Night and Day Blu-ray Review: Cole Porter Vanishes Behind Cary Grant’s Star Power

This biopic about Cole Porter boasts more than 20 of his songs. If that sounds like a lot, it is, with only a handful of them receiving full production numbers, while the rest are reduced to snippets. All of the music also means that Porter’s life story is little more than bullet points, with no time to dive into his motivations or character. By the end, all we really learn is that he went to Yale, served in World War I, was handicapped in an equestrian accident, and achieved massive popular success while struggling to make time for his wife.

Cary Grant stars as Porter, becoming both the film’s greatest strength and biggest weakness. He brings massive marquee appeal to the film, but as always, Grant plays Grant, making no concession to emulate Porter other than carrying a cane or two. He’s paired with Alexis Smith, who struggles to match his kilowatt charisma as Porter’s long-suffering eventual wife, Linda. There’s little chemistry between the two, and no snappy banter, making for a boring slog through their romantic difficulties as Porter continually chooses his career over Linda.

The production numbers feature an array of guest stars including Jane Wyman, Eve Arden, and Mary Martin, sandwiched into the film in the guise of either rehearsals or performances of Porter’s numerous musicals. Grant has little to do but beam from the wings as the various casts perform Porter’s works, although he does lend his voice to a couple of songs. As directed by ace Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), the film itself is not a musical, even though the subject matter naturally lends itself to a musical interpretation of Porter’s life story. Still, there’s no denying Porter’s hitmaking prowess, with the selected songs offering a fitting overview of his genius.

The film has been meticulously restored from 4K scans of the original Technicolor negatives, and arrives on Blu-ray in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono sound. Colors are somewhat faded, even considering its era, but the restoration removes much of the debris evident on its current streaming release. The disc also includes multiple bonus features highlighted by two classic Warner Bros. shorts and one cartoon, as well as the original theatrical trailer.

Night and Day attempts to cater to fans of both Grant and Porter, sacrificing its subject matter for star power. Even at two hours in length, we learn precious little about Porter the man, with the drowsy biopic ultimately operating as a greatest hits medley overshadowed by Grant.