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Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
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Laughing Gas
(1914)

Flicker Alley
2010 DVD edition

Chaplin at Keystone (1914), black & white, 590 minutes total, not rated
including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, 13 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

Ratings (1-10): video: 8 / audio: 8 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.

This quality DVD edition of Laughing Gas been mastered from an excellent 35mm source print held by Kansallinen audiovisuaalinen arkisto (National Audiovisual Archive of Finland) formerly the Suomen elokuva-arkisto (Finnish Film Archive) in Helsinki, Finland. The original English intertitles have been recreated.

The film is accompanied by a music score by Robert Israel, the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, Neil Brand, Frederick Hodges, Stephen Horne, Ethan Uslan, Antonio Coppola, Eric Le Guen, Eric Beheim, and Ken Winokur (of The Alloy Orchestra) with the Tillie’s Nightmare ensemble.

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.

All Day Entertainment
2006 DVD edition

American Slapstick (1914-1929), black & white and color-tinted black & white, 279 minutes total, not rated,
including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, 11 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 and 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; three-disc DVD keepcase; $39.99.
Release date: 21 November 2006.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD edition has been produced from a good 16mm reduction print that is quite dark.

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.

Alpha Video
2009 DVD edition

Silent Comedy Classics (1913-1987), black & white, 207 minutes total, not rated,
including Laffin Gas [Laughing Gas] (1914), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 5941D, UPC 0-89218-59419-8.
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 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised to $8.98).
Release date: 24 November 2009.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 4 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 4.

This budget DVD edition has been mastered from a poor-to-good 16mm reduction print from Official Films that is burned out in its white highlights and plugged up to solid black in its shadows.

The film is accompanied by the source print’s synchronized soundtrack of music and silly sound effects. The effects are almost silly enough to be funny.

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.

St. Clair Vision
2005 DVD edition

Charlie Chaplin: 51 Features (1914-1921), black & white, 870 minutes total, not rated,
including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

St. Clair Vision, 45340-9, UPC 7-87364-53409-8.
Three 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 5.1 surround sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; three-disc DVD keepcase; $19.98.
Release date: 27 July 2005.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 5 / additional content: 3 / overall: 3.

This budget DVD compilation follows the suit of other big box Chaplin collections: put as many films onto as many discs as possible, irregardless of print quality and sell them as cheap as possible. With so many quality versions of the later Chaplin films available, the chief attraction of this collection will be the presence of the 1914 Keystone films. But don’t expect them to be mastered from anything but 16mm reduction prints.

Don’t consider buying this collection for the later Chaplin films. The Essanay, Mutual and First National films have all been released on DVD home video in far superior editions transferred from 35mm prints (see below). The main attraction of this set is the fairly complete collection of the Keystone films (nine of the 35 films are not in the collection — one, Her Friend the Bandit [1914], is presumed lost).

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.

Brentwood Home Video
2004 DVD edition

Charlie Chaplin: 57 Classics (1914-1921), black & white, 5948 minutes total, not rated,
including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Brentwood Home Video, 45340-9, UPC 7-87364-53409-8.
Five dual-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; and 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; five-disc DVD keepcase with bonus disc in paper envelope in cardboard slipcase; $19.98.
Release date: 27 April 2004.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 4 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 4.

This budget DVD compilation follows the suit of other Brentwood big box releases: put as many films onto five or six discs as possible, irregardless of print quality and sell them as cheap as possible. With so many quality versions of the later Chaplin films available, the chief attraction of this collection will be the presence of the 1914 Keystone films. But don’t expect them to be mastered from anything but 16mm reduction prints.

The documentary The Chaplin Puzzle, written by Joe Adamson, features narration by Burgess Meredith.

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.

Delta Entertainment
2005 DVD edition

The Essential Charlie Chaplin Collection (1914-1916), black & white, 700 minutes total, not rated,
including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Delta Entertainment, 89 246, UPC 0-18111-92269-6.
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, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; eight plastic DVD trays in bookwrap; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 7 June 2005.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 5 / additional content: 4 / overall: 4.

This budget DVD compilation follows the suit of other big box releases: put as few films onto as many discs as possible, irregardless of print quality and sell them as cheap as possible. With so many quality versions of the later Chaplin films available, the chief attraction of this collection will be the presence of the 1914 Keystone films. But don’t expect them to be mastered from anything but 16mm reduction prints.