Silent Era Information*Progressive Silent Film List*Lost Films*People*Theaters
Taylorology*Articles*Home Video*Books*Search
 
Foolish Wives BD
 
Silent Era Home Page  >  Home Video  >  Caught in the Rain
 
Silent Era Films on Home Video
Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.

Caught
in the Rain

(1914)

 

This early Charles Chaplin comedy is another of the flirting-in-the-park escapades that punctuated his work at the Keystone studio in 1914. Chaplin is ably supported by Mack Swain and Alice Davenport.

Drunken and flirting Charlie is rebuffed by a woman and her irate husband in the park. Back at their hotel, Charlie stumbles into the couple again causing them his usual Keystone distress.

coverFlicker Alley
2010 DVD edition

Chaplin at Keystone (1914), black & white, 590 minutes total, not rated
including Caught in the Rain (1914), black & white, 11 minutes, not rated.

Flicker Alley, FA0018,
UPC 6-17311-67579-9, ISBN 1-893967-57-3.
Four single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; four slimline DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $79.95.
Release date: 26 October 2010.
Country of origin: USA

This four-disc DVD collection has, for the most part, been mastered from 35mm source material to render the best-looking editions of these Keystone films on home video. The prints are often conflated from two or more 35mm prints, with missing footage duplicated from 16mm reduction prints. The results are generally very-good to excellent, with moments of fair to good footage. Many of the 35mm source prints are worn, but the picture clarity allows the identification of supporting actors and extras much easier than from earlier home video editions from substandard 16mm and 8mm reduction prints.

The film is accompanied by a music score performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

The collection’s supplemental material includes Charlie et sa Belle [Charlie’s White Elephant] (1916), Inside the Keystone Project (2010) documenting the Chaplin Project (10 minutes), Silent Traces: The Keystone Locations (2010) with John Bengtson, author of Silent Traces (12 minutes), and a stills gallery.

Overall, the improvement in quality over previous home video editions is so great that you’ll toss your other Keystone Chaplin discs when you see this collection. Highly recommended!

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
coverReelclassicdvd.com
2004 DVD edition

A Festival of Silent Comedy, Volume 1 (1914-1929), black & white, 109 minutes total, not rated,
including Caught in the Rain (1914), black & white, 14 minutes, not rated.

Reelclassicdvd.com, no catalog number, UPC 7-62184-87612-2.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in windowboxed 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 1 chapter stop; standard DVD keepcase; $20.00.
Release date: 2004.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 5 / audio: 7 / additional content: 6 / overall: 6.

This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a contrasty but good-quality 16mm reduction print prepared by Essex Films. There is some loss of highlight and shadow details, however the middle greytones are coarse but intact. Like most of the Keystone films, this film has obviously survived as a dupe of a dupe (of a dupe) — at least three sets of 35mm sprocket holes are visible at the right-side of the picture. The visual quality of the source print is not great, but the natural-speed video transfer itself is pretty good. The slightly windowboxed transfer will make the picture appear as full-frame on most televisions. A small “RCDVD” legend in yellow type runs over the lower right-hand corner of the picture for 12 seconds in the middle of the film. Intended to discourage would-be video pirates, we still wish that it wasn’t there — even for such a short time.

The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed by Ben Model. It is quite pleasant to have custom music scores on DVD product from 16mm prints by small home video producers.

Not at all that common on home video, this DVD edition of Caught in the Rain is current the only one we know of. It is also better-looking than many surviving Keystone films we have seen on home video.

 
This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from Reelclassicdvd.com through . . .
coverAll Day Entertainment
2006 DVD edition

American Slapstick (1914-1929), black & white and color-tinted black & white, 279 minutes total, not rated,
including Caught in the Rain (1914), black & white, 13 minutes, not rated.

All Day Entertainment, distributed by Image Entertainment,
ADE3581DVD, UPC 0-14381-35812-4.
Three single-sided, single-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in windowboxed 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 1 chapter stop; three-disc DVD keepcase; $39.99.
Release date: 21 November 2006.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD edition is virtually identical to the Reelclassicdvd.com edition noted above since this utilizes the same master produced by Mark Roth. Read the review above for an idea of the edition’s quality.

The film features musical accompaniment performed on digital piano by Ben Model.

The collection’s supplemental material includes a PDF copy of The Charlie Chaplin Book (1916).

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Other silent era CHARLES CHAPLIN films available on home video.

Other KEYSTONE comedy films available on home video.

Other SHORT COMEDY FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
Charles Chaplin filmography in The Progressive Silent Film List
 
 
Silent Era Home Page  >  Home Video  >  Caught in the Rain
 
Lodger BD
Become a Patron of Silent Era

SUPPORT SILENT ERA
USING THESE LINKS
WHEN SHOPPING AT
AMAZON

AmazonUS
AmazonCA
AmazonUK

When Knighthood Was in Flower BD/DVD

Chaplin at Keystone DVD

Chaplin’s Essanay Comedies BD/DVD

Chaplin Mutuals BD/DVD

The Circus BD

The Kid BD

Gold Rush BD

Gold Rush DVD

Unknown Chaplin DVD

Madame DuBarry BD

Stella Maris BD

Three Ages / Hospitality BD

Pandora's Box BD

Browning's Shockers BD

Johnstown Flood BD

3 Musketeers / Iron Mask BD

Piccadilly BD

Spanish Dancer BD

Laurel & Hardy Year 1 BD

The Doll BD

Robin Hood / Black Pirate BD

Sky High BD

Michael BD

Johannna Enlists BD

Foolish Wives BD

Wolves / North BD

Paths to Paradise BD

Oyster Princess BD

The Trap BD

Oh Doctor BD

Der Hund von Baskerville BD

Our Hospitality (Lobster) BD

The Eagle BD

*