Even before Alfred Hitchcock made his last film (the not altogether satisfying Family Plot), filmmakers were jockeying to fill his position as the master of the suspense film. Oscar-winning writer-director Robert Benton, after attempting a murder mystery in 1977 called The Late Show that was showered with praise but made very little money, jumped into the whodunit thriller pond once again with Still of the Night. This time, he didn’t get either critical or public approval, and the film was a considerable failure at the box-office. Time, however, has been kind to this Hitchcockian mystery. With three top flight stars and some deliciously effective suspense sequences, Still of the Night plays wonderfully well on a dark and stormy night, provided one can forget about some of the murkier psychological elements in the story that are downright laughable.
Studio: MGM
Distributed By: Kino Lorber
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: English
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1 Hr. 33 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
keep caseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 08/11/2015
MSRP: $29.95
The Production Rating: 4/5
Auction gallery supervisor George Bynum (Josef Sommer) is found murdered in his car, his throat slit after a vicious attack. One of the first people police detective Joseph Vitucci (Joe Grifasi) interviews is Bynum’s psychiatrist Dr. Sam Rice (Roy Scheider). Sam can’t tell the police much since he’s bound by doctor-patient confidentiality, but he does know that the gallery lothario was having an affair with his assistant Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep), and after the shy, jittery, chain-smoking blonde visits Sam to find out what he knows, he begins to think she might actually have committed the murder. Sam is drawn to the mercurial Brooke despite what he fears about her, and after a mugger is murdered after he takes Sam’s coat, the police are convinced someone is out to kill Sam because he may be on to the identity of Bynum’s killer.
Robert Benton not only directed but also provided the script and story (co-written with David Newman), and the whodunit aspects of the film are its strongest attributes. With genuine doubt planted into the audience’s minds about the guilt or innocence of Brooke Reynolds, the director is able to misdirect us with a series of outstanding suspense sequences which keep us constantly guessing. Two wonderful scenes are beautifully directed and outstandingly produced to generate some delicious “boo” moments for first timers: a creepy investigation around a dimly lit basement laundry room and the later nighttime walk through Central Park, both prime locations for suspense and fright to be heightened (the director throughout does very interesting things with sound and with silence often punctuating a quiet sequence with an unexpected blast of something). The script does unfortunately have some problems. A recounted dream that George had before his death leads to a ludicrous exploration of its meaning by Sam and his mother (Jessica Tandy), both psychiatrists, and this same dream is somewhat clumsily used as the framework for the film’s climactic chase scene once the killer is revealed. Despite those psychological missteps, though, the film features several other enjoyably tense sequences. Another nod to Hitchcock are two scenes at auction gallery Crispin’s as Sam slips away with Brooke’s keys to snoop through her office while Brooke is trapped taking bids on a Jackson Pollack painting over the telephone, terrific cutting back and forth as tension is ratcheted up, and a later sequence at the auction as Sam frantically tries to get Brooke’s attention as the police close in, both scenes making the movie’s third act very notable (with its nods to North by Northwest clearly delineated).
Roy Scheider makes a very good everyman protagonist, gamely if somewhat foolishly trying to investigate the mystery while oblivious to the very real danger surrounding him. Meryl Streep was roundly criticized at the time for her overly mannered portrayal as Brooke. Perhaps she does lay on the stammering and excessive hair manipulations a bit too thickly (she made this the same year she won the Oscar for Sophie’s Choice, and she had won an earlier Oscar under Benton’s direction in Kramer Vs. Kramer), but she’s such an interesting actress that she’s always a pleasure to study, even in her lesser performances. Jessica Tandy doesn’t get much to do as Sam’s mother dispensing maternal advice and psychiatric analyses by the bucketful, but Joe Grifasi does his usual sturdy job as the dogged police detective. Josef Sommer as the murdered man gives “jerk” a new dictionary definition in the numerous flashbacks of him that we see. Sara Botsford and Rikke Borge add color as other gallery assistants who figure into the mystery.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented faithfully in 1080p resolution using the AVC codec. Finally, we get a video transfer of this beautiful-looking film (cinematography by the Oscar-winning Nestor Almendros) worthy of viewing, its fascinating combination of sterile office and apartment scenes contrasted with the warm tones of the auction house and beauty of real New York City locations. Sharpness is outstandingly detailed throughout, and color is excellent, too, with lifelike skin tones. Black levels do vary a bit from occasional milkiness to deep blacks in some shadowy hallways and nighttime sequences. The movie has been divided into 8 chapters.
Audio Rating: 3.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix is a little anemic in places where dialogue doesn’t have quite the forcefulness it should (this was also a problem with the DVD-MOD issued by MGM five years ago). John Kander’s sparse but lovely score sounds fine in this typical-for its era mono mix, but be prepared to jump when some of those sound effects designed to take you by surprise occur. There are no instances with age-related hiss or crackle.
Special Features Rating: 1.5/5
Theatrical Trailer (2:06, HD)
Roy Scheider Promo Trailers (HD): Last Embrace (2:54) and 52 Pick-Up (1:44)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Still of the Night has always been an underrated thriller. While there are moments when its mystery seems a little convoluted and unconvincing, there are enough really special moments surrounding a generally intriguing whodunit to definitely consider giving it a try. Recommended!
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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