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Easy Street
(1916)

 

Charles Chaplin’s famous rollerskating comedy pits an errant waiter, posing as a society gentleman, against big Eric Campbell for the attentions of Edna Purviance, with most of the rivalry played out on a roller-rink floor. A lively and funny comedy, but what is going on with Edna’s hairstyle in this film?

coverFlicker Alley
2014 Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition

Chaplin’s Mutual Comedies 1916-1917 (1916-2013), black & white, 400 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Street (1917), black & white, 26 minutes, not rated.

Flicker Alley, FA0034,
UPC 0-17311-67859-2, ISBN 1-893967-859.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive? scan MPEG-4 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; and three single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 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; five-disc BD steelbook; $59.99.
Release date: 19 August 2014.
Country of origin: USA
This dual-format Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition of the first of the Chaplin Mutual contract films features a new high-definition pillarboxed video transfer from a 35mm fine-grain safety print held by the Museum of Modern Art, with additional footage conflated from a 35mm nitrate positive held by the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique. New intertitles were reconstructed from intertitle list documents held by the Library of Congress. The 2013 reconstruction version of the film has been a cooperative project of Cineteca de Bologna, Film Preservation Associates and Lobster Films in cooperation with Association Chaplin.

With much of this edition being mastered from an archival 35mm positive, the visual quality is generally very-good with from a good 35mm positive. The edition benefits greatly from the new video transfer.

The film is presented with an ensemble music score performed on piano, horn and cello as composed by Gabriel Thibaudeau. An optional improvisational piano score performed by Antonio Coppola is also available. It is a bit annoying that the Thibaudeau music is out-of-sync with the film’s action.

The supplemental material includes a 28-page booklet, the documentary The Birth of the Tramp (2013); the documentary Chaplin’ss Goliath (1996) on Chaplin star heavy Eric Campbell.

The collection is issued in limited-edition steelbook packaging, which we feel must be handled gingerly to avoid damaging its discs and the case itself.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 NTSC DVD from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
coverFilm Preservation Associates
2006 DVD edition

The Chaplin Mutual Comedies (1916-1917), black & white, 301 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Street (1917), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID2477DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-24772-5.
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; plastic trays in cardboard wrapper box (reissued in four-disc DVD keepcase); $59.99.
Release date: 11 July 2006.
Country of origin: USA
This remastered DVD collection of the twelve Chaplin Mutual contract films features new video transfers from premium 35mm prints, including additional footage and quality improvements from film materials which have surfaced since David Shepard’s earlier laserdisc and DVD editions, including new orchestral scores composed and conducted by Carl Davis.

The special features include the documentary The Gentleman Tramp (1975), narrated by Walter Matthau, with excerpts from My Autobiography read by Laurence Olivier; Chaplin family home movies, including scenes of Chaplin at home near Vevey, Switzerland; the documentary Chaplin’s Goliath (1996) on Chaplin star heavy Eric Campbell; “The Mutual-Chaplin Specials,” an appreciation by Jeffrey Vance, author of Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema; “Making The Gentleman Tramp,” a reminisence by Richard Patterson; and a stills gallery containing more than 90 images from the collection of Jeffrey Vance, many never before published.

 
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.
coverFilm Preservation Associates
1997 DVD edition

The Chaplin Mutuals, Volume 3 (1916), black & white, 100 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Street (1917), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Image Entertainment, ID4163DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-41632-9.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD 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, chapter stops; snapper DVD case (reissued in standard DVD keepcase); $29.99.
Release date: 19 November 1997.
Country of origin: USA
This DVD edition has been mastered from 35mm print materials, and is identical or slightly improves upon the laserdisc box edition of 1995. The film is slightly windowboxed to allow the maximum picture area to be seen on all televisions.

That being said, readers have noted that there is surviving footage from these films that does not appear in this home video edition. Our understanding is that most (if not all) of these films have originated from the Van Beuren Company 35mm negatives that were prepared in the 1950s. Those prints featured music by Winston Sharples and synchronized sound effects, and they can be viewed in their 1950s form (transfered at sound speed) on early laserdisc and VHS collections from Image and Republic. While these 35mm negatives feature superior visual quality, portions of the original footage and intertitles were removed in the 1950s. Some early 16mm reduction prints from Blackhawk Films and others, which originated from other surviving positive prints, feature footage that doesn’t appear in this DVD edition. Logic would lead some to assume that this extra footage survives in 35mm prints held by the world’s film archives and by private collectors.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
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coverFilm Preservation Associates
2003 DVD edition

Slapstick Masters (1917-1929), black & white, 87 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Street (1917), black & white, 24 minutes, not rated.

Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID1897DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-18972-8.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc (reissued on DVD-R disc), 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in windowboxed 1.20:1 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, 224 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language subtitles, no foreign language subtitles, 20 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $24.99.
Release date: 15 July 2003.
Country of origin: USA
This DVD collection features an analog video transfer of the film that was released in the 1997 Chaplin Mutual Comedies collection noted above. As the transfer was sourced from an early sound rerelease print of the film, the original image is cropped to 1.20:1 to allow space on the print stock for the added synchronized optical soundtrack. There is the typical amount of dust, speckling and other flaws present in the source print.

The film is accompanied by a custom music score by The Alloy Orchestra and is the principal reason to own this collection (if you like their music).

This edition was later reissued on manufactured-on-demand DVD-R disc and both the DVD and DVD-R editions are now out-of-print.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
coverFalcon Picture Group
2002 DVD edition

Famous Comedy Legends, Volume 1 (1915-1947), black & white, 324 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Street (1917), black & white, 19 minutes, not rated.

Falcon Picture Group, 1009,
UPC 8-22583-10099-7, ISBN 1-59171-009-X.
Three single-sided, single-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 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; three DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $24.99.
Release date: 1 July 2002.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 3 / additional content: 3 / overall: 3.

This DVD boxset is full of low-quality video transfers of short and feature-length films. At the time of its release, the majority of the titles were previously available from other budget disc producers of similar low-quality. This edition has been transferred from a dark 16mm reduction print.

While the temptation is to get three discs for a low price, the quality of prints used for the video transfers are commensurately low.

Easy Street is available in higher-quality home video editions elsewhere. Not recommended and it’s out-of-print now, anyway. No loss.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Other silent era CHARLES CHAPLIN 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
 
 
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