Into the Night

Universal's edition of this oft-overlooked gem is well worth the time for fans. The video transfer is a solid one, giving depth and colorful detail to the film's nocturnal visual style. The audio is limited to the film's original mono soundtrack; a remix would have been nice, but it's still a nice, crisp track that adds plenty of punch to Ira Newborn's jazzy musical score. Elsewhere, the disc is slim on extras (surprisingly, there is no theatrical trailer), but it does offer up one truly noteworthy supplement in the form of a short documentary entitled "B.B. King: Into the Night." It's a fun, informal short that documents King's musical contributions as well as a bit of interview footage with King, director John Landis, and composer Ira Newborn. It also includes a nice vintage clip of King performing "The Thrill Is Gone" from the early '70s and an amusing intro that depicts the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum, Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, and Steve Martin as backing vocalists while he performs "Lucille." All in all, this disc offers a nice way to get acquainted with both the film and its guest musical contributor.