Product Details

• Actors: Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur, Colin Clive, June Preston
• Directors: Frank Borzage
• Format: NTSC, Full Screen, Import, Black & White
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Portuguese
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Classicline
• Run Time: 97.0 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000FMOCNE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,618 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Brand new, factory sealed, fully licensed DVD manufactured in Brazil. NTSC format. Playable on any North American DVD player. High quality full screen black and white image. Original English dialog with optional subtitles in Portuguese. Portuguese subtitles can be easily turned off. The following review appears in the Internet Movie Database: "Luminous, 29 August 2005 Author: hildacrane from United States This mixture of suspense, comedy, and romance might seem unlikely to work, but it does, due to director Borzage's vision of a love that magically transcends even the most dire of obstacles. This movie is in love with love and the improbable, and in some ways is a Cinderella story almost in reverse (including the removal of a lady's slippers on two occasions). Arthur and Boyer are lovely together. Some of their scenes, luminously lit and heightened by Alfred Newman's lyrical score, are heartbreaking: their beautiful voices are almost like cellos. (Newman wrote a number of such tender and yearning scores in the thirties, including those for "Stella Dallas" and "These Three.") There's also an interesting paralleling of the love/passion that Arthur's husband has for her and that Boyer's friend has for him, although one is destructive and the other nurturing." Cast:Charles Boyer as Paul Dumond, Jean Arthur as Irene Vail, Leo Carrillo as Cesare, Colin Clive as Bruce Vail, Ivan Lebedeff as Michael Browsky, Vail's Chauffeur, George Meeker as Mr. Norton, Lucien Prival as Private Detective, George Davis as Maestro, Dora Clement, Bobby Barber as Paul, a Waiter at Victor's, Phyllis Barry as Bit Part, Joseph E. Bernard as Headwaiter at Victor's.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Treasure, March 17, 2010

By 

Joy "JS" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT with Charles Boyer (Ahistoria Comecou a Noite) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America) (DVD)

I beg to differ (smile) This is by far the most perfect copy of "HISTORY" that I have ever seen. I've loved this film since I first saw it 40 years ago, and recorded it when I got my first VHS machine, and then bought the first VHS tape when it was released. Believe me, I know a lousy print when I see it. More snaps, crackles and pops than a box of rice crispies. This one is exquisite.

HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT is a lovely romance,from a time when young women went to work and dreamed of marrying Prince Charming. More often than not, those Cinderella dreams turned sour. Irene Vail married HER Prince, and ended up with a jealous sadist.

I won't tell you any more, except that all four leads play their parts to perfection. Arthur is luminous as the ex-mannequin whose gems and sables give her no peace, and Boyer is suave and gentle as her "Hero of the Night".

Leo Carrillo is a wonderful comedic foil for Boyer, filled with jokes and a spot-on Italian accent, and Colin Clive does what he does best...combining malevolence with a reptillian charm that makes it clear why Irene was attracted in the first place.

This movie is a real treasure, and I'm thrilled to see it in such a fine transfer.
Thank You
Js

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I've never been happy before.", June 1, 2006

By 

Bobby Underwood "starlighthotel" (Manly NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT with Charles Boyer (Ahistoria Comecou a Noite) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America) (DVD)

Though it is almost forgotten today, History is Made at Night is one of the most beautiful and romantic films ever to grace a movie screen. Not made by one of the major studios and released through United Artists in 1937, this gemstone has a fine screenplay from Gene Towne and Graham Baker, and some lovely words of dialog from Vincent Lawrence and David Hertz. A young and luminous Jean Arthur and the continental Charles Boyer utter those words in tremendously engaging performances. Director Frank Borzage, responsible for some of the loveliest films from both the silent and sound era, and perhaps the greatest romanticist the medium has ever produced, helms this one, charting a coarse to tender romance. It is a story of two people who try to cram a lifetime of memories into one night, and then one moment, when tragedy looms on the horizon in the form of an iceberg.

Jean Arthur is Irene Vail, the wife of a cold and unhappy shipping magnate who is holding on tight, his jealousy finally driving her to divorce. Colin Clive portrays her bitter and obsessed husband Bruce, who hatches a plan in Paris to catch her in a compromising position before the divorce decree can become final. But Bruce's plan goes awry and their history will never be the same. Charles Boyer is Paul Dumond, headwaiter at Chateau Bleu, and Leo Carillo is his very funny chef pal, Cesare. Paul charades as a jewel thief to rescue Irene and whisks her away in the moonlight in one of many great scenes in a film filled with memorable ones. Unaware Paul is only a waiter at Chateau Bleu, she and Paul spend a charming and poignant night falling in love. Carillo is warm and funny as Paul's pal for life who watches the silly American girl from Kansas discover a happiness she has never known. Seeking to protect Paul from a murder charge concocted by Bruce, Irene sacrifices her own happiness to keep Paul safe.

The friendship of Paul and Cesare adds a charming humor to the story. They scheme to open a restaurant in New York and hold a table for her, hoping Irene will show. But when she does, she is not alone. Genuine love overcomes misunderstanding regarding his lowly position in life but a dark cloud hangs over their happiness as an innocent man is set for a date with the gallows. Booking passage on her husband's newest ocean liner, the S.S. Irene, they head towards France to make things right. As the two lovers head towards their destiny, Bruce fumes to discover the French papers are sympathetic to Irene's sacrifice and Paul's gallantry and dangerously orders the captain to break the transatlantic record in a deep fog and cold water, bringing about a tragedy reminiscent of the Titanic's fate. Borzage stages both the tragedy and the desperate plight of the lovers with tension and emotion. To say more would ruin the film's ending. It is beautiful and poignant, like the film itself. Perhaps no other director of his time could have pulled all the elements of this story together so well.

Jean Arthur is wonderful as the woman clinging to a happiness she has never known and Boyer had one of his finest moments in American film portraying the affable and charming Paul. Borzage sets a very special mood for this touching story of a love that sails with no wind and a full moon. Not just a great romantic film, but one of the great films period, History is Made at Night is a forgotten film from a forgotten director, and both deserve to be remembered. All those who love romance will certainly never forget either once they see this most beautiful of films for the first time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History is Made at Night, April 28, 2009

By 

Dirk (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT with Charles Boyer (Ahistoria Comecou a Noite) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America) (DVD)

This Brazilian import is a fine DVD. Picture is good, although not pristine; there are some dropouts, etc. Sound is also good. Although the print has not been restored, this is a fine print that should meet with satisfaction. There are no extras on the DVD. Charles Boyer and Jean Arthur work nicely together.