferred this film to Blu-ray in 1080p and is presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

I have to say I was extremely impressed with the quality of this Blu-ray transfer. This picture is sharp as a tack, and I didn't witness any damage to this picture. There are no digital artifacts or audio anomalies. It is completely free of picture specking or debris, and there is zero hiss or popping on the audio track.

Now, as for the bonus features found on this Blu-ray. There is not only the classic black and white feature, but there is also the color-tinted version of the film. This tinted-version is not too much different from the original. All-in All the bonus features are a bit underrwhelming.

This is the Night is more than just a classic comedy film. This is a historical film, as it is the feature film debut of Cary Grant. So if you love the films of Cary Grant as much as I do than yoy will want to add this film to your collection. Head over to MovieZyng or Amazon and order your copy of this Blu-ray today. 

Out of 4 films reels (4 being the best) the Blu-ray of This is the Night receives.....