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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Why Change
Your Wife?
(1920)
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This domestic comedy stars Thomas Meighan, Gloria Swanson and Bebe Daniels. Something of a Cecil B. DeMille sequel to his Don’t Change Your Husband (1919), this examination of spousal fickleness is quite charming and Swanson stands out among a first-class cast that includes Theodore Kosloff, Clarence Geldert, Sylvia Ashton and Maym Kelso.
While the talented Mitchen Leisen was one of the costume designers, modern audiences will likely get a laugh out of what passes for innovative 1920 fashion design. The swimming costumes are, both intentionally and unintentionally, a hoot.
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 Film Preservation Associates
2005 DVD edition
Why Change Your Wife? (1920), color-toned black & white and black & white, 91 minutes, not rated, with Miss Lulu Bett (1921), color-tinted black & white, 71 minutes, not rated.
Film Preservation Associates,
distributed by Image Entertainment,
ID1990DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-19902-4.
One single-sided, dual-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 5.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 224 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 10 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $24.99.
Release date: 19 November 2005.
Country of origin: USA •
Ratings (1-10): video: 6 / audio: 9 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.
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This DVD edition has been mastered from a 35mm preservation negative prepared from Cecil B. DeMille’s personal print of the film and held by George Eastman Museum. The source material features a broad range of greytones (partially colored in sepiatones), with reasonable image details in shadowy areas of the picture. The slightly windowboxed, natural-speed video transfer was great when the DVD was released, but it is now aging badly.
This being an older analog video transfer, edge sharpening is present which can be a distraction when viewing the disc on high-resolution television systems. In the days of standard-resolution VHS videotape and laserdisc, edge sharpening in a video transfer made image details seem sharper when viewed on cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions. Edge sharpening created a thin band of white on lighter picture details, such as the edges of a shirt sleeve, next to a thin band of darker grey or black, such as a background of darker wallpaper. This is not a concern if you view DVDs on computer monitors or even on older HD systems. However, on today’s 4k HD monitors such edge sharpening visually jumps out and can pull you out of the viewing experience. Also apparent on UHD systems is the lattice-like pattern of DVD image compression artifacts that can plainly be seen in still frames and, in motion, in middle greytones of the picture.
Mentioned for the sake of nitpicking, there is a one second repeat of footage at 1:24:56.
The presentation features an excellent musical accompaniment from a score compiled by Rodney Sauer and Susan Hall and performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
This is still our recommended home video edition of the film, but we can’t wait for a Blu-ray Disc edition to be released.
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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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 Passport Video
2007 DVD edition
The Cecil B. DeMille Classics Collection (1914-1926), black & white, 1622 minutes total, not rated, including Why Change Your Wife? (1920), black & white, 91 minutes, not rated.
Passport Video, DVD-5090, UPC 0-25493-50900-0.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (five DVDs in the set); 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 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 13 chapter stops; double-wide five-disc DVD keepcase; $19.98.
Release date: 12 June 2007.
Country of origin: USA
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This budget DVD edition has been mastered from a very-good 16mm reduction print that is flat in its greytone range.
The film is accompanied by canned music from a variety of audio sources.
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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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 Passport Video
2007 DVD edition
The Gloria Swanson Collection: 10 Fabulous Films (1915-1931) black & white, 675 minutes total, not rated, including Why Change Your Wife? (1920), black & white, 91 minutes, not rated.
Passport Video, DVD-5151, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (five DVDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in windowboxed 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; no chapter stops; double-wide five-disc DVD keepcase; $19.98.
Release date: 13 February 2007.
Country of origin: USA •
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This budget DVD edition has been mastered from a very-good 16mm reduction print, and this presentation of Why Change Your Wife? is identical to the Cecil B. DeMille Classics Collection noted above. Identifying logomarks are superimposed over the lower right corner of the picture to discourage video transfer piracy.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from dopey preexisting recordings. Annoying, at best.
This edition is now out-of-print. Well, it's not much of a loss.
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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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Other silent era GLORIA SWANSON films available on home video.
Other silent era CECIL B. DeMILLE films available on home video.
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