Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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The Desert Rider
(1923)
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This Jack Hoxie western, directed by Robert North Bradbury, features Frank Rice, Evelyn Nelson, Claude Peyton and Walter Wilkinson.
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 Grapevine Video
2009 DVD edition
The Desert Rider (1923), black & white and color-toned black & white, 57 minutes, not rated,
with Jim Hood’s Ghost (1926), black & white, 11 minutes, not rated.
Grapevine Video, no catalog number, UPC 8-42614-10178-6.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 6.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 384 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 12 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $14.95.
Release date: 2009.
Country of origin: USA •
Ratings (1-10): video: 6 / audio: 4 / additional content: 5 / overall: 5.
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a very-good 16mm reduction print, with a broad greyscale range and controlled highlight details. The print does have the usual amount of dust, speckling and emulsion scuffing but is still good viewing.
The film is accompanied by a music soundtrack compiled from a number of preexisting low-fidelity recordings.
The supplemental material features a Josie Sedgwick western short from Universal, which is presented from an abridged 9.5mm Pathéscope reduction print.
While this is the only home video edition of the film that we have viewed, it is nonetheless our recommended disc.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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 Alpha Video
2013 DVD edition
The Desert Rider (1923), black & white, ? minutes, not rated,
with Arizona Days (1928), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 7142D, UPC 0-89218-71429-9.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised to $8.98).
Release date: 27 August 2013.
Country of origin: USA
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| This budget DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.
The film is likely accompanied by a compilation of early film music from a variety of preexisting sources.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Other WESTERN FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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