Legendary director Fritz Lang (Metropolis), cinema’s “Master of Darkness,” reunites with his stars of The Big Heat, Glenn Ford (Gilda) and Gloria Grahame (Naked Alibi), for this pitch-black film noir based on Émile Zola’s La Bête humaine. Korean War vet Jeff Warren (Ford) returns to his job as a railroad engineer, and quickly succumbs to his boss’s wife, Vicki Buckley (played with frank, unvarnished carnality by Grahame). Thus begins a tangled web of suspicion, sex and murder involving Vicki and her brutish husband Carl (Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men). Adapted by Alfred Hayes (Clash by Night) and shot by Burnett Guffey (Bonnie and Clyde), Lang’s spellbinding masterpiece evokes a powerful emotional landscape of greed, jealousy and Human Desire.

For thoughts on Human Desire, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/_GZkJ0C44NA?t=2887]

Video Quality

Human Desire comes to Blu-Ray thanks to Kino Classics with a 1080p transfer that looks pretty solid but exhibits some room for improvement. This film has previously been released overseas on Blu-Ray through Eureka Entertainment, and all evidence points to this using the same older master. This particular film comes from the label’s deal with Sony, who does not allow outside restorations for their catalog. This appears to be the same source prepared for the 2010 DVD release from the company, only now in HD which accounts for a number of improvements.

No matter the source Kino Classics is working with, we can say with some degree of certainty that this new disc maximizes its potential. The new transfer shows off a notable amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Contrast is favorably defined with few instances of flicker or density fluctuation in the print. Black levels showcase some nice depth with no obvious occurrence of crush or compression artifacts. There is some occasional softness to the image, but you still get an admirable amount of texture on the clothing and within the production design. Nicks and scratches show up occasionally, but nothing significant enough to ruin the experience. The natural film grain remains intact with only a bit of noise interfering with the gorgeous black-and-white photography. Kino Classics has done a nice job here.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a quite good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that delivers a fine listening experience. Dialogue and background noises remain in harmony with all competing elements so that everything has a chance to have the proper prominence. This track shows very little in the way of age related wear and tear. The score does not overwhelm the dialogue or other vital information. The track can sound the slightest bit thin when it comes to its musical peaks, but even this is not as problematic as some older feature films. Kino Classics has delivered a good effort. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Terror and Desire – Actress Emily Mortimer on Human Desire: A ten-minute conversation with actress Emily Mortimer (Relic) from the original DVD release in which she discusses the legacy of the film, the filmmaking of Fritz Lang, the complexity of the characters, the themes of the narrative and more. Having no idea Mortimer was such a big fan of classic noir, this is a delightful surprise.

Trailers: The two-minute trailer for Human Desire is provided here. There are trailers for Naked Alibi, Touch of Evil and The Woman In The Window.

Final Thoughts

Human Desire is a nasty effort from the great Fritz Lang which has a good bite even in the midst of the Hays Code era. The moral complexity of these characters keeps you anchored to the screen as Lang’s dynamic filmmaking and storytelling unfolds with great precision. This is complemented by magnetic performances from all of the main players, which coalesces into a conclusion which will leave you shaken. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that shows off a solid A/V presentation and a decent supplemental feature. If you are a fan of the talent involved, be sure to snag this one. Recommended

Human Desire 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.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics 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.