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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You’d Be
Surprised
(1926)
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This feature mystery comedy stars Raymond Griffith and Dorothy Sebastian, with support from Edward Martindel, Earle Williams and Tom McGuire. Look for appearances by Roscoe Karns and Dick LaReno, and — at the last minute — Richard Arlen as a reporter.
When the famous Sultana diamond necklace is stolen during a party on an upscale houseboat and its owner (Martindel) murdered, enter the coroner (Griffith). Dorothy (Sebastian) becomes the prime suspect when she is discovered hiding with the necklace in her possession. An investigation ensues, conducted not by the police inspector (McGuire) but by the unflapable coroner.
The film, based on a screen story and scenario by Jules Furthman, could have been adapted from a stage play as this ‘drawing room’ mystery plays out in real time on a total of three sets.
Raymond Griffith is endlessly engaging as the suave investigative coroner in this unabashed star vehicle. Dorothy Sebastian has little to do other than to look worried and Tom McGuire is serviceable as the inspector. Accomplished painter and part-time actor Granville Redmond (himself deaf) plays the deaf valet who witnesses the murder. Of special note are the wry intertitles written by humorist Robert Benchley and Ralph Spence.
It is nearly impossible not to like this police procedural comedy, which holds up well in multiple viewings. Come on, I dare you. Just try not to like it. You’d be surprised.
— Carl Bennett
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 Undercrank Productions
2023 Blu-ray Disc edition
Paths to Paradise (1925), color-tinted black & white and black & white, 67 minutes, not rated, with You’d Be Surprised (1926), black & white, 65 minutes, not rated.
Undercrank Productions,
no catalog number, UPC 7-45808-09981-7.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 Blu-ray Disc (BD-R BDMV); 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 25.8 Mbps average video bit rate; Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 192 Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 9 chapter stops; standard BD keepcase; $21.95.
Release date: 13 June 2023.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 9 / audio: 9 / additional content: 9 / overall: 9.
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This Blu-ray Disc (BD-R) edition has been mastered in 2K high-definition from an excellent 35mm nitrate print held by the Library of Congress film archive. The visual quality is excellent, with nearly no print flaws to be seen other than a couple of brief sections of missing frames such as one example that causes a policeman to suddenly appear at a key moment. The image has been digitally stabilized and cleaned, and is a pleasure to watch.
The film is accompanied by a charming music score composed and performed on virtual theatre pipe organ by Ben Model.
Supplementary material includes “Raymond Griffith: Silent Comedy’s Silk-Hatted Secret,” a video overview of Griffith’s career (11 minutes).
This is currently our highly recommended home video edition of the film.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc (BD-R) edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 Undercrank Productions
2023 DVD edition
Paths to Paradise (1925), color-tinted black & white and black & white, 67 minutes, not rated, with You’d Be Surprised (1926), black & white, 65 minutes, not rated.
Undercrank Productions,
no catalog number, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc (two DVD-R discs 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 ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; standard two-disc DVD keepcase; $24.95.
Release date: 13 June 2023.
Country of origin: USA
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