Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7325 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-09-18
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 113 minutes

DVD Description
In Liliana Cavani's scintillating drama, a concentration camp survivor (Charlotte Rampling) discovers her ex-torturer/lover (Dirk Bogarde) working as a night porter at a hotel in post-war Vienna. When the couple attempt to re-create their sadomasochistic relationship, his former SS comrades begin to stalk them. Operatic and disturbing, The Night Porter deftly examines the cruelty and decadence of Nazi culture.

· Interview with Director Liliana Cavani

· Interview with Writer Italo Moscati

· Interview with Actress Charlotte Rampling

Synopsis
Liliana Cavani's controversial film featured a breakout performance by the American actress Charlotte Rampling in this Italian tour de force. Thirteen years after World War II, while working as a night porter in a Vienna hotel occupied by ex-Nazis, a former SS concentration camp officer, played by Dirk Bogarde, is astonished when a past victim-lover (Rampling), checks into the hotel with her husband. Despite the horrific nature of their former "relationship", (glimpsed in flashbacks of rape, torture and humiliation)their sadomasochistic sexual bond is soon rekindled. Eventually, the SS wants to eliminate the woman, as she is a witness to war crimes. THE NIGHT PORTER is not only an operatic and disturbing cult film that deftly examines the cruelty and decadence of Nazi culture, but an unconventional love story. Based on writer-director Liliana Cavani's interviews with an actual concentration camp survivor, THE NIGHT PORTER is one of the more controversial films of the 1970s, examining aspects of human interaction few works dare to touch.

Customer Reviews

Quality problems
I was pleased to find this film on DVD at last, and keen to replace my old VHS video of it. It is a stunning, powerful film,that evolves with every viewing.
It is a classic.
BUT...
This DVD is watchable but the picture quality is awful in some areas.The film becomes very dark, brown and grainy till you can hardly see the actors faces.Sometimes the faces are a blur!
This does ruin the film in places, for me...as I know the film so well.The dramatic power of the scenes is damaged by this in my opinion.
I assume the film stock has decayed beyond repair? Why has it not been moved to DVD with care? Why has such a poor copy been selected for distribution?
And yet I have a video recorded from British television that is pristine! The film is crystal clear, full of light, with sharp contrasts between the reds, whites and blacks. The 'Reunion'scene in the hotel room instead of being a murky-black fog is visible again, the actors faces revealed.
If you love this powerful film I advise recording a TV copy for a good home copy.
As with 'The Dogs of War' and 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'(both edited before DVD release) It looks as if this film has not made its transition to a new format either. I shall be hanging onto my old old VHS copy again!!!!

Strange but compelling
When this came out there was outcry, naturally; you've got an ex-SS officer in hiding and a concentration camp victim stumbling upon him. Oh yes, and there's a violent S&M relationship between them. That's your money shot, baby. How could it get anymore crass, right? Not quite.

Set in 50's Vienna (shot in mute, subdued and dank colours), Max is undercover as a night porter in a hotel when Lucia, his captive, turns up with her other half for a stay. They set eyes on each other and fall back into their old relationship. The 'sex scenes' are not quite sex orientated, it's all about the power struggle, which is depicted in unflinching realism. The glass shards in the feet moment is eye watering, to say the least.

Dirk Bogarde is utterly captivating, strong and wormily weak simutaneously as he grapples with the reappearance of Lucia and the fact that he is being interrogated by a group of his fellow SS officers with regards to keeping a lid on their actions and pasts, but indulging in some creepy confessions to one another as a purging tool.

Night Porter is a confusing film. The end comes quickly and suddenly but leaves some very opened ended plot lines. It's political and dark, sometimes beautiful but ultimately sad. Forget the shock tactics of using Nazis, this is really about the complexity and decay of human emotion, and the cruelty of mankind when there is the scent of power in the air.

4 stars for the film but 1 star for the DVD release!!
I was ecstatic at the prospect of a DVD release for this unfairly derided and neglected minor-masterpiece and the DVD packaging certainly gives the impression that great care has been taken with what might be the only DVD release this film is given.

Imagine, then, my disappointment at the picture quality! It is little better than my worn-out 1980s VHS tape and is a great letdown. What a shame! What a missed opportunity!

I would still recommend buying this release but would advise waiting for a more reasonable price.