Cynthia Warren (Bebe Daniels) is a successful, young commercial artist with no interest in settling down. After fending off the romantic pursuits of boss Randolph Morgan (Randolph Scott), she leaves New York City behind for the allure of Paris. On the journey, she finds herself falling for an Englishman until her arrival in Paris introduces a third suitor: a handsome prince. With three men competing for her affections, Cynthia must decide what she really wants from her love life.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/ThQZmup1JxI?si=kFXLECCA8qMcoKPl&t=3844]

Video Quality

Cocktail Hour makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Sony with a brand new 1080p master that manages to leave you stunned in spite of some limitations to the source material. This transfer is derived from a 4K restoration of the Original Camera Negative which holds up exceptionally well with some caveats. As is stated in some introductory text, with this being a Pre-Code film, the film was subject to some local censor cuts most likely upon a re-release. The negative was shortened to eliminate a sequence in a longer scene. While the footage no longer exists, the audio remains intact, and Sony has replaced the missing footage with production stills to have the most complete version of the film in some form. While slightly jarring, it is great that this scene was restored as well as it possibly can be.

The remainder of the restoration is an example of the label pulling a rabbit out of its hat as they make this film look incredible. Even with brief instances of flicker and incredibly minor print damage that arise from the lower quality elements, this is still a magnificent transfer. This new presentation shows off a stellar amount of depth and enhanced detail within the various interiors. The black-and-white photography is quite fetching in high definition with natural grain intact. Black levels are pretty deep with no semblance of black crush or compression artifacts. The highlights hold firm, allowing the contrast to impress. There is a significant amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing. Sony has accomplished something praise-worthy.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release comes with a newly restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that brings this movie to life with astonishing care. This narrative focuses largely on dialogue, and all exchanges come through crisp and clear with rarely a trace of sibilance. Music is not a huge part of the narrative, but the minor musical elements maintain an admirable fidelity. The environmental effects never overwhelm the dialogue on this release. There does not appear to be much in the way of damage or age-related wear and tear to the track outside of some minor hissing and harsher inflections. This audio presentation is as favorable as you would hope for from a film of this age. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles available on the disc.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Cocktail Hour is an enjoyable Pre-Code romance that zips by with a smart, mostly progressive script and a talented ensemble that always keeps you engaged. We wish the film could have stuck to its feminist guns the entire way through, but there are enough ideas introduced throughout to keep us pleasantly surprised by the developments. The film is also quite funny even from a modern sensibility. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation but no supplemental features. If you are a Pre-Code fan, you should vote with your dollar and show Sony we want more releases of this ilk. Recommended

Cocktail Hour can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.