Opening Night (1977)
Drama • 2h 24m
Overview
Actress Myrtle Gordon is a functioning alcoholic who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.
Director: John Cassavetes
Cast: Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell, Paul Stewart, Zohra Lampert, Laura Johnson, John Tuell, Ray Powers, John Finnegan, Louise Lewis, Fred Draper, Katherine Cassavetes, Lady Rowlands, Carol Warren, Briana Carver, Angelo Grisanti, Meade Roberts, Eleanor Zee, David Rowlands, Sharon Van Ivan, Jimmy Christie, James Karen, Jimmy Joyce, Sherry Bain, Sylvia Davis Shaw, Peter Lampert, Patrick Labyorteaux, Roni-Sue Kiser, Naomi Stevens, Seymour Cassel, Peter Falk, Peter Bogdanovich
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Director: John Cassavetes
Kino Lorber Blu-ray uses same old Sony master
Director: John Cassavetes
Kino Lorber Blu-ray uses same old Sony master
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Jean Vigo
Director: Jean Vigo
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1954 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Cut info: https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=31209
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1954 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Cut info: https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=31209
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Michael Curtiz
Director: Michael Curtiz
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: Alfred E. Green
Kino Lorber Blu-ray or Germany Blu-ray but no comparison available
Germany Blu-ray lacks English subtitles. Kino Lorber Blu-ray has English subtitles but is OOP
Kino Lorber Blu-ray or Germany Blu-ray but no comparison available
Germany Blu-ray lacks English subtitles. Kino Lorber Blu-ray has English subtitles but is OOP
Director: Walter Salles
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Curzon 4K Blu-ray
Surround mix: Vision Film Polish PAL DVD (2000)
The surround mix is fully discrete, not a mere decode or upmix of the Dolby Stereo LCRS track. This mix has never appeared on any other releases.
Director: Walter Salles
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Curzon 4K Blu-ray
Surround mix: Vision Film Polish PAL DVD (2000)
The surround mix is fully discrete, not a mere decode or upmix of the Dolby Stereo LCRS track. This mix has never appeared on any other releases.
Director: Newt Arnold
France ESC 4K Blu-ray, better than Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray.
Capelight 4K Blu-ray (the ESC 4K Blu-ray have no original 2.0 and a different Atmos mix. More about the ESC mix in this review)
Director: Newt Arnold
France ESC 4K Blu-ray, better than Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray.
Capelight 4K Blu-ray (the ESC 4K Blu-ray have no original 2.0 and a different Atmos mix. More about the ESC mix in this review)
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Arrow 4K Blu-ray in June
Umbrella 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode but the mastering shows signs of DNR albeit only momentarily); all other BDs pretty bad.
Umbrella 4K Blu-ray, but whether in the correct speed/pitch is TBC.
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Arrow 4K Blu-ray in June
Umbrella 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode but the mastering shows signs of DNR albeit only momentarily); all other BDs pretty bad.
Umbrella 4K Blu-ray, but whether in the correct speed/pitch is TBC.
Director: Brian De Palma
Director: Brian De Palma
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Rob Reiner
Director: Rob Reiner
Director: Peter Weir
Director: Peter Weir
Director: John Badham
Director: John Badham
Edit History
4/23/2026
Best Video Release
From
Criterion is warmer and more lifelike than BFI. See DVDBeaver review for more caps
BFI is brighter, but that's only because of a gamma bug, a common encoding issue that's easily corrected. After you do that, brightness is the same, though reds are different. Criterion has better encoding and doesn't have the bug so that's preferable.
To
Criterion is warmer and more lifelike than BFI. See DVDBeaver review for more caps
BFI suffers from Quicktime Gamma Bug
Criterion has better encoding and doesn't have the bug so that's preferable.
From
Criterion is warmer and more lifelike than BFI. See DVDBeaver review for more caps
BFI is brighter, but that's only because of a gamma bug, a common encoding issue that's easily corrected. After you do that, brightness is the same, though reds are different. Criterion has better encoding and doesn't have the bug so that's preferable.
To
Criterion is warmer and more lifelike than BFI. See DVDBeaver review for more caps
BFI suffers from Quicktime Gamma Bug
Criterion has better encoding and doesn't have the bug so that's preferable.
7/13/2025
Best Video Release
From
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate. See DVDBeaver review
To
Criterion is warmer and more lifelike than BFI. See DVDBeaver review for more caps
BFI is brighter, but that's only because of a gamma bug, a common encoding issue that's easily corrected. After you do that, brightness is the same, though reds are different. Criterion has better encoding and doesn't have the bug so that's preferable.
From
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate. See DVDBeaver review
To
Criterion is warmer and more lifelike than BFI. See DVDBeaver review for more caps
BFI is brighter, but that's only because of a gamma bug, a common encoding issue that's easily corrected. After you do that, brightness is the same, though reds are different. Criterion has better encoding and doesn't have the bug so that's preferable.
7/9/2025
Best English-Friendly Release
From
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews17/opening_night_dvd_review.htm
To
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate
From
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews17/opening_night_dvd_review.htm
To
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate
Best Video Release
From
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews17/opening_night_dvd_review.htm
To
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate. See DVDBeaver review
From
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews17/opening_night_dvd_review.htm
To
CC is warmer and more lifelike than BFI, not sure if more accurate. See DVDBeaver review
