Short Night of Glass Dolls – Celluloid Dreams (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/West Germany/Yugoslavia/Czechoslovakia, 1971
Director: Aldo Lado
Writers: Aldo Lado, Rüdiger von Spies
Cast: Ingrid Thulin, Jean Sorel, Mario Adorf, Barbara Bach, Fabijan Sovagovic, José Quaglio, Relja Basic, Piero Vida, Daniele Dublino 

Release Date: April 29th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 53 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $65.95

"American foreign correspondent Gregory Moore (Jean Sorel) is on his final assignment in Prague before transitioning to London. He plans to bring his beautiful Czech girlfriend Myra (Barbara Bach) with him, freeing her from the shackles of oppressive Iron Curtain politics. But their plans are suddenly derailed when Myra vanishes without a trace.

His investigation into her disappearance makes him realize that decadence, superstition, and hunger for power run deep in the City of a Hundred Spires.

And then his own body turns up in a park...

With no sign of life or rigor mortis, doctors prepare to perform an autopsy to discover the cause of his mysterious and symptomless death. What they don't know is that in his mind, Greg is frantic. Silently screaming. "I am alive!"" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Scanning was completed at Augustus Color, Rome. The original 2-perf Techniscope 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution on a pin-registered Scanity HDR.

Kodak laboratory aim density specifications were also taken into consideration during the mastering process of this release, and as a result, the overall brightness may appear dim. For the best experience, we recommend a viewing environment with dimmed lights.

Lucas Henkel and Guido Henkel performed color grading and restoration entirely in-house at Celluloid Dreams Studios, California.

Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, picture instability and other instances of film wear were repaired or removed through a combination of digital restoration tools and techniques. Celluloid Dreams is using Phoenix Restoration Tolls by Filmwarkz.

The HDR color grade for this release was prepared referencing a low-fade archival lab positive that was also located and scanned for this restoration. Whilst shot-by-shot corrections were applied to match the original photochemical timing, minor liberties were taken on occasion to help create a more balanced and cohesive viewing experience between shots, scenes, and reels.

The original untrimmed 2-perf camera negative was digitally edited to conform to the domestic final cut presented on the available reference 4-perf print. In the process, numerous, distracting film splices that were previously visible,, as well as missing frames have been manually repaired and replaced. 

For archival purposes, alongside the restored negative master, the uncorrected positive print scan is also included as the “Grindhouse Version”, as an academic and archival oddity.

All original film elements used in this restoration were provided by Rewind Film, Rome.

The U.S. export “Paralyzed” was sourced from an original VHS tape and was captured using a Domesday Duplicator. Alongside edits and color timing that are unique to the master, this vintage telecine also showcases a heavily compromised pan & scan framing of the original Techniscope photography. It is provided for archival purposes.”

Short Night of Glass Dolls comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 84.8 GB

Feature: 63.6 GB

Short Night of Glass Dolls comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

The included booklet gives a detailed overview of the source and its restoration. That said, the source looks outstanding; it's a massive improvement over all previous home video releases. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, contrast, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Disc Size: 34.9 GB

Feature: 26.9 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The audio, like the video, has undergone extensive restoration. There are no issues with background hiss or sibilance issues; dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. That said, range-wise these two audio tracks are comparable. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include Italian language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 7 seconds, DTS-HD mono Italian with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 7 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), Grindhouse theatrical trailer (3 minutes 6 seconds, DTS-HD mono Italian with removable English subtitles), Catalepsis theatrical trailer (3 minutes 9 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), isolated score track, an archival audio commentary with director Aldo Lado and Federico Caddeo in Italian with removable English subtitles, and an audio commentary with Guido Henkel.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc one include Italian language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 7 seconds, DTS-HD mono Italian with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 7 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), Grindhouse theatrical trailer (3 minutes 6 seconds, DTS-HD mono Italian with removable English subtitles), Catalepsis theatrical trailer (3 minutes 9 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), isolated score track, an archival audio commentary with Aldo Lado and Federico Caddeo in Italian with removable English subtitles, and an audio commentary with Guido Henkel.

Extras on Blu-ray disc two include an image gallery (66 images - posters/Italian lobby cards/Mexican lobby cards/still photographs/miscellaneous), Malastrana German export credits (4 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an archival interview with Aldo Lado titled All About Aldo (32 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Aldo Lado and actor Jean Sorel titled The Nights of Malastrana (101 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Dieter Geissler titled To Italy and Back (30 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Enzo Doria titled The Quest for Money (20 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with film editor Mario Morra titled Cuts Like a Knife (23 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with soprano Edda Dell'orso titled The Most Beautiful Voice in the World (21 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and a video essay by Howard Berger titled The Man on the Bridge (23 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles).

Extras on Blu-ray disc three include a 35mm Grindhouse version of Short Night of Glass Dolls (97 minutes 8 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Italian with English subtitles, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English SDH), and U.S. Pan & Scan VHS version of Short Night of Glass Dolls under the title Paralyzed (96 minutes 35 seconds, 4:3 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English SDH).

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slipcase, and a 64-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Who Saw The Glass Dolls On The Night Train? A Retrospective on the Works of Aldo Lado written by Andy Marshall-Roberts, archival reviews, archival images, and information about the restoration.

Note: The booklet is slightly larger than the slipcase.

Summary:

Aldo Lado directed Short Night of Glass Dolls. Though he had a career that spanned 42 years, he’s most remembered for his work in the thriller genre: Short Night of Glass Dolls, Who Saw Her Die?, and The Night Train Murders.

An American journalist lies comatose on the corner’s table as he tries to remember the events surrounding his girlfriend’s disappearance.

Though Short Night of Glass Dolls was made at the height of the early 1970s Giallo film cycle, it is a film that sets itself apart from its contemporaries who tried to emulate Dario Argento’s Animal trilogy. The way in which its protagonist uncovers the truth truly sets it apart from its contemporaries. The protagonist spends the entire narrative in a comatose state, with only his memories being the moments where he is able to freely move around and investigate. Besides its unique twist on the protagonist's investigation, everything else is what you would expect from a Giallo.

The Giallo genre is known for its arresting opening sequences, and Short Night of Glass Dolls delivers one of this genre's best: a man discovers what appears to be a corpse lying in the bushes. Though the Giallo genre is known for its visceral murder death set pieces, Short Night of Glass Dolls death scenes are subdued when compared to other Gialli from his period. That said, Short Night of Glass Dolls' eerie atmosphere makes up for its lack of on-screen carnage, and nowhere is this clearer than in its disturbing climax, which is arguably one of the Giallo genre's most frightening death scenes.

Though the Giallo genre is known for its Italian locations, it is also a genre that makes great use of locations outside of Italy. One way in which Short Night of Glass Dolls sets itself apart from other Gialli is its location in Prague. By setting it in an unfamiliar location like Prague, instead of Rome, Venice, or London, it greatly adds to the story at hand, reinforcing the stranger in a strange land vibe going on.

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Jean Sorel (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin), who portrays Gregory Moore, an American reporter whose girlfriend has suddenly disappeared. It is through his character's eyes and memories that the narrative unfolds, and he delivers an exemplary performance. Another performance of note is Barbara Bach (Black Belly of the Tarantula), who portrays Mira Svoboda, Gregory’s missing girlfriend. Though her screen time is limited, her presence looms large throughout. Notable cast members include Mario Adorf (Calibre 9), who portrays Jacques Versain, a friend of Gregory who helps in his search for Mira, and Ingrid Thulin (Cries & Whispers), who portrays Jessica, a former lover of Gregory.

Visuals play a significant role in the story that unfolds, notably the way they are able to create a Kafka-like paranoia. Another area where the visuals excel is how they take full advantage of locations, especially Prague locations. Besides the aforementioned climax, another standout moment visually is a scene where Gregory discovers Mira’s naked corpse in his fridge and he puts a gun in his mouth. Another asset is how the visuals and Ennio Morricone’s score create a fusion that heightens the mood.

From a production standpoint, Short Night of Glass Dolls is a film where everything perfectly aligns. The premise is flawlessly executed, and the narrative does a phenomenal job creating and building tension. That said, Short Night of Glass Dolls' most remarkable aspect is how it was made by a first-time filmmaker, whose direction is filled with poise and shows confidence beyond his experience. Ultimately, Short Night of Glass Dolls is an extraordinary exploration of paranoia that's more cerebral than most Gialli.

Short Night of Glass Dolls gets a spectacular release from Celluloid Dreams that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer