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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Love ’em and
Weep
(1927)
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This James Finlayson vehicle features Stan Laurel in a major supporting role. Stan’s character is much closer to his lovable L&H standard but is also something of a ladies’ man.
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 Flicker Alley
2023 Blu-ray Disc edition
Laurel & Hardy: Year One (1922-1928), black & white and color-toned black & white, 315 minutes total, not rated,
including Love ’em and Weep (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Flicker Alley, FA0083, UPC 6-17311-68839-3.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Discs; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at ? Mbps average video bit rate; LPCM 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, optional English language SDH subtitles; chapter stops; insert booklet; standard two-disc BD keepcase; $49.95.
Release date: 25 July 2023.
Country of origin: USA
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This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from archival and private collection prints. The collection has been curated by L&H historians Randy Skretvedt, Richard W. Bann, Serge Bromberg, Eric Lange and Ulrich Ruedel.
The films are accompanied by music scores composed and performed by Neil Brand, Antonio Coppola, Eric le Guen and Donald Sosin. Optional musical scores include soundtracks for the 1930s French rereleases of Slipping Wives, Why Girls Love Sailors, and Flying Elephants.
Supplementary material includes audio commentaries for each film by L&H historian and author Randy Skretvedt; audio commentary for The Battle of the Century by Randy Skretvedt and Serge Bromberg; “Restoring Laurel & Hardy,” a documentary by Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange; “Laurel & Hardy On-Location,” a video essay by historian John Bengtson on selected location exteriors; Hats Off (1927) slideshow presentation of this presumed lost film; multiple image galleries containing original publicity materials, press reviews and rare production stills; and an insert booklet featuring a new essay by historian Richard W. Bann on the Blackhawk Films story and the company’s stewardship of the Laurel & Hardy film materials, an introduction to the collection by Serge Bromberg, and notes on each film by historian Randy Skretvedt.
This is likely to be the best home video edition of the film available.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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This
Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition is available directly from . . .
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 Hal Roach Studios
1999 DVD edition
The Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy, The Complete Collection, Volume Three (1922-1929), black & white, 135 minutes total, not rated,
including Love ’em and Weep (1927), black & white, 24 minutes, not rated.
Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Image Entertainment,
HRS 4793, UPC 0-14381-47932-4.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD 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 3.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 256 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; snapper DVD case (reissued in standard DVD keepcase); $29.99.
Release date: 15 June 1999.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 6 / audio: 5 / additional content: 0 / overall: 6.
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This early DVD edition features a very-good transfer of Love ’em and Weep from a high quality 35mm print, and is a delight to watch. This is the most intact print utilized in this collection, until the restaurant scene where, occasionally, a good 35mm positive print is used for the transfer.
While the films on this disc are silent films, each have a musical accompaniment. The other films have scores cobbled together from synchronized soundtracks originally recorded for other Hal Roach sound productions. At times, during several of the films, sound effects or music cues play randomly out-of-sync to the action of the picture. This can be ignored to a large degree, but occasionally is distracting from the film at hand.
Overall, the disc is quite watchable and, while the condition of some of the surviving footage is rough, the disc is only compromised by the annoying pauses between cuts in some of the transfers.
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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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 Alpha Video
2023 DVD edition
Silent Slapstick Comedy Parade, Volume 2 (1913-1922), black & white, 68 minutes total, not rated,
including Love ’em and Weep (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment,
ALP 8531D, UPC 0-89218-85319-6.
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 ? 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; $8.98.
Release date: 1 August 2023.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R collection has likely been mastered from 16mm or 8mm reduction prints.
The films are likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music sources.
Probably not a great presentation but, for some of these films, this is the only home video edition of the film we know of.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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Other silent era LAUREL AND HARDY films available on home video.
Other silent era STAN LAUREL films available on home video.
Other silent era OLIVER HARDY films available on home video.
Other SHORT COMEDY FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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