Pal Joey (1957) – Rita Hayworth and Frank Sinatra team up with Kim Novak in this delightful musical that was nominated for four Academy Awards. Joey Evans is a charming nightclub singer who is very popular with the chorus girls. He has a comfortable relationship with Vera, a former dancer who is now a rich widow. But when Linda enters his life, Joey suddenly has to choose between convenience and something far more substantial.

Jeanne Eagels (1957) – Kim Novak stars as Jeanne Eagels, the critically acclaimed Broadway actress, in a tragic biographical film about her incredible career and tumultuous personal life. Waitress Jeanne Eagels is desperate for fame and joins the carnival to try and achieve it, under the watchful eye of impresario Sal Satori. Soon she earns a job as an understudy for a big production in New York City, but what she really wants is the starring role… and she’ll hurt anyone to get it.

Middle of the Night (1959) – Nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, Middle of the Night tells the story of a scandalous love affair between a 24-year-old divorcee (Kim Novak) and 56-year-old widower (Fredric March). Jerry Kingsley is a wealthy garment manufacturer left lonely in his 60s when his wife dies. Despite the difference in their ages, he strikes up a romance with divorced 24-year-old receptionist Betty. The relationship is dismissed by his daughter, discouraged by his sister, and denounced by Betty’s mother. From Academy Award-winning director Delbert Mann, this daring drama was based on the Broadway play of the same name by Paddy Chayefsky, which ran for over a year starring Edward G. Robinson.

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Video Quality

Film Focus: Kim Novak comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Imprint Films with three films each given their own disc. This label is based out of Australia, but these discs will play on all Blu-Ray players including those in the United States. These masters were supplied by Sony, who does not allow outside companies to do work on their titles, so Imprint is stuck with the latest master the company has created. Pal Joey, Jeanne Eagels, and Middle of the Night all appear to be older masters that are in good shape with only occasional minor deficiencies. Pal Joey has been released in the U.S. previously, most recently by Sony in 2021. That release is presumably from the same source, but we do not have it to compare. The other two titles are making their worldwide debut on Blu-Ray.

These films share many of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them as a group while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. The quality of these three films ranges from “pretty good” to “great” with the occasional swing in either direction. Most of the films show off a subtle bit of underlying print damage and other source anomalies to one degree or another, but by and large, these transfers are fetching even without fresh remasters. The natural grain field appears to be intact throughout while resolving well. The picture quality of Middle of the Night is a bit more gritty, but we see no indication that anything has been managed or scrubbed of its texture.

Throughout most of these features, there is a favorable amount of detail present with textures on the clothing and in the environments and production design. Pal Joey seems to be the title with the most wondrous and clear visual presentation. Colors are lovingly saturated within this one, as well. The contrast is consistent in this set with only a minor level of density fluctuation in the print. Black levels are largely solid but could be given slightly more depth. There are no unforgivable occurrences of crush or compression artifacts across these films. The black-and-white photography of Jeanne Eagels and Middle of the Night holds up well as they take advantage of their HD presentation. Imprint Films has presented these as well as they possibly can.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray set comes with a good LPCM 2.0 track for each of these three films that presents them well even with a bit of age-related strain at play. Pal Joey is once again an outlier with the addition of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track to complement the mono track. The music that accompanies these films never overwhelms the dialogue and other pertinent information, but some moments can sound a little unstable at the highest peaks. Minor deficits come in the form of some faint hissing, humming, and crackles that more than likely date back to the source elements. Dialogue emanates clearly without distortion or sibilance. Each track is balanced well with the environmental elements like the beach in Jeanne Eagels so necessary elements stay prominent in the mix. Imprint Films has provided a consistent audio experience for these. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for all feature films.

Special Features

Pal Joey

Audio Commentary: Selected scenes totaling 12 minutes are provided commentary by actress Kim Novak moderated by author Stephen Rebello. In these conversations, you get illuminating insights in which the legend discusses her character, the truth behind whether she provided her singing vocals, her relationship with Rita Hayworth and Frank Sinatra, and more.

Backstage and At Home with Kim Novak: A 10-minute piece with the voice of Kim Novak discussing the costumes of Jean Louis, her love of fashion, and more. This piece is slightly different as you get to see some new footage of Novak leading a tour around her house.

Theatrical Trailer: There is a five-minute trailer provided for this one.

Jeanne Eagels

Audio Commentary: Selected scenes totaling 22 minutes are provided commentary by actress Kim Novak moderated by author Stephen Rebello. In these conversations, you get illuminating insights in which the legend discusses her friendship with Jeff Chandler, her clashes with executives, the real-life figure behind the story, and more.

Theatrical Trailer: There is a five-minute trailer provided for this one.

Middle of the Night

Reflections In The Middle Of The Night: A 15-minute retrospective on the Paddy Chayefsky drama Middle of the Night costarring Frederic March with the voice of Kim Novak returning.

Theatrical Trailer: There is a three-and-a-half-minute trailer provided for this one.

Final Thoughts

Film Focus: Kim Novak collects three very engaging films from an underappreciated artist into a single box set which offers impressive variety in range and temperament. Pal Joey is more so the Frank Sinatra show than a Novak spotlight, but she makes a big impression when she is on screen. The other two more dramatic turns are transfixing in their own ways while drawing on the power of Novak’s emotional honesty. This set delivers three strong films that are sure to please fans of old Hollywood and the spotlight actress specifically. Imprint Films has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a worthy A/V presentation and some cool special features. Recommended

Film Focus: Kim Novak is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

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

Note #2: This release is an Australian import that can be played on Blu-Ray players worldwide.

Disclaimer: Imprint Films 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.