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Bright Lights (1930)
Bright Lights (1930) poster
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Bright Lights (1930)

Music, Drama, Romance, Crime • 1h 9m

Director: Michael Curtiz

Cast: Dorothy Mackaill, Frank Fay, Noah Beery, Daphne Pollard, James Murray, Frank McHugh, Inez Courtney, Philip Strange, Edmund Breese, Edward Nugent, Louise Beavers, John Carradine, Virginia Sale

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IMDbThe Movie Database (TMDB)

Best English-friendly & video release

 · updated 11 months ago

Overview

A successful Broadway star ready to retire from her wild career announces her engagement. But her tumultuous past isn't done with her yet.

Release details

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Length
69 mins
Type
Movie
Alternative Titles
Adventures in Africa

Featured in Pre-Code Films

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Director: Marion Gering

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Director: Leo McCarey

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal DVD

Upcoming Release:

Universal Blu-ray Nov 10th

Directors: Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK MoC Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

MoC Blu-ray offers both restored and an unrestored tracks

Director: Edgar Selwyn

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration

Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Sources: ibb.co (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Archive Blu-ray is 4K restoration from nitrate projection elements

Germany Filmjuwelen Blu-ray is AI upscaled https://ibb.co/album/mCJ7RQ

Director: Howard Hawks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset Blu-ray

Director: William Dieterle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume 4 DVD

Director: Lloyd Bacon

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive DVD

Director: George W. Hill

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive DVD

More from Michael Curtiz

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Director: Michael Curtiz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: Michael Curtiz

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1990 MGM LaserDisc

Director: Michael Curtiz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: Michael Curtiz

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1984 Fox Hi-Fi VHS

Director: Michael Curtiz

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

WB Blu-ray

Director: Michael Curtiz

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Audio Notes:

(caveat: has a slight error)

Directors: William Keighley & Michael Curtiz

Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2008 WB Blu-ray (from a 2003 transfer)

Best Audio:

1988 Criterion LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

(Still not great)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: Michael Curtiz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: Michael Curtiz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

More from Warner Bros

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Director: Guillermo del Toro

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Cineverse 4K Blu-ray announced with a new 4K restoration from the original negatives

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray both have issues, up to preference. UK Optimum/Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better, Criterion is worse

Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better encoded than the Optimum, is in the original 1.85 ratio, and has the original colors

Best Audio:

2011 Optimum Blu-ray has audio in wrong pitch, fixed in 2013 reissue in the Zavvi exclusive Steelbook. Criterion has correct 5.1 and a 7.1 mix.

Additional Info:

Criterion and Optimum Blu-rays have exclusive extras

Director: Arthur Penn

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K transfer

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering, 1.85 ratio restored for US Cut; both US and International Cuts are 4K.

Best Audio:

US Cut: 1999 WB DVD/Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

No Blu-ray or DVD release until the Criterion 4K Blu-ray has presented the US in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The International Cut has never been presented in it's OAR of 1.66:1 in any home video releases.

The packaging on the back of the WB 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray. 

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering, 1.85 ratio restored

Best Audio:

Mono: Criterion 4K Blu-ray (restored for the box set)/1999 WB R1 DVD
5.1 remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering Comparison between the Criterion and WB.

Best Audio:

5.1: WB 4K Blu-ray, a remix but has higher fidelity

Mono: Criterion 4K Blu-ray (restored for the box set)

Director: Victor Fleming

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D: Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

3D: Warner Bros 3D Blu-ray or Apple Vision Pro

Best Audio:

1989 MGM LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

(caveat: "there's" in first "there's no place like home" utterance in final Kansas scene truncated)

Director: Morton DaCosta

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray Nov 24th

Director: David Lean

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray Dec 1st

Director: Martin Rosen

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2002 R2 WB DVD

Director: Roman Polanski

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

2011/2025 WB Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

2011/2025 WB Blu-ray for correct audio (2010 release has audio issue)

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Researched and maintained by

vanshady

· last reviewed 11 months ago

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