Color of Night – 2-Disc Edition

Summary

“To deny red, is to deny emotion… and you know that can be very dangerous.”

Color of Night was a critical and commercial misfire upon its release in 1994. Somehow the film has continued to have a devoted group of fans that enjoy the film and have helped the film to be released on VHS, DVD, and now twice on the Blu-ray format. How is it that this film has managed to still inspire fans to purchase the latest format of the film ever few years? The film has its own unique charms and its own unique failings that set it apart from the other thrillers released in the Nineties. I hope that I can illuminate why some still enjoy this movie when it has many obviously bad ideas.

In New York, a suicidal woman, Michelle (Kathleen Wilhoit) almost decides to kill herself, but instead she goes to therapy. Her therapist, Dr. Bill Capa (Bruce Willis) is a bit harsh with her and tells her that she should look in the mirror the next time she thinks about her hatred of other things. She decides to take her own life by jumping through the window and falling to her death. When she hits the pavement, the sight of her very red blood causes the therapist to lose his ability to see the color red. The red fades to grey. Bill heads to Los Angeles to clear his head. He meets up with his old friend, therapist Dr. Bob Moore (Scott Bakula) who has written a book called “Way to Go.” Bob invites him to sit in on his group session. The group of five is made up of several different personality types. Sondra (Leslie Ann Warren) is a kleptomaniac and nymphomaniac. Clark (Brad Dourif) is obsessive compulsive. Buck (Lance Henriksen) lost his wife and kid and has not come clean about how. Casey is an artist and goes to therapy to keep his parents paying for his expensive lifestyle. Richie is a schizophrenic struggling with an inability to speak to others and some anger issues. Bob has done very well financially thanks to sales from his book and after his divorce has started seeing a new woman. The only thing that is not going right in his life is that he fears somebody in his group is out to murder him. Inside his office Bob hides his patient history notes in the slipcover of a Van Gogh art book. The killer – face unseen, dressed in a hoodie – has a knife attached to their knuckles. The killer stabs the doctor to death. Bill meets with Lieutenant Martinez (Ruben Blades) and explains that there are four patients and one killer. Lieutenant Martinez asks Bill to break the news of the death to the group. While on the road a beautiful woman bumps into his car. She introduces herself as Rose (Jane March.) He takes her number and info. At the group meeting, he breaks the news of Bob’s demise to the group. After protesting and explaining his recent dilemma in New York, Bill agrees to take over the group. The lieutenant warns him to not get too involved with the patients because one is the killer. When Rose stops by his house, Bill agrees to take her to dinner. As his romance with Rose evolves, his life is in perpetual danger from leading the group. He is compelled to figure out who in the group is the murderer while group members begin getting murdered.

So – the plot of the film and the dialogue are not honestly as bad as one might think, but the film can not overcome its largest failing: Anybody who watches the film is going to figure out who in the group is involved in the killings within about a half second. This one fact about the film destroyed any chance the film had of a good critical reception. Therefore, in order to enjoy the film, this can’t be a deal killer. This is a tremendous hurdle to overcome because the film is meant to be a mystery. I actually debated for awhile whether or not it was a failure to translate from page to screen or if it was simply a bad writing choice. Regardless – it makes the whole film feel a bit ridiculous because all of these characters are interacting with someone and not recognizing them despite a very prominent characteristic that should be a dead giveaway.

As a fan, I think it’s okay for me to just come out and say it – this film is pretty cheesy. The music in the film amplifies this fact with its Kenny G style sax playing. One notorious sex scene in the film inexplicably edits in a scene of paragliders outside the window if that says anything. For myself, it made the film more entertaining and fun to revisit. The film was given so many Razzies that a good sense of humor will not hurt the enjoyment of the film. The style of the film is very much of its time (early Nineties.) I love the way that Los Angeles looked in the Nineties and this film showcases that style with all of the architecture in the film and the costume design.

One of the reasons that this film has been enjoyed by many for the last twenty five years is the actress Jane March. The beautiful British actress made many young men like me infatuated with her. She has a pretty smile and an exotic look that set her apart. The film also features her in a sex scene that was voted by Maxim as the best sex scene of all time. Watching the film, it is hard to not blush at the very long sex scenes in the film. I am not kidding when I say that this movie is probably the closest that a mainstream film came to emulating a soft core porn. It’s flabbergasting that the studio thought this would work for a theatrical release, but it is not at all surprising that the film was one of the most rented films of 1995. The cast is pretty stacked with solid actors. Bruce Willis is good in the main role, although whether or not people wanted to see him in very long sex scenes or not is debatable. I personally thought he did well in the role, although he was nominated for a Razzie, so opinions vary. The supporting cast is stacked with excellent actors. Brad Dourif, Lance Henriksen, and Ruben Blades are all well cast. I also really liked Scott Bakula in his supporting role. He has always struck me as an underutilized actor with good screen presence.

When the film was released it courted a good amount of controversy because the film was released by the Walt Disney Company backed Hollywood Pictures. The film also caused an argument between producer Andrew Vajna and Richard Rush over which version of the film to release into theaters. Vajna pared the film down to two hours and fired Rush over Rush’s 139 minute cut. Vajna’s versionwas savaged by critics when it was released into the theaters. Interestingly, Rush retained the rights to the home video release and therefore his 139 minute cut was the only version available on home video until now. Which brings me to one of the most interesting things about this new Kino Lorber release – Kino managed to release the Theatrical Cut of the film which director Richard Rush has not wanted to be released. I don’t know how they pulled that off, but the fans of the Theatrical Cut will be glad to see it on Blu-ray. The Director’s Cut is definitely the better film, but completists will be satisfied.

The only disappointing aspect of the new Kino Lorber release is that the film has not received a new video transfer. This is a shame because the film could really use some added clarity. Fans expecting that a brand new release of the film would finally update the dated look of the original Blu-ray will be saddened that it looks essentially the same.

At the end of the day, Color of Night is a ridiculous B-movie that has plenty of style and a plot that I enjoy. It is not a “good” movie, but it is a movie that I enjoyed revisiting.

Video

Presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio with an MPEG-4 AVC Encoded image, the presentation of Color of Night is sadly still very dated looking and soft. Honestly, when I purchased the film I had assumed that a new transfer had been done from at least a new 2K scan, but this is sadly not the case. The film has been cleaned up some by Kino, but it is still not up par. The cinematography by Dietrich Lohmann is enjoyable, but it would look so much better with an uptick in fine detail and color. This is not going to please any of the fans of the film, but this is all that is available. If Kino or anyone else decides to release from a new scan, I will be ready to check it out. For those who own the older Mill Creek release, the lack of a new transfer may not compel a new purchase.

Audio

The audio presentation on Color of Night has been improved by including a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track for both the theatrical and director’s cuts of the film. Prior presentations had only included a 2.0 track, so this is a big jump forward. That said, the sound design of this film is a textbook example of soft/loud. All the characters speak softly and then the action sequences are loud and feature alerting music cues. I am happy that the audio presentation was given the expanded range even if the design itself is a little annoying.

Supplements:

Commentary by director Richard Rush – this new commentary track created specifically for this release with director Richard Rush is fantastic. This commentary is on the Director’s Cut of the film.

Commentary by co-writer Matthew Chapman – this track is on the Theatrical Cut disc and is probably not worth your time.

Image Gallery

Overall Scores:

Video – 3/5

Audio – 3.5/5

Supplements – 3.5/5

Overall – 3.5/5

Color of Night is not a film that everyone is going to warm to. One of the central mysteries of the film is essentially spoiled very early on and that works against the film’s momentum. There are moments that are incredibly cheesy. Paragliding, anyone? The film also borders on becoming a soft core porn in certain sequences. The sex scenes really push the boundary of what can be deemed appropriate considering it was a mainstream release. That said, for some reason I still really enjoy this movie. I like the overall look and feel of the film, all the actors involved in the project, and the nostalgic feeling the film gives me. Also, Jane March holds a special place for me from my youth. The new Kino Lorber release is really interesting because it provides the Theatrical Cut that was not meant to be released on home media along with an excellent new commentary by Richard Rush on the Director’s Cut. The audio has been given back the 5.1 track it always should have had. The big issue here is in the video department where the film has not received a new transfer. It is a shame that this film has not been given a new scan. As it stands this release has enough interesting material to recommend checking out, but hopefully one day the video presentation will be improved by Kino.