Tonight's Movie: This is the Night (1932) - A Universal Blu-ray Review

THIS IS THE NIGHT (1932), an unexpected comedic delight, has just been released on Blu-ray by Universal.

I had never before seen this film, which has the selling point of being Cary Grant's very first movie. I was also induced to try it by the presence of the always-reliable Roland Young and Charlie Ruggles.

I was delighted to discover THIS IS THE NIGHT to be an amusing, creative Lubitschian pre-Code comedy. It's 80 minutes of fun -- and it even comes with the option to watch a color-tinted version rather than black and white.

THIS IS THE NIGHT is also interesting in that it veers surprisingly close to being a musical at times, with cleverly staged sequences such as the orchestral opening credits, followed by a scene in which Claire (Thelma Todd) loses her dress after the chauffeur (Irving Bacon) slams the car door on it.

That scene sets the tone for the movie, in which Claire is attempting to have an affair with Gerald (Young) while her husband Stephen (Grant) is competing at the 1932 Olympics.

Yes, it defies credulity that Claire would rather carry on with Roland Young than Cary Grant, whose character is an Olympic javelin thrower, but at the same time the nutty premise is part of the fun.

Stephen comes home early, and Bunny West (Ruggles) accidentally almost gives the whole game about Claire and Gerald away to Stephen. This leads to Gerald hiring a pretend "wife," Germaine (Lili Damita), thinking Germaine is an actress.

But no, Germaine is actually a respectable woman who is starving and needs a job. As they try to convince Stephen and Claire that they're lovingly married, Gerald and Germaine find themselves falling for one another for real.

THIS IS THE NIGHT is a very good time, especially a neatly choreographed sequence when the two couples are boarding a train bound for Venice. There are also some funny pre-Code double entendres - jokes about things like javelins will make adults chuckle while sailing over the heads of younger viewers.

I've never been a fan of Damita (see my review of GOLDIE GETS ALONG), but while an actress with more charm would have boosted the picture, she's adequate here.

The attractive Grant is almost a placeholder character; the movie really belongs to Young, Ruggles, and Bacon, who are all entertaining and hilarious. This might have been the best role of character actor Bacon's career.

I really enjoyed it all, including the unique staging by Frank Tuttle and the blue-tinted nighttime sequences filmed by Victor Milner.

The screenplay was based on a trio of plays by varied writers, but it all comes together and works to provide frothy entertainment with a satisfying conclusion.

The print isn't perfect but is quite nice for a film of this vintage, and I really appreciated the option to watch the film with the color tinting. The soundtrack is also fine.

The disc has no extras, other than the option of the two different prints. It does include English subtitles.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Universal for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. It may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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