Silent Era Home Page > Home Video > Easy Virtue
Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
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Easy Virtue
(1927)
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Early in his directing career — during the silent era years — Alfred Hitchcock made an assortment of films that ran the story-subject gamut, from suspense thrillers to love triangle stories. Most of them barely resembled the kind of films he would later become famous for. It was partially his film studio pressuring for a popular product, and partially it was a young filmmaker exploring style and subject matter.
Of Hitchcock’s surviving silent era films, Easy Virtue is easily the least appealing film in a collection of journeyman efforts. Society dramas can be the most trying of silent era genres. The viewer can feel as though we are to be entertained through voyeurism, peering into the rarified world of the rich and opulent. Part of the fault in Easy Virtue lies with the outdated morality-play sensibilities of the story, part with the unappealing casting of the mannish Isabel Jeans in the lead role. Jeans looks every bit — in dress and countenance — like Jack Lemmon in his drag performance from Some Like It Hot (1959). We kid you not.
A woman poses for an oil portrait in an artist’s studio — foretelling the artist’s studio disaster of Blackmail (1929). Her rich but bored and drunken lout of a husband behaves loutishly. The woman is discovered by her husband in the arms of the sympathetic but poor artist. A struggle ensues! A gun appears! The artist shoots the drunken, jealous husband (probably just for having the foppish name Aubrey Filton). Scandal! The rich Filton shot by his wife’s lover in an artist’s studio! Oh, that degenerate den of debauchery frequented by those of debased morals. Oh, that adulterous, hedonistic Filton woman — she-devil temptress of inexorable sin!
An investigation follows. The husband survives. A divorce is brought to court. Larita Filton’s tragic downfall is played out in full in the courtroom for the press to scandalize and the public to salaciously savor. And of course Larita — almost saintlike — sadly endures the slings and arrows of the rabble, both those of high and low standing. Almost Greek tragedy, isn’t it?
Larita escapes to the south of France (apparently still well-to-do after the scandalous divorce) to forget all, only to meet a wonderful (and young) British man of fine standing, John Whittaker. Their whirlwind romance turns to marriage. It’s back home to England and mother! And mommy is a prototypical ringer for Madame Sebastian in Notorious (1946) and Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca (1940). The results are tragically predictable. Mother Whittaker asks her son, “John — who is this woman you have pitchforked into the family?”
Larita’s past threatens to scandalize the Whittaker family and John hasn’t the backbone to oppose his mother. Father Whittaker is only there is be withered by a single glance from his wife. The mother stands, like a single-headed Cerberus, guarding the gates of her monied family’s secret hell from gossip and scandal. Larita suffers, and so do we. After more than an hour of this, the film’s ending is both abrupt and merciful for the viewer.
Unfortunate for today’s audiences, the film appears to have only survived in 16mm reduction prints of poor visual quality.
— Carl Bennett
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 Feel Films
2014 Blu-ray Disc edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 67 minutes, not rated.
Feel Films, 717, UPC 8-436548-867171.
One single-sided, single-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc, 1.33:1 aspect ration image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) interlaced? scan AVC (MPEG-4) 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, optional Spanish, Portuguese and French language subtitles, chapter stops; standard BD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 2014.
Country of origin: Spain
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We have not viewed this Blu-ray Disc edition of Easy Virtue, but we suspect that it has been transferred from the same mediocre quality 16mm reduction prints as the umpteen DVD editions noted below. If true, that would mean that collectors would have a clearer 1080p edition of the contrasty and soft image details of some substandard 16mm print.
Perhaps of greater concern may be the significantly shorter running time of 67 minutes as compared to the DVD editions noted below that tend to run approximately 80 minutes. This may indicate that the film has been transferred at a sound film rate of 24fps and would then playback at a faster than natural pace speed.
Just because we are of a suspicious sort, we also are willing to hazard a guess that the film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings. Meh.
We cannot recommend this Blu-ray Disc edition of Easy Virtue sight unseen. We also note that the edition’s packaging states that the video signal is in the PAL television format rather than in an AVC (MPEG-4) format, which is common on BD. (Is that possible?) That would mean that North American collectors will need a region-free PAL Blu-ray Disc player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC PAL Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC PAL Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
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 Elephant Films
2014 Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 67 minutes, not rated.
Elephant Films,
unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc, 1.33:1 aspect ration image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive scan AVC (MPEG-4) 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, optional French language subtitles, chapter stops; one single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 PAL DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 2.5 Mbps average video bit rate, 192 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, optional French language subtitles, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; €19,99.
Release date: 21 October 2014.
Country of origin: France
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We have not viewed this Blu-ray Disc / DVD combo edition of Easy Virtue, but we suspect that it has been transferred from the same mediocre quality 16mm reduction prints as the umpteen DVD editions noted below. If true, that would mean that collectors would have a clearer 1080p edition of the contrasty and soft image details of some substandard 16mm print.
Just because we are of a suspicious sort, we also are willing to hazard a guess that the film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
We cannot recommend this Blu-ray Disc edition of Easy Virtue sight unseen.
North American collectors will need a region-free PAL Blu-ray Disc / DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition from Amazon.com. Purchase supports Silent Era.
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France: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition from Amazon.fr. Purchase supports Silent Era.
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United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk.
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 Laserlight Digital
1999 DVD edition
Blackmail (1929), black & white, 85 minutes, not rated,
with Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
Laserlight Digital, DEL82036DVD, UPC 0-18111-99743-0.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 2.5 Mbps average video bit rate, 192 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles, 28 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.95.
Release date: 20 July 1999.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 6 / overall: 4.
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This budget DVD edition has been transferred from a contrasty 16mm reduction print, but turning down the contrast level of your TV monitor can help hold highlight details a bit. The print utilized is a few dupes away from an original, being both grainy and soft of detail. And grainy silent films running at less than 24 frames per second can be a challenge for MPEG-2 video compression. A discerning eye can detect compression artifacts in the middle to light greytones of the picture, and a freeze frame is a horror on an HD monitor. The print is marked by light scratches, scuffing, dust and speckling. But, that being said, this DVD is the best-looking of three home video editions of Easy Virtue we have seen. Most of the intertitles are easy to read and are framed properly. A better source print would reveal if it is indeed Alfred Hitchcock standing and leaving the courtroom gallery after the divorce verdict is read, 18 minutes into the film.
The canned orchestral music soundtrack is, like the other silent Hitchcock DVDs from Laserlight, reasonably selected from tape and LP record sources.
While this DVD is far from an ideal edition, it is a welcome improvement over previous VHS editions of Easy Virtue. The accompanying edition of Blackmail appears to be transferred from a tightly-cropped 35mm print, marked with some light speckling. For the money, this edition of Blackmail is acceptable for most collectors. We recommend the DVD, with the understanding that this substandard Easy Virtue is the best that we have viewed available on home video until a better edition is released.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 The Archive
2011 DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 78 minutes, not rated.
The Archive, SCG 004-9, UPC 8-07297-07509-0.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 PAL DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 6.5 Mbps average video bit rate, 320 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, optional German language subtitles, 11 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 2011.
Country of origin: Germany
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 0 / overall: 3.
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This PAL DVD edition of Easy Virtue is every bit as bad as myriad other home video editions. It is virtually the same subpar video transfer of the subpar 16mm reduction print materials that have been utilized for the other home video editions listed below. This edition has been made even worse by a “Screen Gems” diamond logo placed in the upper right corner of the picture throughout the film presentation. This is done to discourage pirated copies but since it is likely this edition was pirated from another, earlier crappy edition, this precaution is ludicrous and only serves to annoy collectors who don’t want the logo there at all.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting orchestral recordings taken from scratchy LPs.
North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.
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Germany: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 2 PAL DVD edition from Amazon.de. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 2 PAL DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
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 Entertainment One
2011 DVD edition
The Great Alfred Hitchcock Movie Box (1925-1928),
black & white, 215 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 78 minutes, not rated.
Entertainment One, SCG EXP 001-9, UPC 8-07297-07519-9.
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), 6.5 Mbps average video bit rate, 320 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo (mono) sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 11 chapter stops; three standard DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $16.98.
Release date: 8 November 2011.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 0 / overall: 3.
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This inexpensive three-disc DVD edition has been mastered from 16mm reduction prints and there are no surprises. This is as awful as other home video editions. It can be noted that this is the USA release version of the Archive DVD edition noted above, with both discs manufactured in the EU.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting orchestral recordings taken from scratchy LPs.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 Mill Creek Entertainment
2007 DVD edition
Alfred Hitchcock: The Legend Begins (1926-1962), black & white, 1614 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
Mill Creek Entertainment,
no catalog number, UPC 6-83904-20031-0.
Four double-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 8-bit 2.0 stereo and mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 4 chapter stops; double-wide four-disc DVD keepcase; $14.98.
Release date: 25 September 2007.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 3.
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This budget DVD edition has been transferred from a good to very-good 16mm reduction print.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
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 St. Clair Vision
2007 DVD edition
The Ultimate Hitchcock Collection (1926-1962),
black & white, 1695 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
St. Clair Vision,
unknown catalog number, UPC 7-77966-86149-4.
Six dual-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 8-bit 2.0 stereo and mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; six slimline DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $16.98.
Release date: 19 November 2007.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 3.
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This budget DVD edition has been transferred from a 16mm reduction print.
The film is presented with a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 Brentwood Home Video
2005 DVD edition
The Essential Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1927-1939),
black & white, ? minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
Brentwood Home Video, 46304-9, UPC 7-87364-63049-3.
Five double-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 8-bit 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 8 chapter stops; double-wide five-disc DVD keepcase; $19.95.
Release date: 23 August 2005.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 3.
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Our first look at this budget DVD edition from this budget collection of early Hitchcock films reveals that the video transfer, music and all, has been lifted from the Laserlight/Delta editions reviewed above. There is no improvement in quality of presentation with this edition, other than a barely perceptible smoothing of the coarseness present in the previous editions.
With this edition is of similar quality to those above, this collection may be of interest due to the number of films in it.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 Mill Creek Entertainment
2011 DVD edition
Alfred Hitchcock: A Legacy of Suspense (1926-1962), black & white, 1737 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
Mill Creek Entertainment,
no catalog number, UPC 6-83904-52427-0.
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 8-bit 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 4 chapter stops; four-disc tin keepcase (rereleased in four disc envelopes in holder within standard DVD keepcase); unknown suggested list price.
Release date: 1 November 2011.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 3.
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This budget DVD edition has been transferred from a 16mm reduction print and the results are about the same of all cheap editions of the films mastered from the same source material — good, at best. Several sections of the film have blasted-out highlights and plugged-up shadows. This is yet another repackaging of substandard material from yet another substandard home video company.
Of course, the film is presented with a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
The supplementary material includes a ‘documentary’ The Story of Alfred Hitchock in 16:9 widescreen (22 minutes) and a collection of Hitchcock film trailers (39 minutes).
Until a high-quality home video edition of the film is released, a collector has a toss-up choice as to which edition is worth buying. They’re all about the same.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
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 Miracle Pictures/Movie Ventures
2004 DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 79 minutes, not rated,
with Jamaica Inn (1939), black & white, 99 minutes, PG-13.
Miracle Pictures/Movie Ventures,
no catalog number, UPC 0-90328-30860-5.
One dual-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc, 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 8-bit 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 31 August 2004.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 3.
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This budget DVD edition has been mastered from the same readily-available contrasty and blurry video transfer from the same low-quality 16mm reduction print, with the same canned musical accompaniment, utilized for as the Laserlight/Delta and Brentwood editions noted above. Is there to be no decent home video edition of this film — laughable as it is — available to Hitchcock collectors?
The disc is so cheaply manufactured it does not play in all DVD players. We do not recommend this edition.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Laserlight Digital
2003 DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated,
with Blackmail (1929), black & white, 85 minutes, not rated, and Rich and Strange (1932), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Laserlight Digital,
unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
Two 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), 2.5 Mbps average video bit rate, 192 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 mono sound; English language intertitles, optional Spanish, Japanese and Chinese language subtitles; chapter stops; standard two-disc DVD keepcase; $13.99.
Release date: 6 February 2003.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD boxset of two of Laserlight’s previous Hitchcock DVD releases is merely a repackaging of the same dreary content as reviewed above.
The people at Laserlight obviously didn’t know that these “Hollywood Classics” were produced in England.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Delta Entertainment
2004 DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated,
with The Lodger (1926), black & white, 89 minutes, not rated, and Sabotage (1936), black & white, 76 minutes, not rated.
Delta Entertainment,
unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
Two? 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, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles?, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $20.99.
Release date: 23 July 2004.
Country of origin: USA
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More repackaging of the same content as the above from Delta Entertainment, parent company of the former Laserlight Digital imprint.
More of the same substandard stuff.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 Delta Entertainment
2005 DVD edition
Alfred Hitchcock Collection, black & white, ? minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
Delta Entertainment,
unknown catalog number, UPC 0-18111-92439-9.
Eight 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, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles?, chapter stops; plastic disc trays in book style case; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 7 June 2005.
Country of origin: USA
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Even more repackaging of the same content as the above from Delta Entertainment, parent company of the former Laserlight Digital imprint.
More of the same substandard stuff.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is . . .
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 Westlake Video
2004 DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Westlake Video,
unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc, 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; standard DVD keepcase; $4.98.
Release date: 10 February 2004.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print, based on its low price.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 Mill Creek Entertainment
2007 DVD edition
Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1927-1939), black & white, 1083 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Mill Creek Entertainment,
unknown catalog number, UPC 6-83904-20031-0.
Six dual-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 and mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; six-disc DVD keepcase; $14.98.
Release date: 4 December 2007.
Country of origin: USA
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This budget DVD collection has all been transferred from 16mm reduction prints and is largely a repackaging of Mill Creek’s collection Alfred Hitchcock: The Legend Begins released only weeks before this collection.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 WHE International
2006 DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, BBFC Classification U.
WHE International,
unknown catalogue number, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 2 PAL DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 576 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; standard DVD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 26 June 2006.
Country of origin: England
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This PAL DVD edition of Easy Virtue sounds as if it may not be worth tracking down. It is likely that subpar 16mm reduction print materials were utilized for the video transfer.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.
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United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 2 PAL DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
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 Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
2008 DVD edition
Alfred Hitchcock Classics (1927-1962), black & white, 720 minutes total, not rated,
including Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Echo Bridge Home Entertainment,
unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
Four dual-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 and mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; four-disc DVD keepcase; $15.99.
Release date: 2 September 2008.
Country of origin: USA
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This budget DVD collection has likely all been transferred from 16mm reduction prints.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
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 Miracle Pictures
2003 DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 79 minutes, not rated.
Miracle Pictures,
unknown catalog number, UPC 0-90328-30062-3.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc, 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; slimline DVD keepcase; $4.98.
Release date: 2003
Country of origin: USA
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This cheap DVD edition, from the look of its packaging, may have been produced by ultra-cheap Digiview Productions and is likely the same 16mm reduction print, if not the same video transfer, as the other budget editions above.
Of course, the tone of the packaging has nothing to do with the tenor of the film. But we have noted that this edition’s packaging features nearly the same artwork as for the DVD menus of the Miracle Pictures edition reviewed above, indicating a slimy dog disregard for any extra creative effort.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 FilmRise
2014 DVD edition
Easy Virtue (1927), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
FilmRise, unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc, 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; standard DVD keepcase; $9.99.
Release date: 26 November 2014
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been produced from a 16mm reduction print.
As with many of these cheap editions noted above, this disc is not recommended. Someone, at some time, will produce a high-quality home video edition of the film.
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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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Other silent era ALFRED HITCHCOCK films available on home video.
Other BRITISH FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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Alfred Hitchcock filmography in The Progressive Silent Film List
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