One of the most controversial novels of its day, Richard Wright’s Native Son (first published in 1940) exposed the injustices of urban African-American life, witnessed through the eyes of Bigger Thomas, whose violent tendencies and moral confusion were the natural result of a lifetime of deprivation. In prison for murder and sentenced to death, Thomas reflects on the circumstances that led to his fate. Kino Lorber presents a new restoration of the 1951 film version of the novel, directed by Pierre Chenal and starring Richard Wright as Bigger Thomas. It is presented in association with the Library of Congress, Fernando Martin Peña and Argentina Sono Film. When it was initially released in the U.S., Native Son was heavily censored by regional state/municipal censor boards where it played. A complete 16mm print of the original Argentinian release and an incomplete 35mm duplicate negative of the uncensored cut were combined for the current restoration, the most complete version of Native Son ever shown in the United States. – Eddie Muller, Film Noir Foundation

For thoughts on Native Son (1951), please check out our previous overview here (around the 0:00:58 mark).

Video Quality

Native Son (1951) makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p master that has been restored by the Library of Congress after being heavily censored when it was initially released in the United States. This new transfer comes from a mixtures of the complete 16mm print of the original Argentinian release and an incomplete 35mm duplicate negative of the uncensored cut for a transfer that has a few deficits that are made up by the fact that it is the most complete cut we have ever seen in this corner of the world.

For a film that has had such inconsistent availability over the years, this is a truly wonderful presentation. The lovely black-and-white photography shot by Antonio Merayo shines in high definition with natural grain intact. There is a striking amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. Due to the nature of the film elements available for the different versions of the movie, there is a slight bit of inconsistency between scenes where you can tell that the 16mm source is a little softer than the 35mm duplicate negative. The transfer still shows some minor nicks and faint lines, but it is apparent that it has been cleaned up immensely. The new restoration shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences a slight amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. Kino Classics and the Library of Congress have done some marvelous work here.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a great LPCM 2.0 track that serves this movie incredibly well considering its aforementioned limitations and release history. The music from John (Juan) Elhert never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. Dialogue and background noises are represented in pleasant harmony with all competing elements. This track avoids most instances of age related wear and tear and hissing and crackles. Admittedly, the track sounds a bit thin when the music reaches its peaks, which likely dates back to the source elements. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. All in all, most should be pleased with this audio presentation.

Special Features

Booklet: There is a 32-page booklet featuring the essay “Filming Richard Wright’s Sangre Negra In Buenos Aires” by Edgardo C. Krebs which gives some great insights into this production

Trailer: The minute-and-a-half trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Native Son (1951) is a film that one admires for its historical importance rather than its artistic merit. The core narrative is engaging and thought-provoking in many respects, and the actual crafting of the film is perfectly solid. Yet, Richard Wright taking on the performance as this youthful main character really sinks much of the momentum of this film. Not only is believability strained due to the age difference, but Wright is simply a better writer than he is a performer. The film is worthy of exploration, but it is not a work that is as great as it could have been under different circumstances. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a formidable A/V presentation but not too much in the way of special features.

Native Son (1951) 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.