Wings (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Review)

“Wings” is a magnificent Blu-ray release.  For silent fans who have wanted a reason to upgrade to Blu-ray, “Wings” can be added to that list for another reason why to upgrade.  A fantastic Blu-ray release that cinema and silent film fans will want to have in their collection!  It is a must-own!

Images courtesy of © 1927 Paramount Famouse Lasky Corp. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Wings

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1927

DURATION: 144 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Color Tinted, Re-Recorded Score Composed by J.S. Zamecnik (orchestrated and arranged by Domink Hauser, Featured Pianist – Frederik Hodges with sound effects by Ben Burtt), 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Pipe Organ Score composed and performed by Gaylord Carter, 2.0 Stereo Dolby Digital, Subtitles: French, Spanish, Portuguese

COMPANY: Paramount

RATED: PG (Some Language)

Release Date: January 24, 2012

Directed by William A. Wellman

Story by John Monk Saunders

Screenplay by Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton

Titles by Julian Johnson

Associate Producer: B.P. Schulberg

Cinematography by J.S. Zamecnik

Edited by E. Lloyd Sheldon

Starring:

Clara Bow as Mary Preston

Charles “Buddy” Rogers as Jack Powell

Richard Arlen as David Armstrong

Jobyna Ralston as Sylvia Lewis

El Brendel as Herman Schwimpf

Ricahrd Tucker as Air Commander

Gary Cooper as Cadet White

Gunboat Smith as The Sergeant

Henry B. Walthall as David’s Father

Roscoe Karns as Lt. Cameron

Julia Swayne Gordon as David’s Mother

Arlette Marchal as Celeste

Director William A. Wellman’s masterpiece is the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Featuring a meticulous restoration and a newly recorded soundtrack based on the original score, Wings comes to Blu-ray for the first time.  This timeless story of love and loss follows two men who go to war and the girl they leave behind.  Popular Twenties “It” girl Clara Bow stars in this unforgettable World War I epic alongside Richard Arlen, Charles “Buddy” Rogers and the legendary Gary Cooper in a cameo appearance.  The aerial battle sequences still rank among the best in motion picture history.

As a silent film fan, you tend to accept that a lot of films are lost and those that are not lost, you tend to expect smaller companies releasing them on Blu-ray or DVD.

For many years now, there have been three silent films, epics, that I have been awaiting for a DVD video release for a long time.  The three films are Erich von Stroheim’s “Greed” (1924), King Vidor’s “The Big Parade” (1925) and William A. Wellman’s 1927 film “Wings”.

And I have to admit that I have felt that the studio have been dangling a carrot for silent film fans, teasing us over the years, watching a once in awhile airing on TCM and yet, not knowing when these films will ever see a video release at all.

That changed in 2012 as “Wings”, known as the first Academy Award winning film for “Best Picture” (at the time known as “Most Outstanding Production”) would receive it’s HD treatment with a Blu-ray release and also on DVD, after receiving extensive restoration.

And not only does William A. Wellman’s (known for directing “The Public Enemy”, “A Star is Born”, “The Ox-Bow Incident”) masterpiece look absolutely fantastic in 1080p High Definition, the inclusion of a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack with sound effects literally surprised me, as I was not expecting it.

And this is quite interesting as the film was once considered lost until a print was found at the Cinematheque Francaise film archive in Paris, in which the deteriorating nitrate film was transferred to safety film stock, and was re-released in theaters.

In 1997, “Wings” was selected for preservation in the United Stats National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

“Wings” is based on the story by John Monk Saunders and the screenplay adaptation was written by Hope Loring and Louis D. Lighton.

The film is known as a war epic and love story, but is also known for its amazing aerial cinematography (which aimed at capturing realistic dogfights that two incidents took place, including a tragic crash).    The film was also made before there were rules were set of what a movie studio can not do in a film, so the film actually shows a few-second shot of a nude Clara Bow, nude men undergoing military physical exams in the background and a shared kiss between two male friends (as some people today would say, a “bromance” scene).

“Wings” is a film that takes place in a small American town.  Jack Powell (played by Charles “Buddy” Rogers) is working on his vehicle and the girl next door, Mary Preston (played by Clara Bow) has been in love with him for quite some time.

While a one-sided love affair, Mary helps Jack fix his car and call it the “Shooting Star” in which she paints an image of a shooting star on his car.  Expecting gratitude, hopefully with a kiss, instead Jack thanks Mary and drives off with his car to meet the girl that he likes, Sylvia Lewis (played by Jobyna Ralston), the popular girl from the city.

But as Jack arrives to meet with Sylvia, she is already with the guy she loves, the wealthy David Armstrong (played by Richard Arlen).  Both love each other, but Sylvia has not been able to tell David, in order to spare his feelings.

Needless to say, this sets up the rivalry between Jack and David.

The scene shifts to World War I and both young men join the Air Service to become combat pilots and are off to training.

For the loving son David, it’s difficult to depart from his mother (played by Julia Swayne Gordon) and his father (played by Henry B. Walthall).  But his mother finds the teddy bear he once played with as a child and David wants to keep it with him as a good luck charm. His mother wants to see David come back alive with the bear, as both parents worry about their son.

As for Jack, he’s all ready to go but first, he wants his own good luck charm and he goes to meet Sylvia for a picture. Meanwhile, Sylvia is planning to give David a picture of her, but instead Jack thinks it’s for him and takes it.  David arrives to see Sylvia with Jack and Jack leaves with a grin towards his rival.

Sylvia knows David is jealous but reminds him that Jack may have her picture, but David has her heart. Meanwhile, as Jack is about to leave for training, Mary gives Jack a good luck charm, a picture of herself.

For military training, both Jack and David try to excel in what they do and during their boxing match, both decide to let their rivalry be tested through a fight.  Jack doesn’t think much of David, since he’s from a wealthy family and doesn’t think he can fight.  And sure enough, Jack beats David with ease.  But at the same time, David earns Jack’s respect and the two become best friends afterward.

And the two go through extensive military training and prepare to be shipped off to France in order to go in aerial combat against the Germans.

Mary meanwhile wants to be involved in the war effort, so she takes a job and becomes an ambulance driver in hopes that she can be close to Jack.

But with World War II and the Germans prepared to show their aerial superiority, will Jack and David be ready for battle?  And will Mary be able to let Jack know that she loves him?

VIDEO:

When it comes to silent films on Blu-ray, I’m not very picky as many silent films have suffered from nitrate damage and neglect.    And the fact is that many companies can’t spend millions of dollars on restoration.  So, I have had this “take what you can get” attitude towards silent films on Blu-ray and DVD for a long time.

But when “The General”, “Modern Times” and “Metropolis” were released on Blu-ray, three films that did receive restoration, that’s when I have high expectations.  With “Wings”, it’s the same situation.  I know that there was a PhotoPlay restoration done awhile back, but the version featured is a Paramount restoration.

The film is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:34:1 aspect ratio), color tinted with black bars on the side.  I was absolutely pleased with the video as visually, this is best I have seen of the film, this is the best I have ever seen of Clara Bow on video and there were no nitrate damage, no warping. I didn’t see any scratches or dust which was surprising.  There is no doubt that there was considerable money spent to restore this film and it shows as the film looks clean and visually, stunning!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Wings” is presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (featuring a re-recorded score composed by J.S. Zamecnik (orchestrated and arranged by Domink Hauser, featuring pianist Frederick Hodges and sound effects by Ben Burtt).  There is also a Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 soundtrack featuring a pipe organ score composed and performed by Gaylord Carter.

It’s one thing for the film to look amazing in HD but for those with a home theater system, when you watch and have your audio setting set to the lossless version, audiophiles, you are in for a treat. I was absolutely floored by the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless audio. The sound effects…I was not expecting to hear it. But when the LFE (subwoofer) started to rumble and started to hear audio coming from all around me through the surround channels during the aerial dogfighting sequences, my first reaction was amazement and I was shocked because I was not expecting it at all.

And I can continue to gush about the lossless soundtrack, while others may not be so thrilled with sound effects and a new re-recorded score, as some absolutely love the Carl Davis score that was featured long ago.  But the expected Gaylor Carter pipe organ score was included (as many people are familiar with his score) and it also sounds good via lossless stereo.

So, I’m very pleased that Paramount had decided to include two soundtracks and also really do something different by incorporating the sound effects, what a surprise and I’m impressed!

Subtitles are also included in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Wings” comes with the following special features:

• Wings: Grandeur in the Sky - (25:56) A featurette that goes into the making of “Wings”, the challenges of aerial cinematography of the time and trying to make the film authentic with a $2 million budget (which was a lot at that time).  As well as looking into the success of the film.
• Restoring the Power and Beauty of Wings - (14:21) A featurette on the restoration of “Wings” including the re-recording score by J.S. Zamecnik and the sound effects by Ben Burtt
• Dogfight – (12:54) A featurette about the evolution of airplanes, especially those used in World War I.

EXTRAS:

“Wings” comes with a slipcover.

For so many years, I have wanted this film on DVD.  What was easily available and accessible were bad versions of the film available via public domain and suffice to say, the announcement of “Wings” on Blu-ray was incredible.

As a silent film fan, it’s amazing that in these last few years, we have seen the progress of having to see silent film in HD with amazing detail and clarity but most importantly, seeing generations of movie fans taking a chance on silent cinema and enjoying them.

While you have your loyal fans who will buy these videos, may they be in Blu-ray, DVD, LD, VHS or actual reels, the fact that Paramount has released “Wings” on Blu-ray is fantastic news because it leaves the possibility for other classic Paramount silents to be released on Blu-ray and DVD.

And with “Wings”, this is one film that has evaded video release for a long time and here we are now with the definitive version of the film to date.  The most beautiful version of the film to date and now, I must add, the re-recorded score with sound effects in lossless audio adds another dimension to this Wellman masterpiece.

I certainly didn’t know what to expect as I watched this film expecting better video quality but when you start hearing machine gun’s firing all around you, the engines of airplanes reverberating around your room via the surround channels and hearing that LFE kick in…this is something that you never expect from a silent film.

And why that makes me happy is that Paramount is reaching out to two sets of fans.  The hardcore fans who were familiar with Gaylord Carter’s pipe organ score (unfortunately, Carl Davis’ score was not included) but then also knowing that Blu-ray fans, especially for a silent film, you’re going to have to entice them with something extra in order for them to purchase this film.  And sure enough, these fans can enjoy this silent film with a fantastic lossless track with immersive sound effects.

And for the silent fans who still haven’t upgraded to Blu-ray, add “Wings” on the list for another reason why they should upgrade!

So, it’s one thing to have a wonderful visual presentation and soundtrack, but what about the film?

I absolutely enjoyed it as it has a good balance of drama, action and also comedy mixed in.    For Clara Bow fans, the truth is that “It” was a wonderful film that showcased Bow’s talents but in terms of accessibility, for one of the top actresses in America, it’s not easy to find films with Clara.  And “Wings” on Blu-ray not only shows us her emotional performance (the Blu-ray does bring out the details of the tears) but also her boundless energy.

Of course, Clara Bow, while receiving top billing on the Blu-ray case, the film is primarily featuring Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Richard Arlen.  Although I typically dislike this modern term to describe male friendship, yes…”Wings” is the ultimate “Bromance” film.  You get the camaraderie of best friends training to be pilots, knowing they are rivals but managing to get past that and become brothers, watching each other’s backs.  And to see how this friendship develops towards the end of the film.

Both men performed their roles magnificently and it was interesting to also be treated by a cameo featuring Gary Cooper as Cadet White, while not long at all and years before the actor became popular and would star in films such as  “High Noon”, “Sergeant York”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “A Farewell to Arms”, to name a few, Cooper’s cameo definitely sets things into perspective that war is ugly and death can happen anytime.  It’s important to note that also that same year, for Clara Bow’s “It”, Gary Cooper had an uncredited cameo.

And while the film features wonderful performances by its three talent for this film (especially this era), there is no doubt that this epic engages its viewers through its visual setting as hundreds of men are engaged in war, while above, we are taken above to the sky with actual aerial cinematography that even makes me wonder how they pulled it off back in 1927.  It did help that director William A. Wellman, writer John Monk Saunders and actor Richard Arlen served in World War I as military advisors (in fact, Arlen would teach as a United States Army Air Forces flight instructor during World War II).  While Buddy Rogers would undergo flight training to prepare him for his role.  And for the most part, the training led to the efficacy of director Wellman trying to achieve authenticity for his film.

As for the Blu-ray release, as mentioned… this is the definitive version of “Wings” to own for now.  While I would have loved to hear an audio commentary track and see more special features included, as mentioned with my feeling towards silent films, many hardly come with special features and when they do, they are fairly short.  You get three special features that end up as around an hour worth of extra content and you take what you can get.  But it would have been nice to see an audio commentary track, perhaps lobby card and photo gallery.

Overall, “Wings” is a magnificent Blu-ray release.  For silent fans who have wanted a reason to upgrade to Blu-ray, “Wings” can be added to that list for another reason why to upgrade.  A fantastic Blu-ray release that cinema and silent film fans will want to have in their collection!  It is a must-own!

 

Grandma’s Boy (from the Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection DVD Box Set) (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Harold Lloyd’s “Grandma’s Boy” is an enjoyable comedy with many slapstick gags and an attention to character development.  And one of the many films included in the wonderful “Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection” DVD Box Set.  Highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © MMV New Line Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Grandma’s Boy (from the Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection DVD Box Set)

THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: 1922

DURATION: 56 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Full Screen, Dolby Digital, B&W, Subtitles: Spanish

COMPANY: New Line Home Entertainment

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2005

Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer

Story by Hal Roach, Sam Taylor, Jean C. Havez

Titles by H.M. Walker

Executive Producer: Suzanne Lloyd Hayes

Producer: Hal Roach, Jeffrey Vance

Cinematography by Walter Lundin

Music: Robert Israel

Cinematography: Walter Lundin

Edited by Thomas J. Crizer

Starring:

Harold Lloyd as The Boy

Mildred Davis as The Girl

Anna Townsend as His Grandma

Charles Stevenson as His Rival/Union General

Dick Sutherland as The Rolling Stone

Noah Young as Sheriff of Dabney County

Having appeared in more than 200 films and widely considered to be one of cinema’s most respected comic geniuses, Harold Lloyd was one of Hollywood’s first true movie stars. Now, entertainment enthusiasts of all ages can enjoy the work of the man who inspired generations of acting greats with The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection.

Harold Lloyd, one of the three kings of silent film comedy.

Known for his physical comedy and the man with the eyeglasses, Lloyd’s comedies were enjoyable and similar to Keaton, Lloyd had the flair of doing his own stuntwork and when one is to watch his films today, there were a few films that literally makes people gasp and made you wonder, “how did he do that?”.

But then there were films which relied on comedy but also chemistry.  The 1922 film “Grandma’s Boy” was one of those films that showcased the wonderful chemistry between Harold Lloyd and the leading lady who would later become his wife, Mildred Davis.

“Grandma’s Boy” was hailed as Lloyd’s first five part feature and for many Lloyd fans today, many see this classic film as a wonderful demonstration of a film featuring slapstick gags and character development.

The film revolves around Harold Lloyd as Grandma’s Boy, a boy who never stood up to his bullies and for the most part, was seen as meek and cowardly.

But despite many people thinking of him that certain way, one girl (played by Mildred Davis) didn’t.  And because of that, grandma’s boy has always cared for the girl and wants to woo her.

Unfortunately, his rival (played by Charles Stevenson) is one that has always bullied him and also has sights towards the girl.

One day as grandma’s boy has tried to woo the girl, the rival pushes him over a well and thus shrinking his clothes.

Not wanting the girl to see him in wet, shrunken clothes, grandma’s boy heads home dejected.  His caring grandmother has always wanted her grandson to be brave but not sure how she can get him to stand up for himself.  When he arrives back home, she notices a tramp (a term to describe a homeless man) reading a newspaper at their home.  She asks her grandson to get him to leave their property.

But because grandma’s boy is afraid, he tries to get the family dog to scare him away, but instead, it aggravates the tramp to the point that he wants to hurt grandma’s boy.  Fortunately, grandma is around with her umbrella to help her grandson.

Meanwhile, the tramp heads into town and tries to steal jewelry by breaking the glass window.  As men try to stop him, he pulls out a gun and shoots one of the men.

Immediately, the tramp becomes a wanted man and the sheriff requests that all men also become a sheriff to capture the tramp.  Unfortunately, they are one short of a badge and so, grandma’s boy doesn’t get one.  But seeing this as an opportunity for him to be closer to the girl, the rival gives his badge to grandma’s boy who now must help the other men capture the Tramp.

The grandma’s boy is so afraid to be part of the group that must hunt down the sheriff but he knows that the girl is proud of him for doing so.  Afraid and cowardly, his grandmother doesn’t like seeing him this way.  So she tells him a story about his grandfather who was also a coward and had to fight in the Civil War, but because he had this good luck charm, he was able to take on the Union Army and complete his mission.

And now, grandma’s boy has been given his grandfather’s good luck charm.  Believing in the charm, now grandma’s boy feels confident that he will have what it takes to catch the tramp but also, win the girl’s affection.  Can he do it?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

Where many film stars lost control over their films or their films were destroyed by fires (the nitrate of the film in which silent movies were shot with would catch on fire – such as FOX losing nearly 90% of all silent films due to massive fire) or have some severe acid decay, Lloyd was pretty smart in that he had control over his films and instead of having others watch over his films, he had his films stored via lock and key, fireproofed but most importantly during the ’60s, transferring the film to a better film stock.

So, the 1922 film “Grandma’s Boy” looks very good.  Granted, you can see slight scratches but there are no signs of film warping, nitrate degradation or any major problems.  Overall, “Grandma’s Boy” looks very good for a film that is  90-years-old.

As for audio, there is a wonderful score by Robert Israel (presented in Dolby Digital) which fits absolutely remarkably with what is seen onscreen.   I haven’t heard Don Hulette’s 1974 score, so I can’t compare the two scores, but I will say that Robert Israel’s 2002 score which was used for this DVD is fantastic.

The film has English intertitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are production notes on DVD disc 2 and DVD-rom features (all I found was a DVD player to watch films on PC or Mac).

Harold Lloyd is one of silent film’s greatest stars and one of the three kings that many people have probably not heard about.

Many have heard of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton but many ask, “who is Harry Lloyd?”.  Part of the reason why people have not heard much of Lloyd is because he had major control over his films. Where as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton had an awesome career during the silent era, their films were distributed on video courtesy of the studio and they didn’t have total control of their work.  Lloyd was very smart in the fact that he took control of his work, preserved it and also didn’t sell it cheap to just anyone, and thus many companies couldn’t afford his asking price. But Lloyd wanted to make sure that his films received it’s worth.

Granted, at the same time, because his films were not as distributed over decades like Chaplin or Keaton films, not many people have seen them.

Even in 2012, there have not been periodic releases of Lloyd films such as Chaplin or Keaton films that have made it onto Blu-ray.  Many Harold Lloyd fans wonder if there will be any future releases especially a heavily anticipated part two of the Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection DVD set.

So, there are over 300 films of Harold Lloyd that many have not seen. The good news is that his 1922 silent comedy “Grandma’s Boy” featuring Lloyd and his future wife, Mildred Davis is included with this box set.

“Grandma’s Boy” is a film that showcases Lloyd’s amazing use of comedy, may it be facial expressions, gags and also a sight of a grown man with shrunken pants and suit is just hilarious to watch.  The gags still hold up quite well today and for the most part, it’s a charming comedy tale that is straightforward, easily accessible and just fun to watch!

While Lloyd is wonderful in the film, the cast also does a wonderful job.  Mildred Davis looks absolutely ravishing and does a wonderful job playing the girl interested in Grandma’s Boy, Charles Stevenson is wonderful in playing the brutish rival and Dick Sutherland, with his acromegalic features, looked threatening as the tramp/rolling stone.  And Anna Townsend as grandma, she is always great playing the caring mother or grandmother in Harold Lloyd’s films.

And in terms of picture quality, for this DVD, “Grandma’s Boy” is presented on a double-sided DVD disc and is shared with two other films on one side of a DVD.  Picture quality is very good considering that “Grandma’s Boy” is 90-years-old.  Can it be better?  Sure, if Harold Lloyd’s work ever receives the HD treatment and is released on Blu-ray.  But considering how difficult it is for his work to be even released on DVD, one can only hope that Lloyd joins Chaplin and Keaton is receiving a Blu-ray release, seeing how their silent films have looked fantastic in HD.

Overall, “Grandma’s Boy” is a fun and enjoyable comedy but the good news is that it is one of the many wonderful Harold Lloyd films included in the “Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection” DVD Box Set!

If you want to experience Harold Lloyd’s films, this DVD box set is highly recommended!

(Note: Review is for film not the complete DVD box set)

 

Sherlock Holmes (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

The 1922 silent film of the legendary character Sherlock Holmes may be a bit different than what people presently expect from the character.  An intellect and romantic, the 1922 film is more of a detective/romantic film than a sleuth film, but still entertaining in its own right.   Featuring a restored version of the film by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department.

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Sherlock Holmes

FILM RELEASE: 1922

DURATION: 85 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Black and White, 1:33:1

COMPANY: Kino Classics/Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: December 20, 2011

Directed by Albert Parker

Based on the story by Arthur Conan Doyle and play by Wiliam Gillette

Written by Earle Browne, Marion Fairfax

Produced by F.J. Godsol

Executive Producer: Samuel Goldwyn

Cinematography by J. Roy Hunt

Art Direction by Charles L. Cadwallader

Starring:

John Barrymore as Sherlock Holmes

Roland Young as Dr. Watson

Carol Dempster as Alice Faulkner

Gustav von Seyffertitz as Prof. Moriarty

Louis Wolheim as Craigin

Percy Knight as Sid Jones

William Powell as Foreman Wells

Hedda Hopper as Madge Larrabee

Peggy Bayfield as Rose Faulkner

Margaret Kemp as Therese

Anders Randolf as James Larrabee

Robet Schable as Alf Bassick

Reginald Denny as Prince Alexis

David Torrence as Count von Stalburg

When a young prince is accused of a crime that could embroil him in international scandal, debonair supersleuth Sherlock Holmes comes to his aid, and quickly discovers that behind the incident lurks a criminal mastermind eager to reduce Western civilization to anarchy.

Adapted from the hugely popular stage version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories (by William Gillette), SHERLOCK HOLMES not only provided Barrymore with one of his most prestigious early roles, but also presented the screen debuts of two notable actors: William Powell (The Thin Man) and Roland Young (Topper).

SHERLOCK HOLMES was mastered from a 35mm restoration by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department, and is accompanied by a score by Ben Model, performed on the Miditzer Virtual Theatre Organ.

Back in 1867, this is when Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in a publication.

A fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, from 1187 through 1914, Sherlock Holmes was featured in four novels and 56 short stories.

By 1900, Sherlock Holmes would be featured in one-reel, minute-long films and in 1905, would be featured in a Vitagraph film.  The character would then be featured in one and two-reel films courtesy of Danish Nordisk Film Company between 1908 and 1911 and many more adaptations would be created.

But for early American cinema, the first high production film featuring the Sherlock Holmes character was created in 1922 and produced by Goldwyn Pictures Corporation (which would later be known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer three years later).  The film would be directed by Albert Parker (“The Black Pirate”, “Shifting Sands”, “The Love of Sunya”) and would star John Barrymore (“Grand Hotel”, “Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde”, “Dinner at Eight”) as Sherlock Holmes, Roland Young (“The Philadelphia Story”, “Topper”) as Dr. Watson and would also feature the first onscreen performance by actor William Powell (“The Thin Man” films, “The Great Ziegfeld”, “My Man Godfrey”).

For many years, this film was considered lost until a print was found in the 1970′s.  And was restored by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department.

Kino has released the film on DVD and also included it in their 2009 “John Barrymore” DVD box set collection and now this film will receive its very first release in HD via Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

“Sherlock Holmes” is a film that begins with the introduction of the corrupted Prof. Moriarty (played by Gustav von Seyffertitz), a key figure that would become the arch nemesis of Sherlock Holmes in many stories to come.

Moriarty is a criminal mastermind with agents all over England willing to do the dirty work.  And one man he has targeted is Prince Alexis (played by Reginald Denny), a young man of royalty who is accused of stealing money.  For the Prince, all he wanted to do is live his life and marry his beloved Rose Faulkner (played by Peggy Bayfield), but now in trouble, he goes to his friend Dr. Watson (played by Roland Young) for advice.

Dr. Watson recommends his friend Sherlock Holmes (played by John Barrymore), an observer of life, to help him find out who is responsible.

One day, while Holmes is observing “love”, he is nearly ran over by Alice Faulkner (played by Carol Dempster), who he is smitten by her beauty.   When Watson approaches Holmes, he tells him about the problems that his friend, the Prince is having, but also that the woman he just met is the sister of Rose Faulkner, the girlfriend of Prince Alexis.  And thus giving Holmes the incentive of taking the case.

But while combing through the area that Prince Alexis may have lost the money, Holmes figures out that the person responsible is Foreman Wells (played by William Powell).  And when Holmes talks to Wells, he finds out that there is a major underground criminal activity happening in the area, activity that is led by a man known as Prof. Moriarity.

And when Wells arranges a confrontation between Sherlock Holmes and Prof. Moriarity, both men use their intellect to outwit each other.  For Moriarity, to have Holmes killed and for Sherlock Holmes, to find a way to get this criminal behind bars.  Who will succeed?

VIDEO:

“Sherlock Holmes” is presented in 1080p High Definition, black and white and was mastered from a 35mm restoration print by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department..  One must remember that this film was lost for decades until the mid-70′s.  While restored by the George Eastman House, for a film that was released in 1922, quality is good but definitely not great as there are a lot of scratches, white specks and flickering that can be seen.    But with that being said, there was only one print of this film found and this is the best restoration for a film that could have been lost.

With that being said, I would rather have a complete film especially one that is not littered with major nitrate damage or problems.  And there is much more detail and clarity, less blurring on the Blu-ray release of “Sherlock Holmes” compared to my DVD version (that came in the original “John Barrymore” Collection DVD box set).

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Sherlock Holmes” is presented in LPCM 2.0 monaural with a score from Ben Model, performed on the Miditzer Virtual Theatre Organ.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Sherlock Holmes” comes with trailers.

EXTRAS:

“Sherlock Holmes” comes with a slipcase.

There is no doubt that “Sherlock Holmes” is a character that has entertained generations upon generations, to most recently a sci-fi version starring Robert Downey, Jr.

While, my viewing of films featuring the famous investigator typically starred actor Basil Rathbone, watching the John Barrymore 1922 silent film is rather intriguing because not only is it an detective film, it’s also a love story.

Part of the problem that some may find with this film is that it’s quite far from the mysteries of “Sherlock Holmes” that people who have watched film adaptations, played video games or read the books, may find this film to be rather different.  If anything, Sherlock Holmes comes across more like a James Bond than the detective that some people are familiar with.

The film’s storyline tries to showcase the first meeting between Holmes and Moriarity but what viewers are left with is an unknown reason of why Moriarity is evil, why so many people would listen to a crotchety old man that resembles more of a Charles Dicken’s Ebenezer Scrooge.  The pacing is also off in the fact that the main mystery of the beginning of the film, becomes far less of the story and is more about Holmes wanting to help a beautiful young woman that he fell in love at first sight with.

Alice Faulkner had letters written to her fiance, he leaves, she commits suicide and now everyone wants to retriever her love letters that were meant for her fiance because they may embarrass his royal family and lead to an international scandal.   And as much as I want to say that the film focuses on this mystery, it does not.  It is more or less a Sherlock Holmes wanting to be with the woman he loved at first sight and protect her from Moriarity.

Sherlock Holmes are mystery stories that challenges one’s intellect of who did it?  Not so much with this film. It’s more or less a film about an intelligent investigator trying to outwit his arch-nemesis to protect the love of his life.

So, this is not the same Sherlock Holmes that people may be familiar with.  He’s more of a philosopher who has fallen in love.   Earle Browne and Marion Fairfax seemed more intent on focusing on a love story than a mystery that literally this adaptation of “Sherlock Holmes” misses its mark on mystery, deductive reasoning nor is it engaging for the audience to join in the riddle to solve a mystery.  It makes you wonder if the writers of the film have even read any of the books before writing the film.

As for the Blu-ray release of “Sherlock Holmes”, while the picture quality does feature quite a bit of scratches, white specks and occasional flickering.  And I have to admit that I was surprised to find out that of the four John Barrymore films from their 2009 “John Barrymore Collection” DVD set, that “Sherlock Holmes” was selected over “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, “Tempest” and “The Beloved Rogue” (better John Barrymore films in my opinion).  But I’m guessing that with the release of “A Farewell to Arms” and “Nothing Sacred” on Blu-ray, the goal was to release films that were restored by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department.

Still, I do hope that Kino Lorber does continue to release more John Barrymore films in HD.  While “Sherlock Holmes” is not a very good film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work, it’s intriguing for the fact that the character is so different than any other Holmes that we have seen on film, for some who want something fresh, may enjoy the creative choice the writers decided to take the character, or whether their goal was to romanticize him.

Overall, “Sherlock Holmes” is a decent John Barrymore film, not his best silent but definitely intriguing for the cinema fan who is interested in seeing an earlier Sherlock Holmes adaptation and also seeing William Powell in his first big screen roll.

 

 

Seven Chances (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Seven Chances” is Buster Keaton’s fifth feature film and is a romantic comedy that is delightful, fun and exciting!  Featuring one of the coolest chase scenes to be featured in early American cinema but also featuring Buster Keaton continuing to raise the bar in risky, physical comedy.  Another magnificent Buster Keaton Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber!  Highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Seven Chances

FILM RELEASE: 1925

DURATION: 56 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Technicolor, color-tinted and B&W, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo

COMPANY: Kino Classics/Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: December 13, 2011

Directed by Buster Keaton

Adapted from David Belasco’s comedy by Roi Cooper Megrue

Screen Version by Clyde Bruckman, Jean C. Havez, Joseph A. Mitchell

Cinematography by Byron Houck, Elgin Lessley

Art Direction by Fred Gabourie

Starring:

Buster Keaton as James Shannon

T. Roy Barnes as William Meekin, his partner

Snitz Edwards as Caleb Pettibone, his lawyer

Ruth Dwyer as Mary Jones, his girl

Frances Raymond as Mrs. Jones, her mother

Erwin Connelly as the Clergyman

Jules Cowles as the Hired Hand

This dazzling comedy showcases Keaton’s genius for super-sized slapstick as it tells the story of an eligible young bachelor who must marry by 7:00 p.m. in order to receive a $7 million inheritance. After bungling a proposal to his longtime sweetheart (Ruth Dwyer), Jimmie (Keaton) embarks on a desperate quest for a bride. He experiences a hilarious series of rejections, until a newspaper announcement of Jimmie’s predicament provides him with more fiancées than he can handle, setting in motion the most epic and surreal chase sequence of Keaton’s career.

In 1925, Buster Keaton created a film adaptation of Roi Cooper Megrue and David Belasc0 play “Seven Chances”.  His fifth feature film and identified by many of his fans as possibly his best romantic comedy film ever made.

While film critics were a bit split because it was an adaptation which featured several writers responsible for the screenplay, while a simple story that is introduced in the beginning and concluded at the end, it’s the middle…the main storyline which features one of the craziest chase scenes ever featured onscreen at the time, and quite timeless even today nearly 90-years later.

While the film would also feature a cameo role by future screwball comedy princess Jean Arthur, the film is also quite notable for its use of a very early Technicolor process at the beginning of the film which was recently restored by Kino for this 2011 Blu-ray release.

“Seven Chances” is a film that begins with Jimmy Shannon (played by Buster Keaton) as we see him wanting to tell his girlfriend Mary Jones (played by Ruth Dwyer) that he loves her, unfortunately as seasons come and go, it’s something he has been unable to do.

But Jimmy and his financial brokerage firm business partner, Billy (played by T. Roy Barnes), are suffering from major financial problems and they will need to raise enough capital to keep afloat and nothing is looking good for both men.  That is until Jimmy learns from his grandfather’s lawyer (played by Snitz Edwards) that he is left seven million dollars, but there is one condition, he must be married by 7:00 p.m. on his 27th birthday.

This is the only way both men can rescue their reputations and this money can help both of them, but first, Jimmy must get married.

Unfortunately, when he proposes to Mary, he makes it sound like he is marrying her only for the inheritance and not for love.  And because he has not confessed his love for her yet, she doesn’t know how he really feels about her.

So, as Mary is unable to marry her, she has second thoughts after talking to her mother and overhears a conversation between Jimmy, Billy and his lawyer of how much he loves her, money or no money.  Hearing that, validates her love for Jimmy and she is ready to marry him.  Unfortunately, the men are unable to hear her on the other line and thus a plan goes into effect, Jimmy must find a wife as soon as possible.

While Mary tries to stop Jimmy from marrying anyone but her, Jimmy begins his journey of finding a wife and taking chances on whoever he can meet.

But unfortunately, not many women are too keen on the idea of marrying a stranger and so Billy comes up with an idea.  To put a story in the local newspaper that Jimmy needs a wife to inherit seven million dollars and whoever is up to the task, will be his wife.  All they have to do is meet with him at a local church.

And as Jimmy awaits for whoever will show up, what he doesn’t expect are possibly a hundred or more women showing up and filling up the church.  Women of all ages and sizes wanting their chance to marry Jimmy.  And immediately, Jimmy is scared and begins panicking, that all he can do is run.

And thus, the chase featuring hundreds of women as they try to catch Jimmy throughout Los Angeles in hopes they can marry him and be his wife.  Meanwhile, his true love Mary awaits for him with Billy and the lawyer in hopes that Jimmy will marry her.  But as the clock continues to tick and nears 7:00 p.m., will Jimmy get married in time in order to get his inheritance?

VIDEO:

“Seven Chances” is presented in 1080p High Definition and the film looks absolutely beautiful on Blu-ray!  But first, let first preface with discussion of the introductory Technicolor scene.

“Seven Chances” was a film that utilized early Technicolor for the introduction and before this Blu-ray release, the Technicolor portion was in bad shape and degraded to the point that many people who saw the film felt it was color tinting combined with Nitrate damage on the sides.  And then the US Registry has their own version of the intro which is in black and white, so there were people who were unaware of the Technicolor process that was used and thought it was just bad color tinting and Nitrate issues with the original print.

For this 2011 Blu-ray release, according to a special feature included with this Blu-ray release, film historian Eric Grayson talked about how the scene was remade by Kino to keep it as close as what people have watched back in 1925.  With newer technology, they were able to restore the early Technicolor introduction and it literally took 80 hours to fix 3 minutes of footage.  Sure, the Nitrate damage is still there in the introduction but now you can tell it is an early Technicolor process and not bad color tinting.  But it’s great to see Kino having redo those scenes, especially utilizing the best source material out there to recreate it.

With that being said, “Seven Chances” uses the restoration mastered from 35 mm materials preserved by the Library of Congress.  While there are a few white specks from time-to-time, the clarity of the film is absolutely beautiful and for those who owned Kino’s “The Art of Buster Keaton” DVD box set and watched “Seven Chances”, there were many scenes, especially during the outdoor sequences that really never registered to me as a viewer because it looked quite blurry, but with this Blu-ray releae, you can actually make out grass, leaves, water, etc. Especially the contour of objects.  The detail of this Blu-ray release compared to the older Kino DVD release is noticeable and definitely an example to silent film fans of why upgrading to Blu-ray from the older DVD is worth it!

There is a good amount of grain on video but its the detail and clarity that is possibly the highlight of this Blu-ray release.  The contrast is great and black levels are deep and for the most part, the film via HD looks fantastic!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

For the release of “Seven Chances”, Kino has kept to the wonderful score by Robert Israel and we are given the LPCM 2.0 stereo score (which was featured on the original DVD release) but also a brand new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack.   The score actually sounds wonderful via lossless, absolute clarity and definitely a major difference from the original stereo track that I watched the film on DVD nearly a decade ago.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Seven Chances” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary – Audio commentary by film historian Ken Gordon and Bruce Lawton who give us an idea of the time period that “Seven Chances” was shot in and comparisons to Chaplin and Harold Lloyd films.
• A Brideless Groom – (16:48) In 1947, the “Three Stooges” remade Seven Chances, not surprising as “Seven Chances” co-writer Clyde Burkman worked on this “Three Stooges” short.
• How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the New York Herald Personal Columns – (9:44) A 1904 Edison short showcasing a similar style of story to “Seven Chances”.
• Tour of Filming Locations – (10:17) John Bengston, author of “Silent Echoes” and well-known for visiting filming locations for Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd films, showcases how various locations where “Seven Chances” was shot looks like now.
• About the Technicolor Sequence – (6:15) Film historian Eric Grayson talks about the restoration process of the early Technicolor scene for “Seven Chances”.
• Stills – Featuring a gallery of 16 stills.

EXTRAS:

“Seven Chances” comes with a slipcase.

I can remember the first time I watched “Seven Chances” and literally seeing hundreds of women out on the street of Los Angeles as they tried to chase down and catch the character of Jimmy, played by Buster Keaton.

For the most part, Keaton’s classic film “Seven Chances” can be seen as not deep as his previous films because the premise of the story is rather easy to follow.  Man needs money, many has a chance of inheritance but must get married, so man needs to find a wife to get inheritance before 7:00 p.m.

Keaton’s style of making sure the beginning and the end were worked out by the writers, what he needed to complete on his own was the entire middle section of the film.  Where people would gasp at the stunts or whatever he would bring to the big screen.

While D.W. Griffith was a filmmaker who loved using hundreds of extras in his film, Buster Keaton loved utilizing masses.  As he did in “Go West” with dozens upon dozens of cattle walking through the streets of Los Angeles, this time around, it’s over a hundred women who wanted to marry the character Jimmy.

And like other Keaton films shot around that time, as a filmmaker and actor trying to raise the bar of how much risk he can take in creating the best stunts on film, one stunt featured Keaton dangling from a mechanical fork lift, another featuring the actor jumping from short cliffs to a large tree that falls to the ground after being cut by a logger.

But possible the most visual scene in cinema was Keaton running downhill but this time not being chased by women, but boulders.  Sure, the boulders were specially made but according to Buster Keaton, these boulders were so large that they could hurt someone if they weren’t being careful.  According to Robert K. Klepper, “The Golden Era of Silents 1877-1996″, Keaton’s body was covered by bruises for weeks because of the filming of this chase sequence.

While film critics were inundated with actors doing these stunts, while Buster Keaton was a marvel in doing his own stuntwork, it was part of the banality of silent films as others like Chaplin, Lloyd, Fairbanks and others were doing physical work onscreen in order to entice their viewers.

And suffice to say, the stunts done by Buster Keaton were risky but how awesome do they look onscreen.  Wonderful, physical comedy, risky and amazing and from the hundreds of women in the chase scene, to those hundreds of boulders falling down hill and heading towards Keaton’s character, how thrilling was a scene like that.  And the fact that it does last a long time, it’s definitely one of my favorite chase scenes in a film!

And I believe that is why a film like “Seven Chances” is so intriguing for us today.  Unlike those filmmakers who were bombarded with action sequences in silent cinema back in the day, for us, many of these scenes are done via stunt men and large crowds are now created in CG.  Watching “Seven Chances” was intriguing in the fact that you see so many people utilized in one film but also, to see a part of Los Angeles that while the streets and some buildings are still around, they looking nothing like what we see in this film.

This film is a great time stamp to an era of what once was of early Hollywood or Los Angeles.  “Seven Chances” for me, was more than just a comedy film but that captured the look and feel of Los Angeles in 1925 but also the pop culture fashion and hairstyles of women during the 1920′s.  And because there were a good number of women featured in this film, it was rather interesting to see those styles come to play.  May it be the dapper teen that was about to get married to Jimmy, to the women with the Louise Brooks hairstyle.  For me, as a silent film fan, I’m drawn into the historic pop culture of that era and “Seven Chances” does capture that moment in time quite well.

As for the Blu-ray release, the picture quality of “Seven Chances” is fantastic.  Especially if you compared it to the original DVD release, watching the film in HD definitely made a big difference that I feel that for many silent film fans who have not wanted to stray from Blu-ray because they can’t see a difference, well…watch this film and compare it to the older Kino DVD and you can see a difference in quality!  As for the lossless audio, Robert Israel’s score is magnificent via DTS-HD MA 5.1 but it would have been nice to have another musical score.

But I’m quite appreciative of the special features included with this release.  I would have never expected to see a “Three Stooges” short on Blu-ray let alone on this Blu-ray release, but I was pretty happy about that.  Also, for a film that showcases so many locations, I am so grateful that Kino once against featured John Bengston’s visual essay.   And of course, you get more features including audio commentary as well.

Overall, “Seven Chances” may be a shorter Buster Keaton feature film than others that were previously released on Blu-ray, but it’s definitely one of his most delightful romantic comedies that he had partaken in.  Also, for those who love Buster Keaton’s risky stunts, “Seven Chances” doesn’t disappoint in that either because this film required a lot from Buster Keaton in terms of physical comedy. And last, “Seven Chances” features one of the coolest chase scenes ever featured in early American cinema.

Once again, another magnificent Buster Keaton on Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber!

 

Way Down East (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

From filmmaker D.W. Griffith comes “Way Down East”, a wonderful romantic drama capturing the complexities of love and heartbreak and in D.W. Griffith fashion, ending with one of the most grandest and dangerous action scenes captured on camera.  Featuring a Blu-ray release that trumps the 2008 DVD release in clarity and detail but also its vibrant and fantastic lossless music soundtrack, “Way Down East” is highly recommended, worth owning and worth the upgrade from DVD to Blu-ray!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Way Down East

FILM RELEASE: 1920

DURATION: 149 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Color-Tinted, 1:33:1, 1080p High Definition, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Stereo 2.0

COMPANY: Kino Classics/Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: November 22, 2011

Directed by D.W. Griffith

Based on the play “Way Down East” by Joseph R. Grimer and Wm. A. Brady and “Annie Laurie” by Lottie Blair Parker

Scenario by Anthony Paul Kelly

Produced by D.W. Griffith

Music by Louis Silvers

Starring:

Lillian Gish as Anna Moore

Richard Barthelmess as David Bartlett

Lowell Sherman as Lennox Sanderson

Burr McIntosh as Squire Bartlett

Kate Bruce as Mother Bartlett

Mary Hay as Kate (the Squire’s Niece)

Creighton Hale as the Professor

Emily Fitzroy as Maria Poole

Porter Strong as Seth Holcomb

George Neville as the Constable

Edgar Nelson as Hi Holler

D.W. Griffith’s penchant for Victorian melodrama reached its height of expression in WAY DOWN EAST. First performed in 1898, Lottie Blair Parker’s play was one of the most successful stageworks ever written, a theatrical chestnut, heavy with sentiment, that cried out for the touch of the master. Griffith captured the appeal of Parker’s original, while embossing it with devices borrowed from other popular melodramas, such as the climactic chase across an ice floe (inspired by stage adaptations of Uncle Tom’s Cabin).

Lillian Gish stars as a small-town girl who is seduced, impregnated, and cast aside by Lennox Sanderson, a wealthy playboy (Lowell Sherman). To escape the shame of having a fatherless child, Anna changes her name and starts a new life in a small farming community, where she meets David, an icon of male virtue and decency (Richard Barthelmess). Their delicate happiness is threatened when Lennox arrives in town, and word of Anna’s unsavory past begins to spread.

In 1920, D.W. Griffith would go on to do a film adaptation of Lottie Blair Parker’s play “Way Down East”.

Despite the fact that two silent film adaptations were previously done (including a Henry Fonda talkie in 1935), Griffith paid $175,000 for the screen rights to the film and in those days, that was astronomical as it became the most expensive film for the filmmaker. But also one of his most successful films in the box office taking in over $4.5 million in 1920.  The film was also known for using an early Technicolor process and for D.W. Griffith, wanting to attain realism, shot the winter scenes during the latter part of the film in an actual blizzard.

Back in 2008, “Way Down East” was included with the Kino International DVD box set “Griffith Masterworks 2″ and featured the remastered version by the Museum of Modern Art.    Now, “Way Down East” will be released on Blu-ray in Nov. 2011 courtesy of Kino Lorber.

“Way Down East” is a film that stars D.W. Griffith’s muse Lillian Gish as Anna Moore, a poor country girl who lives with her mother (played by Mrs. David Landau).  Times are tough and the two consider visiting New England to ask for financial help from their wealthy relatives, the Tremont family.  Anna decides to visit the relatives and ask and when she arrives, it’s during a time when the family is having a bridge tournament with other friends in high society.

Embarrassed by the clothes that Anna is wearing, her aunt keeps her hidden in one of the guest rooms.

Meanwhile, one of the men at the party, Lennox Sanderson (played by Lowell Sherman) is a man only concerned about bedding women and lives off his father’s wealth.   When he sees Anna, he immediately has his eyes set on her.  And thinking that she is rich, comes up with an idea to get close to her and marry her.

Eventually Lennox has it all planned out.  Capture Anna’s affections and then have his friends pretend to be a priest and arrange a sham wedding.  For Anna, she truly loves Lennox and also feels that because he is wealthy, she and her mother would not have to worry again.

So, as Anna and Lennox are married (a sham wedding), Lennox makes her promise that no one can ever know about their marriage and Anna agrees. And because they are married, they can now consummate their relationship.  Afterward, as Anna needs to go back home to visit her mother, Lennox tells her that he will see her in two days but also reminding her that no one can know about their marriage.

Anna goes back home to tell her mother the good news, that they need not worry about financial matters anymore.  And two days later, when Lennox arrives…he finds out that she is poor and confesses to her that their wedding was all a lie.  And that his father would never let him marry a girl like her or else he will be cut off from the family’s money and then Lennox leaves her.

Devastated by the news, she faints and is found by her mother.  Over nine months later, the news has proved to be terrible for the family as Anna’s mother passes away, she can no longer live in the house where she lived and we also learn that she is a single mother and is trying to take care of a newborn, which she names Trust Lennox and goes by the name of Mrs. Lennox.

She is taken in by Maria Poole (played by Emily Fitzroy), a landlady, who allows her to stay in one of her rooms but she is concerned of why her husband is not there.  She tells him he is away but Maria suspects that maybe she is lying. Maria reminds her that if she is a single mother, she can not stay with her.  Meanwhile, she contacts a doctor to check on her baby because he seems ill.  The doctor visits and tells her to give him drops of medicine and mix with water to give to the baby.

As Anna tries to be a good mother and take care of the baby, the baby is not responsive and when the doctor arrives, he tells her that the baby is dead.  Because the husband has not come, Maria doesn’t believe she is married and kicks Anna out of her room.

Now, Anna has no choice but to go find a job.  She wanders into a farming area of Squire Bartlett (played by Burr McIntosh). The Bartlett’s are a religious family which include Mother Bartlett (played by Kate Bruce) and their son David Bartlett (played by Richard Barthelmess).

At first the Squire doesn’t want to hire Anna because farming is a tough job and also, he doesn’t know what kind of person she is and for all he knows, she can be a floozy but the mother tells him a quote from the bible and to not judge her.  So, the squire hires Anna and gives her a job.

Things go very well for Anna and the family feel comfortable with Anna working there.  Especially David, a man who has dreams of marrying a virginal woman in white.  He wonders if that woman could be Anna as he has fallen for her.

But to complicate matters, Kate, the squire’s niece (played by Mary Hay) arrives and since they were children, David and Kate were to be married when they got older.  But David doesn’t like Kate, he likes Anna.  And also the Professor (played by Creighton Hale) is in love with Kate.

As Anna tries to not get involved with family business and focus on her work, she is shocked when Lennox Sanderson visits the Bartlett farm.  Lennox is shocked to see Anna working there and tells her that he lives across the way from the Bartlett ranch and that he is going for Kate.  He doesn’t want Anna ruining his plans and wants her to quit her job and leave.

Shocked and saddened that Lennox has reappeared in her life, she considers quitting but will let the man who she once loved, control her life?

VIDEO:

“Way Down East” is presented in 1080p High Definition and the film is color tinted.  The film is mastered in HD from the Museum of Modern Art’s 35mm restoration with original color tints.  It’s important to note that the Museum of Modern Art did the best restoration possible with the original existing film elements.  With that being said, the film features a lot more clarity and detail in HD compared to its 2008 DVD release.

While the film does have specks, scratches and even moments where we can see film damage, fortunately it’s not too bad and doesn’t take you away from the actual viewing experience.

With that being said, unfortunately this is not the complete version of the film.  There are scenes that are probably lost forever and to help bridge those moments during the film, we are either given an intertitle explaining of what had taken place or a still shot of that scene.  Fortunately, some of these missing scenes are not from the most critical moments of the film but one can only hope that similar to “Metropolis”, the missing footage for “Way Down East” will one day be found.

But for the most part, this is the best looking version of the film to date.  You can also see the icicles develop in Lilian Gish’s eyelashes during the blizzard scene much more clearly.   And also see the separation of the ice during the action sequence at the end much more clearly as well.  If anything, you’re getting better clarity than ever before!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

I loved the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra score for “Way Down East” that was used in the original DVD but to hear it in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, I’m quite impressed to hear the soundtrack come alive.  There are certain soundtracks that you hear that stay in your head from time-to-time, especially when watching a film.  For silent films, especially with the two Griffith films released on Blu-ray (“Way Down East” and “Birth of a Nation”), the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra have been wonderful!  And it’s one thing listening to it in stereo but to hear it in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, for me, makes a big difference.

It made various scenes come alive and for the most part, I’m very happy that Kino featured a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 musical soundtrack!

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Way Down East” comes with the following special features:

• Film Clip: The ice floe sequence of the Edison Studio’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1903) – (:37) A short video clip of what inspired the ice floe sequence for “Way Down East”.
  
• Notes and exerts from the play by Lottie Blair Parker – A text based note on the original play.
• Photos of William Brady’s 1903 stage production  – Using your remote, you can view images from William Brday’s 1903 stage production.
• Gallery of images from the original souvenir program book – Using your remote, you can view images from the original souvenir book for the film.
• Notes on the Musical Score – A text based feature with Rodney  Sauer of the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra talking about how he came up with the score.

EXTRAS:

“Way Down East” comes with a slipcase cover.

“Way Down East” is perhaps one of my favorite love stories from the silent era because of its complexities and because the actors took part in one of the riskiest action sequences to be showcased in a romantic drama.

First, lets talk about the characters.  What “Way Down East” manages to accomplish with absolute efficacy is its character development.  Griffith slow develops the characters over the course of the film.  While certain characters such as the Constable, Hi Holler and Seth Holcomb were featured primarily for laughs and don’t really add so much to the film (which I read was added because people would expect those characters from the play to be in the film), from the emotional Anna Moore, the stern Squire Bartlett, the womanizing  Lennox Sanderson and the charming David Bartlett, “Way Down East” showcases what most people expect from a dramatic romance story…complexities.

But in this case, complexity is taken to a grand level when Anna Moore is deceived by a womanizer and is forced to raise a baby that dies not long after she gives birth to it.  I don’t know how people reacted to that scene back then but nevertheless, one can easily be sympathetic to the country girl Anna Moore

Once again, character development was slow but Griffith did a magnificent job in establishing those characters.

But it’s the finale that will forever shock viewers to “Way Down East”.  Even in 2011, I can’t imagine how the block of ice and those scenes were created for the film.  Last time I watched a silent film that revolved around the use of a waterfall, it was a Buster Keaton film in which he was injured.

But this time, the waterfall looked dangerous and while Hollywood does all it can to protect it’s actors and crew in today’s working climate in fear of lawsuits, back then, to capture realism such as a snow blizzard, you shoot during a snow blizzard.

For “Way Down East”, Griffith and crew waited for a real blizzard in order to film the latter scenes.  When you see Lillian Gish walking through the blizzard and seeing the frozen ice on her face, that is not fake snow, that is all real!  And that is one of the benefits of Blu-ray is to see the amazing clarity of icicles developing around her eyelashes.  Supposedly, Lilian Gish who had to drag her arm in the icy water during the ice floe sequence suffered an injury that would bother that arm for years and decades to come.  Granted, Lilian Gish had a body double who did the ice floe sequences but nevertheless, it goes to show how far Griffith wanted to capture realism.

In fact, even D.W. Griffith was injured on set (according to Robert K. Keppler, “Silent Films 1877-1996″).  During the filming of the ice floe sequence, in order to break apart the ice, the crew had to use dynamite.  But in process, one the blast happened to quickly and Griffith was caught in the blast.  Not sure of how badly he was injured, but it was bad to the point that that Elmer Clifton (the stunt double for the character of Anna in the film), would have to direct the remainder of the ice floe sequence.

But the ice floe sequence for this film is what will be remembered most for “Way Down East”.    It is one of the most dangerous scenes I have seen ever shot on film and as we have seen many complex, death defying stunts accomplished by Buster Keaton on his feature films, this film was rather ambitious and dangerous. With today’s CG films to recreate danger, to think about the risk that cast and crew were put in, one again, its how far filmmakers and talent would go in order to create a believable scene.

And as for D.W. Griffith, as a filmmaker who is known for having the grandest of moments in his film, may it be the war scenes of “Birth of a Nation” or the amazing, towering sets designed for “Intolerance”, “Way Down East” will be remembered as a romantic drama with one of the most dangerous action sequences of all time.

As for the Blu-ray release of “Way Down East”, most silent film fans own the 2008 DVD release or the “Griffith Masterworks 2″ DVD box set.  I own both sets and they are fantastic!  But why upgrade to the Blu-ray version?  Well, for “Way Down East”, it’s primarily clarity and lossless audio.  There are no addition special features or shorts included with this release, it’s pretty much upgraded for HD!  And for some, that may mean a lot!

I can tell you right now, the clarity to see those close-up scenes of Lilian Gish walking through an actual blizzard, you can see the detail much clearly.  And for me, hearing the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is also another plus because this is a fantastic score for the film!

There is something about listening to this score on DTS-HD MA 5.1 that makes the film come alive more than ever compared to the original stereo 2.0 soundtrack of the 2008 DVD.  But to listen to this beautiful soundtrack in its HD uncompressed glory is by owning a receiver and having the speaker setup in order to listen to lossless.  So far, with the release of “Way Down East” and “Birth of a Nation”, listening to the scores in HD lossless makes a big difference (this is the same sentiment that I have with Kino’s prior releases of “Metropolis” and the Buster Keaton films on Blu-ray).

So, if you have the equipment to watch and listen in HD, upgrading from DVD to Blu-ray for “Way Down East” is worth it!  Otherwise, if you don’t have the equipment, then the very awesome 2008 DVD is good enough.

As for special features, I was hoping to see newer special features added to “Way Down East”.  In the past Blu-ray releases, Kino Lorber has been very generous by giving us additional featurettes but in this case, they stayed with the original text-based special features and the usual image gallery.

Overall, “Way Down East” is a wonderful romantic drama capturing the complexities of love and heartbreak and in D.W. Griffith fashion, ending with one of the most grandest and dangerous action scenes captured on camera.  Featuring a Blu-ray release that trumps the 2008 DVD release in clarity and detail but also its vibrant and fantastic lossless music soundtrack, “Way Down East” is highly recommended, worth owning and worth the upgrade from DVD to Blu-ray!

 

Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis” is the original 1984 film presented in HD.  Unlike the 2010 “Complete Metropolis” release, this film is 82-minutes long, color-tinted and possibly the most significant difference is its ’80s soundtrack featuring music by Academy Award winner Giorgio Moroder (“Flashdance…What a Feeling” from “Flashdance”, “Take My Breath Away” from “Top Gun”) and music featuring Freddie Mercury, Pat Benatar, Adam Ant, Bonnie Tyler, Billy Squier and others.  While this version may not be for everyone, for those who grew up watching this film may find it to be a welcomed, nostalgic addition to their cinema collection.

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis

FILM RELEASE: 1927 (Moroder’s version – 1984)

DURATION: 84 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Color Tinted, 1920x1080p High Definition (1:33:1), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

COMPANY: Kino Classics

RATED: N/A

Release Date: November 15, 2011

Based on a novel by Thea von Harbou

Directed by Fritz Lang

Screenplay by Thea von Harbou

Producer: Giorgio Moroder, Erich Pommer

Music by Gottfried Huppertz

Cinematography by Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut, Karl Vollbrecht

Costume Design by Aenne Willkomm

Starring:

Alfred Abel as Joh Fredersen

Gustav Fohlich as Freder

Brigitte Helm as Maria/The Robot

Rudolf Klein-Rogge as C.A. Rotwang

Fritz Rasp as The Thin Man

Heinrich George as Grot

Theodor Loos as Josaphat

Erwin Biswanger as 11811/Georgy

In 1981, three-time Academy Award-winning composer Giorgio Moroder began a three-year endeavor to restore the science fiction classic, Metropolis. During this process, Moroder made the controversial decision to give the film a new, contemporary score, and added a pop music soundtrack featuring songs from some of the biggest stars of the early MTV era, including Pat Benatar, Billy Squier, Freddie Mercury, Bonnie Tyler, Adam Ant, Jon Anderson and more. In addition to the new score, missing footage was re-edited into the film, intertitles were removed and replaced with subtitles and sound effects and color tinting were added, creating an all new experience…and an all-new film! But for more than a quarter century, this version of Metropolis has remained out of print – until now. A new HD transfer was created from one of the few remaining prints available, and Kino Lorber is presenting the film in the best possible quality – just as it was seen in its original release in August 1984.

It’s the version of “Metropolis” which introduced many people to silent cinema and also to Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic film.

Giorgio Moroder, the Academy Award winning composer known for his music in films such as “Scarface”, “Top Gun”, “Inglorious Basterds”, “Flashdance” and “Midnight Express”  has achieved many accolades as a musician/composer but one personal project that he wanted to do was to compile a new restoration for “Metropolis” (note: At the time, only edited versions of the film were to be found) and to also bridge a gap between modern moviegoers and those who appreciate silent cinema by providing a contemporary soundtrack.  But also to feature music tracks featuring Pat Benatar, Adam Ant, Freddie Mercury, Jon Anderson, Loverboy, Billy Squier and Bonnie Tyler.

Also, adding intertitles and playing the film at 24 frames per second.

Needless to say, by doing so, film critics were split when it came to the film’s release.  But for those not familiar with silent cinema and seeing this film for the very first time, Giorgio Moroder’s “Metropolis” was their introduction to silent cinema.  And for 27-years later, Giorgio Moroder’s long-awaited version of “Metropolis” will be released on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Classics.

Kino has chosen to present the film exactly as it appeared in 1984, mastered from an archival 35mm print.  Nearly a year ago, Kino released the latest restoration/remaster of “The Complete Metropolis” featuring the newly found footage on Blu-ray which was fantastic.   So, what we have is the version that people saw in 1984, the 82-minute version of the film.  Presented in Moroder’s vision, color-tinted and also featuring the contemporary music at that time.

According to Giorgio Moroder, “A decade into my career as a composer for motion pictures, I began a three-year endeavor to restore the film, with an eye towards introducing it to new audiences.  It was 1981, and by then “Metropolis” had almost disappeared from circulation.  I gathered elements of the film from all over the world to create and restore the most complete version of ‘Metropolis’ possible (at the time).”

For those not familiar with “Metropolis”,  the sci-fi silent film was directed by Fritz Lang (“M”, “The Testament of Dr. Mabuse”, “Die Nibelungen: Siegfried”, “Fury”) and is based on the novel by Lang’s wife at the time, Thea von Harbou. Upon its release in Germany in 1927, needless to say the film didn’t do that well. In fact, in 1927…the film which was very expensive for its time could even make 25% of what the film cost and it was a box office disaster. To make things worse, because of the film’s theme, various countries asked for various edits of the film and so, different countries had different versions of the film (the negative found in Argentina back in 2008 was a version that was not edited).

So, “Metropolis” ended up being cut and re-edited against Fritz Lang’s permission. And because the film was costly and nearly bankrupted the film company, it was important to make money through this film and with many theaters not so enthusiastic of films longer than 90 minutes, the film was shortened even more, especially the version show in the United States.

“Metropolis” is a film that takes place during a time where the rich and people who work in a management function live high above the Earth in skyscrapers while other people are just workers who live the same routine everyday, same routine and live a hard and difficult live in the underground. Their movements are the same and their blood, sweat and tears are required to power the city.

After the young Freder (played by Gustav Froelich) had won a successful track competition and now about to celebrate his monumental win with a few beautiful women at the Eternal Gardens, Freder who happens to be the son of Joh Fredersen (played by Alfred Abel), the main man responsible for building the Metropolis, sees a woman who catches his attention. The woman is accompanied by a large group of children but as she tries to introduce them to the gardens and tells Freder about the brothers he has that live in the city dwellings, she and the children are kicked out.

This leads Freder wanting to seek the young woman out and venturing to an area that he is not allowed to but most of all, to know more about this life…this dwelling where other people live.

The underground is where the majority of the workers live. These workers are responsible for keeping the city working but but are seen as the lowest in the economic social totem pole and they are kept away from those who do have money and are stuck living down below.

For Freder, he sees how these workers have the same routine at work. They are worked hard at 10 hours a day to near exhaustion and sees as one worker is unable to keep up and collapses due to exhaustion. Because he is unable to man the machine, the machines start to explode and several workers are killed. While watching this take place, immediately Freder starts imaging this monstrous deity appear while its tribe takes the workers into be sacrificed.

When Freder comes to, he immediately goes to his father’s office to share what he had seen. He tells his friend Josaphat (played by Theodor Loos, who is the assistant of his father) about what happened but because Josaphat was unaware of the news, he begins to worry and Joh Fredersen admonishes him for not knowing about what happened at the factory and having to learn from his son.

Then we see Grot (played by Heinrich George), the guardian of the heart machine and oversees the workers, come into the office and show Joh Fredersen diagrams that came from the pockets of those who died at the factory. Again, Fredersen is upset that he had to learn from another person and not Josaphat about these diagrams and fires him. Josaphat is now in shock because that means that without being in management, he is now forced to become a regular employee and must live and work in the underground.

Freder is angered that his father had done this but its too late. Freder runs after Josaphat and gives him a job in order to save Josaphat from working underground. But Freder wants to know how the life of those in the underground truly is and is willing to swap places with someone. As for his father, Joh Fredersen doesn’t trust his son now that he is venturing out to the underground and hires the Thin Man (played by Fritz Rap) to watch over his son.

As Freder goes underground, he manages to swap places with another worker named Georgy (played by Erwin Biswanger) and by working his job, learns of how torturous the work hours and work is for an employee working down below and can’t believe his father had subjected these workers to exhaustive and difficult work. Meanwhile, on the first day of the job, some of the workers have encouraged Freder to join them in the underground tunnels for a secret meeting.

As for Joh Fredersen, he goes to the Metropolis inventor, C.A. Rotwang to look at these diagrams found in the dead employees pockets. We learn that Rotwang and Fredersen are rivals who were in love with a woman named Hel. Hel died giving birth to Freder and Rotwang despises Joh. But Rotwang has been hard at work in trying to create a robot in the image of Hel in which he shows to Fredersen. Also, Rotwang finds out the diagrams are actually maps to the underground and thus he and Joh Fredersen go down the underground in a hidden entrance to spy on the workers.

We learn than the workers have been going to secret meetings that are led by the woman that Freder had seen in the garden. Her name is Maria (played by Brigitte Helm) and she tries to fight for the worker’s dignity and tells them that she awaits the mediator who is supposedly going to bring together the workers and the management. When all the workers leave, Freder meets with Maria and immediately they fall in love. Maria realizes that Freder is the mediator.

Joh Fredersen gives Rotwang an order to use the robot he made and make her in the image of this woman Maria to destroy those workers who are following her and sure enough, Rotwang kidnaps Maria and immediately creates the robot in her image. Now an evil Maria (“the robot”) is out and causing havoc, while Rotwang keeps the real Maria locked up.

Rotwang, who despises Joh Fredersen, programs evil Maria to not only destroy the workers’ confident in Maria but he wants the robot Maria to command the workers to destroy the entire city.

As for Freder, he must find the real Maria and hopefully stop the madness that Rotwang had unleashed on the city.

VIDEO:

“Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:33:1).  It’s important to remember that the picture quality is not to be compared to the 2010 Blu-ray release, nor should it be compared to the 2001 DVD restoration.  If anything, what we have is the color-tinted version of “Metropolis” from 1984 mastered from an archival 35mm print.

With that being said, despite the film being shorter than the 2010 release, the picture quality for the film is very good considering its age.  According to Moroder, “Kino Lorber have created a new digital transfer, from one of the few existing prints, in order to present ‘Metropolis’ to you as it was seen in 1984.”

So, with that being said, comparing this Blu-ray release with the 2010 release is like comparing apples and oranges, both may be fruit but they are still different.  The 2010 release of “Metropolis” was remastered and restored extensively, newer found footage, newer music was included and the duration is now 149 minutes.

Back then, Moroder’s 82-minute version was possibly the best film at the time to actually make “Metropolis” comprehensive for viewers as the previous restoration tried to incorporate so many newer footage (and possibly cut footage) that the film was not too easy to follow.

So, with Moroder’s version, he made quite a few edits to accompany the ’80s music but most importantly, to make the film understandable for viewers.

While doing his research for “Metropolis” for restoration, Moroder found an Australian print that was color-tinted and when watching a silent film using color, Moroder was inspired to do the same.  So, Moroder added about 4-5 minutes more of color via Rotoscope to his version of the film.

Moroder’s version features  brownish/orange or blue sequences, certain scenes may be in black and white but feature a single color but for the most part, for a 1984 film, the picture quality was much better than I was expecting.

I was expecting some softness but for the most part, the film looks very good.  Bare in mind, even music videos including MTV experimented with color tinting during that time, as it was retro-cool in some way or form, back in the early ’80s.

Another difference with Moroder’s version compared to other versions of “Metropolis” is that Moroder eliminated all title cards and added subtitles.

AUDIO:

“Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis” is presented in DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 stereo.  According to Giorgio Moroder, the musical score for this film was one of the first uses of digital recorded music at the time.

For those who loved the ’80s soundtrack back then, will definitely love how this film sounds on Blu-ray via HD.  The musical tracks are absolutely crystal clear through the front channels and the music is also used through the surround channels.  For example, when Freder is kept in Rotwang’s home and is trying to escape, a good use of percussion to showcase Freder banging on the walls or doors.   But for the most part, the music soundtrack sounds incredible and no sign of pops, hiss or clicks.

Personally, I’m so used to the 2010 soundtrack by Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, conducted by Frank Strobel which for me was absolutely fantastic.  Despite the fact that I grew up in the ’80s and enjoyed the artists that were featured, hearing the music today is not the same. Granted, I was not expecting Billy Squier’s “The Stroke”, Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend” or Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield”, but suffice to say, hearing the Moroder version of “Metropolis” was rather an interesting experience, but I’m sure hearing the music again for many others viewers would be a nostalgic experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis” comes with the following special features:

• The Fading Image – (17:50) A rare 1984 documentary about the preservation of the film and the restoration and scoring of “Metropolis”.
• Gallery – Featuring the promotional art for Moroder’s “Metropolis”.
• Trailer – The original theatrical trailer to Moroder’s “Metropolis” and for “The Complete Metropolis”.

EXTRAS:

“Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis” comes with a slipcase and a sheet which includes a personal message from Giorgio Moroder.

With the release of “Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis”, I’m not going to go so much into the actual film, because I have praised and raved about it in my review of Kino’s 2010 “Complete Metropolis” Blu-ray release and the 2002 Restored Authorized “Metropolis” DVD release.

But what I will discuss in my review is how many people have been waiting for this release and who it may be for.

Before the 2010 Blu-ray release, I had the opportunity to ask many silent film fans about the Moroder version and despite knowing how purists were horrified by hearing contemporary music with the film, its important to note that many before that, watched the film with no music whatsoever.  And those who did watch this film, watched it in the theater at a young age or when they were in high school or college.

For one to understand Moroder’s involvement at the time, people knew his music from “Flashdance” (1983) for “Flashdance…What a Feeling” by Irene Cara, a significant song in 1983 (the #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit, the #3 song of the year, Academy Award and Golden Globe winner for “Best Original Song” and placed #26 in Billboard’s “All Time Top 100″.  The year that “Metropolis” came out, he wrote the theme song for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Moroder also won an Academy Award for “Best Original Score” for “Midnight Express” in 1976 and even after “Metropolis” was released, he would win another Academy Award for “Take My Breath Away” for the 1986 film “Top Gun”.  And even today, people still love Moroder’s music as people have heard his “Scarface” and “From Here to Eternity” and “Chase” music on the “Grand Theft Auto” video games.

Needless to say, Giorgio Moroder is a significant name in American cinema and pop culture for his music.  So, to have someone of his caliber, working on a personal project because of his passion for Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” was quite intriguing.  And it was a three year effort for him to restore and score this film but also bring in a few of the top talents at that time.  From QUEEN vocalist Freddie Mercury, Pat Benatar, Adam Ant, Bonnie Tyler, Loverboy, Billy Squier and a few others, that’s a pretty solid lineup for musical talent in 1984.

And as I questioned silent film fans back in 2010 about the Moroder version of “Metropolis”, these fans who did see the film back in 1984 talked about how they would love to see the film released on DVD or Blu-ray.  But a few of them doubt it would ever happen, especially when most people were buzzed about the release of “The Complete Metropolis”.

But interesting enough, Kino must have listened to these fans because a year after the Blu-ray and DVD release of “The Complete Metropolis”, here we are with a Blu-ray release of “Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis”.

Sure, the film is 82-minutes long but considering before 2010, fans have always known that “Metropolis” is a film that many people saw different versions of.  Different cuts and obviously storyline plots that were missing, especially about the worker which Freder replaces and the Thin Man who was sent by Freder’s father to spy on him or the storyline about Josaphat helping out Freder and fighting against the Thin Man.  These were finally included in the 2010 Blu-ray release but back then, there were so many cuts and storyline plots that made no sense that fans could only wonder what was missing.

What Moroder did for this film was to eliminate all that guest work.  To keep the story focused on Freder, Maria, Joh Federsen and Rotwang.  To keep things focused on the key plots.

And yes, this Moroder version features the film via color-tinting but that was big in the ’80s.  Colorization of black and white films, colorization on MTV and thus color-tinting for a silent film, to make it hip for a young audience. But most of all, keeping things hip by the use of its pop rock soundtrack.

As mentioned, it was an interesting experience to watch this film with the ’80s soundtrack and I’m so used to the orchestral version used in the 2010 Blu-ray release that I’m just not used to watching the film with ’80s music, but because it may have not worked for me, the audience that are nostalgic for this film, it may work for them as they were the ones who really appreciated the film. But I do feel the ’80s soundtrack dates the film, considering this film was made in 1927, the soundtrack makes it feel like an early ’80s film because of its synth musical soundtrack.

And the fact that these fans who grew up with the film can watch this film in HD but also hear and enjoy this soundtrack in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, that’s a major plus!  In fact, the lossless soundtrack sound amazingly clear on Blu-ray!  I was impressed!

The Blu-ray release comes with a rare 1984 documentary which further explains the restoration and scoring of the film but I think what will matter most to the fans of the Moroder version is the fact that they are getting a video release and for it to be on Blu-ray and in HD is magnificent.

“Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis” is the third version of “Metropolis” from Kino and fans have two choices on Blu-ray depending on their taste.  While hardcore “Metropolis” fans will probably buy it regardless, if you had to buy one, “The Complete Metropolis” is still the version to buy!

And while this version may not be for everyone, for those who grew up watching this film may find it to be a welcomed, nostalgic addition to their cinema collection.

So, for those who are nostalgic and loved this 1984 version of “Metropolis”, its release on Blu-ray is great news for fans because now they can own the definitive version of  Moroder’s “Metropolis” on Blu-ray!

 

Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

An amazing collection of short films from French silent cinema ala 1908-1916. The fact that we are getting the opportunity to watch these early gems from Gaumont’s silent era is fantastic and I can only hope that Kino considers doing a third volume.  I have nothing but praise for this DVD box set and anyone who loves watching the history of cinema, especially the earlier silent years of French cinema, will definitely enjoy this set!  Highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 1909-1919 Gaumont.  2009 Gaumont Video EDV.  2011 Kino International Corp. All rights reserved.

DVD TITLE: Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916

DATE OF FILM RELEASE: 1908-1916

DURATION: Emile Cohl  (190 Minutes), Jacques Feyder (205 Minutes), Jean Durand (203 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Full Frame (1:33:1)

COMPANY: Kino International/Kino Lorber

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: 2011

During its second decade of existence, the Gaumont Film Company continued to prove itself an indomitable force in cultivating and advancing the fledgling art of cinema. It was also a place of great technical innovation. Included in this collection are some of Gaumont’s revolutionary experiments in color (the Trichromie process) and synchronized sound (the Phonoscenes). DVD 1 showcases the work of animator Emile Cohl, DVD 2 focuses on Jean Durand (who specialized in slapstick and innovated the “French Western”), and DVD 3 highlights the romantic comedies of Jacques Feyder, while paying tribute to some of French cinema’s lesser-known pioneers.

DVD 1: EMILE COHL
Includes Fantasmagoria (1908), The Puppet’s Nightmare (1908), The Living Fan (1909), Comic Mutations (1909), The Twelve Labors of Hercules (1910), Petit Faust (1910), Bébé’s Masterpiece (1910), and more!

DVD 2: JEAN DURAND
Includes Calino Wants to Be a Cowboy (1911), Onésime Goes to Hell (1912), Onésime, Clockmaker (1912), Onésime Loves Animals (1913), Zigoto Drives a Locomotive (1912), The Railway of Death (1912), Burning Heart: An Indian Tale (1912), Under the Claw (1912), and more!

DVD 3: JACQUES FEYDER AND THE EARLY MASTERS OF FRENCH CINEMA
Includes Heads…and Women Who Use Them (1916, Jacques Feyder), The Barges (1911, George-André Lacroix), La Marseillaise (1912, Etienne Arnaud), Child’s Play (1913, Henri Fescourt), Feet and Hands (1915, Gaston Ravel).

The Gaumont Film Company, the oldest film company in the world.

Created in 1895 and headed by Leon Gaumont, he marketed Georges Demeny’s invention which would be known as the “Bioscope” and Demeny’s partner, Etienne-Jules Marey, was the inventor of the chronophotography cameras.  These cameras were able to study movements by shooting a whole series of photos within seconds.

The following year, Gaumont would introduce a camera that would utilize 58mm roll film and many used it for scientific uses.

But the French film company is known for producing short films since 1897 in order to promote its camera-projector.   And through Gaumont, Leon Gaumont’s secretary Alice Guy-Blanche would become the first female director in motion picture history but also one of the first directors of fictional film.  But while Alice Guy-Blache was in France working for Gaumont, she would utilize screenplays written by Louis Feuillade in 1905 and allowed him to direct his own films.  And the company would have another director and actor named Leonce Perret work on numerous short films for the company.

In 1910, Alice Guy and her husband Herbert Blache would move to the United States and partner with George A .Magie to form the Solax Company, which was the largest pre-Hollywood studio in America in 1910.  Feuillade would take her position as artistic director for the company and Perret would become a fixture as a director for Gaumont.

These three individuals were great contributors to the French film company and would be featured in the first Kino DVD box set “Gaumont Treasures 1897-1913″.

But there were other contributors to Gaumont during those earlier years between 1908-1916.  They were Emile Cohl, Jean Durand and Jacques Feyder and the three would be next to be featured in Kino International’s “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″ DVD Box set.  But Kino also included other filmmakers who worked for Gaumont – Romeo Bosetti, Georges-Andre Lacroix, Etienne Arnaud, Rene Le Somptier, Henri Fescourt, Gaston Ravel including three more films by anonymous filmmakers.

 The first disc is dedicated to Emile Cohl, a cartoonist and animator who is known as “The Father of the Animated Cartoon” and also has his roots in the “Incoherent Movement (a short-lived French art movement) which would take current art which were re-interpreted via a satirical irreverence but also a style which many would deem as surreal.

A member of the artistic circle known as the Hydropathes, a group united by modern ideas and their passion towards poetry, Cohl was known for creating bizarre but vibrant expressionist art during his younger years.  But when he approached his 50th year, by 1907, motion pictures became big throughout the world and Cohl would eventually work for Gaumont.

But in America, when animation was used for the Vitagraph film “The Haunted Hotel”, when shown in Paris in 1907, many wanted more animated films.  So, in 1922, Cohl who studied various animated films began to learn the techniques of animation and sure enough, Emile Cohl would create “Fantasmagorie”, which is considered as the first fully animated film.   The two minute film would feature 700 drawings, featured in reverse and the film would be a tribute to the Incoherent movement that Cohl was once a part of more than 20 years ago.

Similar to Alice Guy, Cohl also left to America to create more films but many of his work after Gaumont were destroyed in fires (note: Many films at the time were filmed on nitrate which was susceptible to catching on fire).  Fortunately, a good number of Emile Cohl’s work at Gaumont did not perish in fires but while some are in better condition than others, the first DVD in the “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″ includes the following short films from Emile Cohl.  The following is curated by Pierre Philippe and features original music by Bernard Lubat.

1. Fantasmagoria (1908, 2 min.)
2. The Puppet’s Nightmare (1908, 2 min.)
3. Drama at the Puppets’ House (1908, 3 min.)
4. The Magic Hoop (1908, 5 min.)
5. The Little Soldier Who Became a God (1908, 4 min.)
6. The Boutdebois Brothers (1908, 2 min.)
7. Transfigurations (1909, 6 min.)
8. Let’s Be Sporty (1909, 5 min.)
9. Japanese Fantasy (1909, 1 min.)
10. The Happy Microbes (1909, 4 min.)
11. Modern Education (1909, 3 min.)
12. The Living Fan (1909, 4 min.)
13. Spanish Clair de Lune (1909, 4 min.)
14. The Next Door neighbors (1909, 4 min.)
15. Crowns (1909, 5 min.)
16. Delicate Porcelains (1909, 3 min.)
17. Monsieur Clown Among the Lilliputians (1909, 4 min.)
18. Comic Mutations (1909, 3min.)
19. Matrimonial Shoes (1909, 5 min.)
20. The Enchanted Spectacles (1909, 5 min.)
21. Affairs of the Heart (1909, 4 min.)
22. Floral Frameworks (1910, 5 min.)
23. The Smile-o-Scope (1910, 5 min.)
24. Childish Dreams (1910, 5 min.)
25. En Route (1910, 6 min.)
26. The Mind of the Cafe Waiter (1910, 5 min.)
27. Master of a Fashionable Game (1910, 4 min.)
28. Petit Chantecler (1910, 7 min.)
29. The Twelve Labors of Hercules (1910, 7 min.)
30. Petit Faust (1910, 5 min.)
31. The Neo-Impressionist Painter (1910, 6 min.)
32. The Four Little Tailors (1910, 7 min.)
33. Art’s Infancy (1910, 4 min.)
34. The Mysterious Fine Arts (1910, 5 min.)
35. The Persistent Salesman (!910, 8 min.)
36. A History of Hats (1910, 5 min.)
37. Nothing is Impossible for Man (1910, 6 min.)
38. Mr. Crack (1910, 5 min.)
39. Bebe’s Masterpiece (1910, 4 min.)
40. Music-mania (1910, 5 min.)

The second filmmaker featured in “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″ is writer/filmmaker Jean Durand.

Jean began his career in 1908 with Pathe but switched over to Gaumont where he took over the series “Calino” after Romeo Bosetti left.   While working with Gaumont, Durand started to focus on comedy but also American-style Westerns.  He would surround himself with a group of popular French actors at the time who were known as the “Les Pouittes” (including his wife and leading lady Berthe Dagmar)and would continue to create silent French Westerns with actor/director Joe Hamman to the end of the Silent Film era in 1929.

Although known for his French Westerns, he is also known for creating short film series “Calino”, “Zigoto” and “Onesimus” to name a few which were comedy or western driven but also known for using large animals such as elephants, lions, camels, snakes, dogs and more.  And at Gaumont, Durand would direct 168 films.

For “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″, the following short films are curated by Pierre Phillippe and features music by Patrick Laviosa.

The following Jean Durand short films are featured in Disc 2:

1. Calino’s Baptism (1911, 3 min.)
2. Calino Wants to be a Cowboy (1911, 6 min.)
3. Zigoto and the Affair of the Necklace (1911, 8 min.)
4. Calino the Love Tamer (1912, 6 min.)
5. Zigoto’s Outing with Friends (1912, 5 min.)
6. Oxford vs. Martigues (1912, 4 min.)
7. Onesime Goes to Hell (1912, 7 min.)
8. Calino, Station Master (1912, 6 min.)
9. Onesime, Clockmaker (1912, 5 min.)
10. Onesime vs. Onesime (1912, 8 min.)
11. Zigoto Drives a Locomotive (1912, 6 min.)
12. Onesime Gets Married… So Does Calino (1913, 7 min.)
13. Onesime: Calino’s Inheritance (1913, 11 min.)
14. Onesime Loves Animals (1913, 6 min.)
15. Onesime, Trainer of Men and Horses (1913, 13 min.)
16. Onesime and the Heart of a Gypsy (1913, 7 min.)
17. Oneisime, You’ll Get Married…or Else! (1913, 7 min.)
18. Onesime’s Theatrical Debut (1913, 10 min.)
19. Onesime’s Family Drama (1914, 7 min.)
20. The Railway of Death (1912, 17 min.)
21. Burning Heart: An Indian Tale (1912, 13 min.)
22. Under the Claw (1912, 25 min.)

The third and final filmmaker featured is Jacques Feyder and the early masters of French cinema.

Feyder is a Belgian screenwriter and filmmaker who worked in France, USA, Britain and Germany.  During the 1920′s and 1930′s, he was known for his style of poetic realism in French cinema.

Jacques Feyder joined the Gaumont Film Company in 1914 and became an assistant director to Gaston Ravel, by 1916, Feyder received his opportunity to direct films, although for a short while as he had to serve in the Belgian army from 1917-1919.  But after the war, he was able to return to cinema in which he made his mark as one of the most innovative filmmakers at the time for French cinema.  The films that he brought him attention was L’Atlantide (1921) and Crainquebille (1922).  But also known for directing Greta Garbo in her last silent film, “The Kiss” (1929).

The films featured on “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″ are his three short films from 1916: “Heads…and Women Who Use Them” (36 min.), “Friendly Advice” (16 min.) and “Biscot on the Wrong Floor” (15 min.).

The second filmmaker featured on the third disc is Romeo Bosetti, an Italian who was known for making French films.  Bosetti’s directorial debut was in 1906 and featured on this DVD is his 1909 7 min. short “The Long Arm of the Law”.

The third filmmaker featured is Georges-Andre Lacroix.  Lacroix began making shorts for Gaumont in 1911 and featured in this third disc is his 1911 10 min. film “The Barges”.

The next filmmaker to be featured is Etienne Arnaud, a French filmmaker who worked with Emile Cohl at Gaumont for the 1909 film “Shot of the moon”.  Featured on this DVD is his 10-min. short “The Barges”.

Rene Le Somptier is filmmaker who made his first short film “Poum a la chasse” with his father in 1908.  He would go on to make his first full length film in 1918 titled “La sultane de l’amour”.  Featured on this DVD is Somptier’s 17-min. short “A Drama in the Air” from 1913.

The sixth filmmaker to be featured is Henri Fescourt,  a French filmmaker who began his career in 1912.  Featured in this DVD is his 1913 12 min. short film “A Drama of the Air”.

Next is Gaston Ravel,  a French filmmaker who worked on a number of other filmmakers films by taking on other tasks.  So, he co-directed several films while working at Gaumont.    He also was an actor in a few of them.  Featured on the DVD is Ravel’s 1915 17 min. short “A Drama of the Air”.

The next three and final films featured on the third DVD are films in which the filmmakers are anonymous.  They include the 1912 13 min. short “A Factor Drama”, the 1912 13 min. short “The Pavements of Paris” and the 25 sec. “The Fairy’s Farewell”.

The third DVD features music by Patrick Laviosa, Ben Model and Didier Goret.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

For those who are new to Gaumont films from the early 1900′s, it is important to note that many of these films are over a 90-100+ years old and during that time, many of the films were not taken care of.  Mainly put into canisters and are forgotten, because many were shot in the flammable nitrate, many were destroyed by fire or literally disintegrated.

Those that have survived, fortunately many have just white speckles and occasional flickering, some are in worse shape with maybe one or two showing negative damage and major blackening.    But for the most part, picture quality for these shorts is very good and if you’re a silent fan, it’s hard to complain because Kino International did a wonderful job in putting together these rare gems of early French cinema.  And those very few shorts with damage, you either watch them or you don’t.  The fact that they have been salvage to the point where you can make it out is better than not having them.  And unfortunately, nearly 90% of silent films created are lost/destroyed.

As for music, music has always been subjective with silent film fans.  The good news is that you get variety with each short, the bad news is if you are one of the people who could care less about the music.  Fortunately, I enjoyed the music selections for these shorts and I’m glad they are not re-used over and over with every episode.  Granted, there are a few that are reused, some from the first volume.  But considering the cost to create a different piece for so many shorts, I can understand why certain scores were re-used.

While these are shorts, there are some English subtitles.  For example, during scenes where a written letter is shown.  The letter is translated via English subtitles.  So, viewers will understand the context of the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The following special features are included in “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″:

Disc 2:

• Jean Durand 1882-1946 – (12:17) Featuring a mini documentary written by Pierre Philippe and recounts the career of filmmaker Jean Durand including photographs and video from his career at Gaumont.

Disc 3:

• Phonoscenes – Early synchronized-sound musical shorts for “Anna qu’est-ce que t’attends?” (2:20), “Chemineau Chemine” (2:34) and “Le Mouchoir rouge de Cholet” (3:00).
• Gaumont in Actualities – (13:11) A Collection of clips featuring rare behind-the-scenes of Gaumont Studios.
• Trichromie Films – (12:06) Excerpts of Gaumont’s full-color film process using Trichromie film (shot in black and white with red, blue and green filters).  Featuring films from 1913-1919.

EXTRAS:

“Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″ comes with a slipcase.

If you are a silent film fan, you have to love Kino for their dedication in bringing fans films that are literally the origins of cinema.

As they have done for American cinema with “Edison: The Invention of Movies”, “The Movies Begin” showcasing European pioneers including the Avant-Garde DVD box sets (to name a few), these films are not only historic but for cinema fans who are appreciative of the early history of cinema, these are great collectibles.

With the release of the first Gaumont Treasures DVD box set, viewers were treated with many early shorts from three pioneers of French cinema and because Gaumont is still one of the oldest, surviving film companies in the world, there is a lot of history and many filmmakers that made many short films during the silent era.

So, here were are with “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″ featuring three more of Gaumont’s talented filmmakers but also featuring a film with a few others filmmakers who directed Gaumont films between 1908-1916.

I’ve often been asked if these box sets are worth it.  For me, the opportunity of having the chance to watch these films that are over or nearly 100-years old is a blessing.  As a silent film fan, nothing disappoints me more but to find out that many silent films are lost.  And the fact that we have a good number of early Gaumont shorts presented in very good condition is amazing.

But where the last volume showcased the beginning of the cinematic process, this second volume starts to incorporate more storytelling but also the beginning of animation in French cinema.

With Emile Cohl’s films are entertaining, I’ve shown one friend and he found them to be a bit boring as he is more of a casual viewer who was expecting animation something along the lines of “Steamboat Willy” and early Disney.  This is not that type of animation.  If anything, it was Emile Cohl learning how to use frames of drawn sheets, putting them on reverse and animating them.

At times, he would create hybrid films with live actors and animated characters.  For example, “The Magic Hoop” is an endearing tale of a girl who’s hoop is broken and a man uses magic to repair it.  But then the film goes into a tangent by showcasing animation.  Some may like it, some may not as it takes away from the live actor storyline.  But one must remember that this was the early beginning of animation and for many, it was a technological advancement for entertainment.

Possibly one of my favorite shorts from Cohl was a story of three men who look into a machine’s peep hole for a bit of animated future storytelling of what their love will look as they grow older.  And of course, you see a beautiful drawing of a woman slowly change to something horrid or ugly.  And of course, some of these men are not at all happy with what they see.

But of course, some shorts may seem a bit repetitive but its how Emile Cohl grows each year with his animation and his willingness for experimenting which makes this first DVD quite intriguing, historically educational but as far as entertainment goes, its subjective to the viewer as some shorts may not be as accessible as others to the casual viewer.

Needless to say, Emile Cohl’s work was a big hit when he was younger, but also when he was older as an animator.

Which leads to the next DVD featuring Jean Durand.  Durand’s short is definitely much more accessible but also amazing in the fact that you wonder how these talents would lay next to a lion, cougar or animal that would  seem as if they would easily rip your head off.  Even today, you will not see to many talents be that close to a deadly animal, no matter how trained they are.

So, you get a good balance of crazy slapstick and also adventure/Western films ala American-style with Durand’s short films.  If anything, the second is possibly the most liveliest, upbeat shorts in this set.  Literally everything that is Calino and Onesime-related are fun to watch and typically involve a variety of topics.

Actor Ernest Bourbon does a wonderful job playing the amusing Onesime and Clément Mégé as Calino.  Examples of these characters include “Onesime Gets Married… So Dies Calino” in which both men compete for space in a church, space in the banquet hall, etc.

In “Calino’ Wants to be a Cowboy”, Calino does what he can to become a cowboy (including destroying everything in his way).

In “Onesime, Clockmaker”, Onesime receives a letter that he has inherited a fortune but because he is a lazy (and not-so-smart) man, he must wait 20 years before he can receive any of it.  So, he wonders if he can advance time by advancing the speed of a clock.

But these shorts are not all about two comedic characters.  You also have “Oxford vs. Martigues” featuring a man who is being chased while Oxford is taking on Martigues in a rugby match through the city streets.

For “The Railway of Death”, two men compete in who can get to an area of where gold was discovered.  First person who arrives there gets to claim the area.

So, for the second volume, you get a good diverse number of short films, but primarily, you will find comedy-driven shorts in this collection for Jean Durand.

With the third disc, we do get a few films from Jacques Feyder as well as a few other Gaumont filmmakers.  Similar to a concept of a compilation album, the third DVD is more like a Gaumont compilation in which the viewer can get a taste of a variety of shorts from different filmmakers.

With Jacques Feyder, we get films that are more relationship-based.  For “Heads…and Women Who Use Them”, it’s rather an interesting film as women are arguing over a professional escort for married women.  When he’s with one woman, he gives them a lot of attention but when he moves on to the next woman, the other women he was with start to get jealous when they don’t get the attention from him.  And he is growing tired of it.

In “Biscot in the Wrong Floor”, actor George Biscot has Charlie Chaplin-esque flair as a Biscot, the drunk tenant who keeps finding himself sleeping in the wrong room.    A fun, upbeat short film.

Romeo Bosetti’s “The Long Arm of the Law” is an interesting short as a police officer is known for helping people by elongating his arm.  And just to think, a hero with the ability to use his long arm for good, a story that is many years before the Marvel’s Mr. Fantastic and DC’s Plastic Man.

Georges-Andre Lacroix’s “The Barges” revolves around family and relationships.   Living on the barge is an older couple and their daughter.  The father wants her daughter to take over the barge but she wants to get married.  But because the father is quite hard-headed about someone taking over the barge after he’s gone, he realizes that his argument with his daughter may have pushed her away and he may have lost her.

While the previous films on the third disc dealt with relationships and a police officer who can stretch out his arm, Etinne Arnaud created “Le Marseillaise” (which is the French national anthem) based on Claude Joseph Rouge de Lisle, the French Army officer during the Revolution who wrote the words and music that would later become the French national anthem.

Rene Le Somptier’s 1913 film short film “A Drama of the Air” focuses on a blacksmith who wanted to create a weapon for the revolutionary war but instead, the blacksmith would work on a project to create a flying machine.  He creates an airplane and invites a young man to fly with him.  Of course, everyone who knows them are worried about man’s first ride through the air.

Possibly the most interesting part about this short film was that at this time, there were controversies of who flew the first airplane.  The Wright Brothers claim they rode the first airplane (the Wright 1903 Flyer 1) in 1903, while Brazilian Santos Dumont who flew his 14-Bis plane for the The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in France.  Not to say the film was being polemic of France’s stake on airplane flights vs. the Wright Brothers but nevertheless, it was an interesting short film to watch.

Henri Fescourt’s “Child’s Play” revolves around a stubborn and spoiled child named Delphine, daughter of a wealthy man who owns a nearby factory and a young girl who always gets what she wants.  One day while playing ball, she loses it and a boy finds it and starts to play with it.  But she accuses the boy who is an apprentice of the factory of stealing the ball.  When the parents leave for vacation and leave the maid to watch over them, what happens when Delphine and her younger relatives leave their play area and venture to play inside a dangerous factory alone?  But when Delphine gets into bad trouble that may kill her…who can save her?

Gaston Ravel’s “Fear and Hands” is a love story that features only the man and woman’s hands and feet as they go through love, a breakup and rekindled love.

Overall, “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″ is a DVD box set that gives you so much in terms of classic silent short films from France from 1908-1916.   There is nothing to complain about as picture quality for the majority of all shorts are in very good condition, complete and while debatable and definitely subjective, I personally enjoyed the music for these short films.

With that being said, knowing that many people are discovering silent films via Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, can one easily migrate towards these short films.  I say “yes” because I have.  But it all comes down to one’s appreciation of silent films.  For example, for the first “Gaumont” volume, I would tell people if they get any viewing satisfaction of watching people’s personal home videos or people they are not familiar with on YouTube.  If so, then watching life’s moments from that era may appeal to you.  There were a lot of those experimental films back then, especially in the beginning use of cinema.

The stories were not deep, the technology was not perfect but for historical purposes and people who love watching things from an era over a hundred years ago, it can easily be quite entertaining and amusing.  But it’s not for everyone.

The good news with “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″ is that you are getting more developed stories.  While you still get the experimentation via animation in the first disc featuring Emile Cohl, you are getting more stories featured in the shorts from Jean Durand, Jacques Feyder and other Gaumont filmmakers.

And while Jean Durand has created many videos on Onesime and Calino, there is so much yet that need to be explored and shown on video as Durand made plenty of shorts with these two characters.  Including Zigoto.  But I’m not sure how many of those are available on video or are destroyed.  The good news is that there are a good number of them included in this set.

As for the third volume, these filmmakers featured also have a good number of short films in their oeuvre, so not sure how many of those are in-tact and how many of them are lost.  It would have been great to have more shorts featured for the other filmmakers but it makes you wonder if they are being reserved for a possible third volume of “Gaumont Treasures”.

In conclusion, I have nothing but praise for this DVD set.  The fact that we are getting the opportunity to watch these early gems from Gaumont’s silent era is fantastic and I can only hope that Kino considers doing a third volume.  Sure, I would have loved more shorts offered for each of the other filmmakers featured on the third disc but for what is offered in “Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916″, I’m quite satisfied.

If you are a fan of French cinema and want to know its cinema origins, you can’t go wrong by picking up both volumes of “Gaumont Treasures”.

Definitely recommended!

 

The Phantom Carriage – The Criterion Collection #579 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

The Swedish silent film that would inspire filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, “The Phantom Carriage” was a film at the time that could be seen as psychological and quite haunting but also an early silent film that explored human misery, melancholy and the psychology of its characters.  An important film of Swedish cinema and another fantastic inclusion for the Criterion Collection.

Image courtesy of © 1921 AB Svensk Filmindustri. 2011 The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Phantom Carriage – The Criterion Collection #579

MOVIE RELEASE: 1921

DURATION: 106 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Tinted Color, Silent, Swedish Intertitles with English Subtitles, 1:37:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: Janus Films/The Criterion Collection

RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2011

Directed by Victor Sjöström

Based on the novel by Selma Lagerlof

Written by Victor Sjöström

Produced by Charles Magnusson

Cinematography by Julius Jaenszon

Starring:

Victor Sjöström as David Holm

Hilda Borgstrom as Mrs. Holm

Tore Svennberg as Georges

Astrid Holm as Edit

Concordia Selander as Edit’s Mother

Lisa Lundholm as Maria

Tor Weijden as Gustafsson

The last person to die on New Year’s Eve before the clock strikes twelve is doomed to take the reins of Death’s chariot and work tirelessly collecting fresh souls for the next year. So says the legend that drives The Phantom Carriage (Körkarlen), directed by the father of Swedish cinema, Victor Sjöström. The story, based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, concerns an alcoholic, abusive ne’er-do-well (Sjöström himself) who is shown the error of his ways, and the pure-of-heart Salvation Army sister who believes in his redemption. This extraordinarily rich and innovative silent classic (which inspired Ingmar Bergman to make movies) is a Dickensian ghost story and a deeply moving morality tale, as well as a showcase for groundbreaking special effects.

A psychological film that probes into the mental anguish and misery of a character, “The Phantom Carriage” is a film that inspired filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman but also a film that would be the precursor of Bergman’s probe into the psyche of his characters throughout his oeuvre.

“The Phantom Carriage” (Körkarlen) is a silent film from 1921 that is a film adaptation of the novel “They Soul Shall Bear Witness!” by Nobel-prize winning Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf (the first female writer to win the prize and is best known for her children’s book “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils”).

The film would be directed by Victor Sjöström who would also play the lead role of the film.

Known for directing films in the U.S. during the 1920′s, it’s unfortunate that for a talented filmmaker and actor, the majority of his films are considered as lost.  Fortunately, those that did survive are his film adaptations of Lagerlöf novels such as the “Sons of Ingmar” (1919), “Karin, Daughter of Ingmar” (1920) and “The Phantom Carriage” (1921).  The latter which received restoration courtesy of the Archival Film Collections of the Swedish Film Institute.

And now, “The Phantom Carriage” will receive its HD treatment on Blu-ray and also standard DVD release courtesy of the Criterion Collection.

“The Phantom Carriage” begins with a dying Salvation Army worker named Edit (played by Astrid Holm) making one last wish for her friend Maria (played by Lisa Lundholm)to do something for her and that is to find David Holm.

When we see David Holm (played by Victor Sjöström), we see an alcoholic that is sitting with two other alcoholics as they talked about their friend Georges and a story Georges used to tell about Death’s carriage.  According to Georges, the last person who dies at the end of the year has to work under Death and collect the souls of those who die the following year.  Interesting enough, Georges told the story and he was the last person to die last year.

Meanwhile, as Maria and her friend Gustafsson (played by Tor Weijden) try to look for David, when Gustaffson tries to convince him to see her, he refuses.  His alcoholic friends try to get him to go but he gets upset and starts fighting them and ends up dying before midnight.

David is now dead and coming by carriage is a driver who has come to collect souls and sure enough, it happens to be Georges.

As David’s soul leaves its body and joins Georges and in the process, Georges reminds David how his life with his wife Anna (played by Hilda Borgström) and his two daughters used to be happy but when David started to associate with bad people and started to drink a lot of alcohol, it became too much.

David would become an alcoholic and would be responsible for driving away his wife and children.  A year ago, now sick with tuberculosis, sick from his illness and because of his alcoholism, he was taken care of by the Salvation Army worker named Edit.  Despite how badly David treated her, she would pray for him and believed that he would change for the best and get well.

Not being a God-believing person, David promised her that after a year, he would let her know whether her prayers worked for him or not.

As David and Georges go to see Edit (as she is about to die), we see another flashback of how Edit tried her best to stop David from drinking and how his friend Gustafsson became a believer of God and submitted to God and stopped drinking.  Of course, David doesn’t believe any of it.  But as Edit tries to get him to attend a Salvation Army meeting, also in attendance is David’s wife who hoped that David would change his way.

But one night, drunken and coming to Edit and the kid’s home, he became a danger to them.  So, badly that when Edit and the kids tried to escape once again, she locks him in a room and tries to escape.  But David finds an axe and chops down the door and confronts her and we get to see the worst in David.

Needless to say, Georges shows David on how his actions have affected his wife and children but also Edit.  But how will David react when he finds out the true reason of why Edit needed to see him so badly and also what effect he had on his wife and family, that may very well end in tragedy for his wife and children.

VIDEO:

“The Phantom Carriage” is presented in  High Definition, tinted color and the fact that earlier versions that many people have watched this in the past were not in the greatest condition and considering the fact that the original film elements were not fully complete, I was quite amazed to see how beautiful this film looked on Blu-ray.

The film also utilized double exposures made in the camera but used in a greater form for the film in order to create the ghost characters.  A very challenging special effect for its time.

Presented as a color-tinted silent film, “The Phantom Carriage” on Blu-ray is the best version of the film to date.  Is it pristine?  The answer is no.  You can see occasional white specks, hairs or tears on the original film element, flickering but with that being said, none of these will ruin one’s viewing of the film.  In fact, the fact that it’s complete, not hindered by any nitrate composition or any degradation, for a film that is 90-years-old, if you are a silent film fan, you can’t help but be appreciative that the film look so good and that the Criterion Collection has chosen to release this film on Blu-ray.

According to the Criterion Collection, the restoration of “The Phantom Carriage” was undertaken by the Archival Film Collections of the Swedish Film Institute.  A new film master was created from two source elements, an incomplete black-and-white nitrate print with Swedish intertitles and an incomplete color-tinted nitrate with print with English intertitles.  From these source elements, a new black-and-white duplicate negative with Swedish intertitles was completed in 1975.  New 35 mm polyester viewing prints were then struck from this restored negative, using the color-tinted nitrate print as a color reference.

Criterion Collection also pointed out that the new digital transfer was created on an ARRISCAN film scanner in 2K resolution from the new duplicate negative, at the Chimney Pot in Stokcholm, using the same color-tinted print from the Swedish Film Institute as reference.  Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI’s DRS system and Pixel Farm’s PFClean system while Digital Vision’s Phoenix system was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Phantom Carriage ” is presented with two scores.  One by Swedish composer Matti Bye and the other by the experimental duo KTL.

The original 1998 Matti Bye composition used on this Blu-ray release  is absolutely beautiful.  Presented in DTS-HD MA, the music with its piano, horns and strings does a great job of enhancing my appreciation of the film.  The music is coordinated just right to the scenes of the film and for the most part, is a wonderful score which sounds great via lossless.

As for the KTL soundtrack is presented in LPCM 2.0 and the experimental music makes this film feel quite dark and menacing.  It stays that way throughout the whole film and the sound is quite eery.  The score of course is subjective to the listener but listening to the score and watching the film, it gives you the feel of a horror film.

So, overall, I preferred the Matti Bye soundtrack because it is more emotional and upbeat compared to the KTL experimental score.

The film is presented with Swedish intertitles in English and special features with English subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Phantom Carriage – The Criterion Collection #579″ on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary-featuring an in-depth audio commentary by film historian Casper Tybjerg who helps explain the film but also the sentiments of the viewers watching the film at the time.
• Ingmar Bergman – (15:19) An interview with Ingmar Bergman, excerpted from the 1981 documentary “Victor Sjöström: A Portrait”, by Gösta Werner
• The Bergman Connection - (18:12) An original visual essay by film historian and Bergman scholar Peter Cowie on the film’s influence on Bergman.
• Construction of the Räsunda Studio -(4:43)  Short footage of where “The Phantom Carriage” was the inaugural production.

EXTRAS:

“The Phantom Carriage – The Criterion Collection #579″ comes with an 20-page booklet.  The essay “Phantom Forms” by Paul Mayersberg is included plus information on the two scores included on this Blu-ray release.

We often hear from filmmakers in America who talk about the American filmmakers and films that inspired them to pursue a career in the industry.

In Sweden, filmmaker Ingmar Bergman who was only a 1-year-old when “The Phantom Carriage” came out, would later become inspired by Victor Sjöström’s work and how his exploration of the human psyche, their melancholy, a character being miserable and the emotional pain that they harbor inside..these are things that are a big part of Bergman’s oeuvre.

As Bergman is known as the filmmaker to capture human suffering, for Bergman it began with Victor Sjöström who would go on to introduce his style of filmmaking in America and showcase the mental anguish of a person in “He Who Gets Slapped” (1924), “The Scarlet Letter” (1926) and “The Wind” (1928).  And while many historians have always recommended Sjöström’s “The Wind” (as it is one of Lillian Gish’s finest acting performances), “The Phantom Carriage” was definitely a film which is a product of its time that does have its relevance today.

We have seen how alcoholism affected a person, especially a father and his family in film.  This is nothing new.  But in 1921, alcoholism was never fully explored, nor its ramifications.  Tuberculosis is still a problem today, but even moreso back then.  It was a bold film to take on such a subject of how an alcoholic can hurt his family and others, but also lead to one’s death.  And yes, there is a little introduction to how those who submitted to God have changed for the best, but for those who frown upon preachy religious films, this is not one of them.

If anything, one can easily call this a psychological thriller mixed with drama.  The film for its time can be seen as dark as it showcased human suffering and interesting enough, Stanley Kubrick’s film “The Shining” which has a famous axe scene is quite similar to the axe scene found in this film.  Granted, this is not a horror film but compared to other silent horror films that I have seen (which are not too scary), I can only imagine how audiences reacted when they first watched this film.  It’s definitely not a happy upbeat film but it does manage to work itself out in the end and I guess, one can say the film is not all tragic.

There are life changing moments and for the most part, “The Phantom Carriage” is a pre-cursor of the human suffering type of films that Victor Sjöström would create several years later and a theme that would have its impact on Ingmar Bergman’s work.

So, “The Phantom Carriage” does have its place as an important film not only to Swedish cinema but also for its darker theme that was not as prevalent in 1921.  But as many people are discovering Ingmar Bergman’s films through the new releases on Blu-ray and DVD from the Criterion Collection, the company has been good in showing films in which these filmmakers were inspired from.

So, this is one important film that fans of Bergman’s work can really enjoy.  So, as Jean Renoir and Jean Vigo were an inspiration to future French filmmakers, Victor Sjöström was the same as he inspired Swedish filmmakers, specifically Ingmar Bergman.  And for Bergman, he had watched this film over 100 times and has said that from the first time he had watched the film, he would eventually watch it every year since then.

“The Phantom Carriage” was a big impact on his life and to know Bergman’s work and why he is so enamored with human suffering, you need to look past Bergman and watch a Victor Sjöström film.

“The Phantom Carriage” is recommended!

 

Strike (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Magnificent and groundbreaking!  Sergei Eisenstein’s filmmaking debut with a final scene that will shock you!  A film still relevant today, “Strike” is an Eisenstein film that must be watched by the cineaste!  And the picture quality as well as the musical soundtrack on Blu-ray is absolutely wonderful.  “Strike” is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Strike (Stachka)

FILM RELEASE: 1925

DURATION: 89 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: B&W, Full Frame (1:33:1), 1080p High Definition, 2.0 Stereo

COMPANY: Kino Classics/Kino Lorber

RATED: N/A

Release Date: August 30, 2011

Directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein

Written by Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein, Ilya Kravchunovsky, Valeryan Pletnyov

Produced by Boris Mikhin

Cinematography by Vasili Khvatov, Vladimir Popov, Eduard Tisse

Art Direction by Vasili Rakhals

Starring:

Maksim Shtraukh as Police Spy

Grigori Alesandrov as Factory Foreman

Mikhail Gomorov as Worker

I. Ivanov as Chief of Police

Ivan Klyukvin as Revolutionary

Aleksandr Antono as Member of Strike Committee

Yudif Glizer as Queen of Thieves

Sergei Eisenstein’s Strike (1925) is a visual tour-de-force that employs dynamic editing and experimental camerawork to dramatize the saga of a bitterly-fought factory strike in 1903. Often compared to Citizen Kane (1941) in terms of audacious directorial debuts, Strike embodies the revolutionary spirit of the Soviet people of the 1920s, cresting the waves of artistic and political idealism.

An epic feature film debut by filmmaker and film theorist Sergei Eisenstein.  A precursor to the violence and large scale fights shown in his later films, “Strike” will continue to resonate strongly with cinema fans, especially for its famous final sequence.

The great Russian director Sergei Eisenstein, known for films such as the 1938 “Alexander Nevsky” and the 1944-1946 films “Ivan the Terrible” and a filmmaker who will be remembered for is his 1925 masterpiece “The Battleship Potemkin”.

But a year before “Battleship Potemkin”, “Stachka” aka “Strike” was created in 1925 and in Eisenstein’s polemic cinematic style featured a theme of collectivism versus individualism and also featured the talent of the Proletcult Theatre.

“Strike” is a film that takes place during the Czarist rule and showcases workers of a Russian factory.  The morale of the workers are low and while these workers work very long hours for little pay, the owners and higher up of the factory are shown as porkly characters that could care less about the employees but are more concerned of making money, eating and drinking well and getting rich.

Featured in six parts, the film begins with the following quote by Vladimir Lenin:

The strength of the working class is organization. Without organization of the masses, the proletarian is nothing. Organized it is everything. Being organized means unity of action, unity of practical activity.

The first part of “Strike” would feature the management of the Russian factory hiring people/agents to spy on its workers and because morale is so low, there is a feeling that there will be a strike.

The second part would feature a worker named Yakov who is upset that his micrometer has been stolen.  Because the micrometer cost 25 rubles, he tells the management about what has happened.  But instead of believing the hard working employee, they accuse him of theft.  Dejected by how he was treated and being called a thief, to save his honor, Yakov hangs himself during the work hour and leaves a note for his fellow co-workers to read and why he killed himself.

This would be the final straw for the workers as they decide to go on strike, which upsets the management.  In fact, they are so upset of what has taken place at the factory and the death of Yakov that they storm the office and take one of the managers and dumps him downhill into the water.

The third part of “Strike” would feature the husbands now having no work and spending time with their families.  The factory is vacant and the owners of the managers are upset and because they are getting more orders, they need the workers to come back.

So, the workers demand that a) They work only 8-hours a day  b) they receive a 30% wage increase and c) minors would only work 6-hours a day.

But the shareholders and the director’s scoff at the demands of the workers and they send the local police to raid the workers.  But the workers stay strong and protest.

In part four, the strike continues and because money is tight for the workers, problems begin to happen at various households because there is no money to buy things.  And while the workers hope that the management will accept their demands, they quickly learn that the management has no plans to give in.

And the final two acts lead up to the violence which would take place as corruption rears its ugly head and leads to a store being burned and looted.   Because of the civil unrest, the governor sends the military after the workers.

The film culminates into one of the most famous, yet violent scenes in cinema history as the Russian workers begin to be treated as outcasts and instead of trying to come up with a compromise, the military deals with the community of workers in one way they know how…

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Strike” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:33:1) and is presented in Linear PCM 2.0 Stereo (music performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra).  The edition featured on Blu-ray of “Strike” is a version mastered in HD from a 35 mm film element restored by the Cinematheque de Toulouse.

While it is is expected to see white specks and a little film damage, the picture quality is magnificent.  If you have seen this film before and have seen versions that get to the point where the visuals keep fading to black, no problem whatsoever in the picture quality of this film on Blu-ray.

The clarity is well-done, especially the closeups of the various individuals.  Tonal gradation, black levels and contrast is also magnificent and this is the best looking version of the film to date.  I detected no softness, no artifacts, no excessive degradation of the original film elements (There are a few scenes which show this slight whiteness but it’s for a second or two and doesn’t disturb your viewing of the film.

The overall look of the film compliments Eisenstein’s direction and the cinematography by Vasili Khvatov, Vladimir Popov and Eduard Tisse.

Also, the music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra was well-done and complimented the film extremely well!

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Strike” comes with the following special features:

• GLUMOV’S DIARY - (4:43) For years considered lost, Eisenstein’s first film “Glumov’s Diary” (1924) is a playful experimental short made for his stage production of Alexander Ostrovsky’s Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man.
• EISENSTEIN AND THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT – (37:10) Film historian Natacha Laurent places Eisenstein’s work in the context of the Communist revolution and contemporary Soviet filmmaking.
• Battleship Potemkin Trailer – (1:32) Theatrical trailer for Kino’s “Battleship Potemkin”.

EXTRAS:

“Strike” comes with a slipcase cover.

A magnificent, groundbreaking film that still has relevance today!

Sergei Eisenstein’s “Strike” is a straightforward film.  Workers are mistreated, higher-ups are the ones who receive the benefits and when workers want to be treated well, their employers turn on them and the results are tragic.

Of course, in the United States, although strikes do happen and mediation between companies work hard to solve the issues, what we see in “Strike” still happens today in other countries (especially in China where several employee strikes in 2001 have turned violent due to worker’s working very long hours and receiving unfair wages).

And in cinema, America has had its share of strike films with “The Grapes of Wrath”, “Bound for Glory”, “Norma Rae” to name a few.  But what makes Eisenstein’s “Strike” so amazing is what was accomplished back in 1925 visually.  For one, Eisenstein is a filmmaker who knows how to incorporate large masses of people and capture the realism of that era.  In this case, workers on strike in 1903 (note: There was a South Russian strike of 1903 in Odessa but violence was minimal and led to an independent labor movement but I have read that the film is actually was intended to be part of a series that led to the 1917 Revolution which ended Tsarist Autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union).

It’s Eisenstein’s focus on collectivism that comes forefront as American cinema tends to focus on the individual who may have led the strike or had a big part in it.  No one actor becomes the protagonist.  Strikers are a collective, the management and shareholders work as a collective.

And that is where Eisenstein shows his strength as a filmmaker, the utilization of composition and structure that achieves the film’s efficacy.

Once again, the collective is the keyword to this film.  Where many films would show a hero either being incarcerated, killed or simply being held on the pedestal for their achievement, its a banality that is often seen to well in cinema today and Eisenstein knew at the time that it’s the collective that that should be featured and not one person goes down, all will suffer together.

Although I do not like to talk about the ending sequences of a film, “Strike” is one of those films where the majority of discussion of this film is primarily of its final scene.  It’s the most violent scene but also cinematography-wise, it’s the most beautiful part of the film is seeing how Eisenstein used the visual aspects of the film to make it artistic but at the same time, no doubt, stirring up emotions of the Soviet people in the 1920′s who watched the film.

If you do not want to be spoiled by my comments on the ending, please stop here and revisit after you watched the film.

“Strike” is well-known for its violent final scenes towards the collective mass interwoven with realistic scenery of a live cow being slaughtered are images that stick in your head.  Without having to show hundreds of people marching to their demise, it was a well-executed plan to use the cow during that time, to be a symbol of the slaughter of humans.  To show how people of the same blood but not of the same social status are looked down upon.

A mother tries to rescue her daughter who runs towards the military soldiers in their horses.  These soldiers could care less and start beating on the mother and possibly the most disturbing scene, aside from the cow scene, was a soldier grabbing a baby and literally dropping the baby many levels below to its crashing death.  While we see the workers tormented and running for their lives, it’s a sickening juxtaposition of the exaggerated capitalist, laughing, fat and non-caring of their workers.

The bourgeoisie, the management, higher ups, shareholders, governor, police chiefs…they are the antagonist, the workers, the proletariat are the protagonists, the heroes of the film.

These scenes are quite haunting and although Eisenstein had created even more significant films after his filmmaking debut with “Strike”, It is amazing to see the filmmaker create this aural effect through visual means.

Interesting enough, Eisenstein actually had a conceived a more violent film according to a record made of the completed final sequence which involved the decapitation of the cows heads, skinning of the cows and ending with a closeup of the cow’s eyeball in order to correlate with the massacre of the workers.

As for the Blu-ray release, having owned the DVD, this film features the restoration courtesy of the Cinematheque de Toulouse and a newly-recorded score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra who did a magnificent job.  It’s also great to have the “lost” short film “Glumov’s Diary” included in this Blu-ray release but for fans of Eisenstein, the included “Eisenstein and the Revolutionary Spirit” was a wonderful addition to this release.

There are not many filmmakers who have had the freedom to create films with a large mass of people and also to use his films to have this polemic and propagandist tone.  It’s a groundbreaking film for its time that a cinemaeaste must experience as it is quite different than “Battleship Potemkin” and Eisenstein’s other well-known works.

Overall, “Strike” on Blu-ray is highly recommended!

 

 

Go West and Battling Buttler (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Two exciting and hilarious Buster Keaton films on one Blu-ray!  Highly entertaining, hilarious and all-out fun!  For Buster Keaton fans or fans of silent comedies, this double feature Blu-ray release featuring “Go West” and “Battling Butler” is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Go West and Battling Butler

FILM RELEASE: Go West (1925), Battling Buttler (1926)

DURATION: Go West (68 Minutes), Battling Buttler (85 Minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: B&W, Color-Tinted, 1080i High Definition, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

COMPANY: Kino Classics/Kino Lorber

RATED: N/A

Release Date: September 27, 2011

Go West

Written and Directed by Buster Keaton

Assistant Writer: Lex Neal

Scenario by Raymond Cannon

Music Composed and Performed by Eric Beheim

Produced by Buster Keaton, Joseph M. Schenck

Cinematography by Bert Haines, Elgin Lessley

Art Direction: Fred Gabourie

Battling Butler:

Directed by Buster Keaton

Written by Paul Giard Smith, Al Boastberg, Charles Henry Smith, Lex Neal

Original Book of Musical Play by Stanley Brightman, Austin Melford

Cinematography by Bert Haines, Devereaux Jennings

Music Arranged and Directed by Robert Israel

Go West

Buster Keaton as Friendless

Howard Truesdael as Owner of the Diamond Bar Ranch

Kathleen Myers as the Daughter

Ray Thompson as the Foreman

Brown Eyes as Herself

Battling Butler:

Buster Keaton as Alfred Butler

Snitz Edwards as His Valet

Sally O’Neil as The Mountain Girl

Walter James as Her Father

Budd Fine as Her Brother

Francis McDonald as Alfred Battling Butler

Mary O’Brien as His Wife

Tom Wilson as His Trainer

Eddie Borden as His Manager

With his trademark deadpan demeanor and his gift for inventive visual humor, Buster Keaton’s unique brand of comedy has proven to be a timeless source of laughter and an enduring influence upon several generations of screen comics. This Ultimate Edition showcases two of Keaton’s lesser known films, newly mastered in HD from the 35mm nitrate elements preserved by the Library of Congress.

In GO WEST, Keaton plays an idealistic young man known as “Friendless,” who rides the rails to a dude ranch, forms a sentimental attachment with an especially lovable cow, and, in the film’s breathtaking climax, finds himself at the center of cattle stampede through the streets of Los Angeles.

Based on a popular stage musical, BATTLING BUTLER stars Keaton as a pampered socialite who pretends to be a famed prizefighter in order to impress his girlfriend’s bullying brothers. Once begun, however, the charade is not easy to end, and Butler – aided by his personal butler (Snitz Edwards) – must endure physical training, sparring, and, unless he can stop it, a title bout with the “Alabama Murderer.”

Exciting, enjoyable and the magnificent physical comedy of one of the greatest stars of all time…Buster Keaton!

Have you been wanting more Buster Keaton on Blu-ray!  Kino Lorber has a new Blu-ray release planned for Sept. 2011 with the release of “Go West” (1925) and “Battling Buttler” (1926).

“Go West” is a film written and directed by Buster Keaton and it was a film in which Keaton wanted to capture the realistic scenery by filming in the deserts of Arizona (something that his film crew did not want to do because of the extreme heat).    In fact, during the filming of “Go West”, the film had to be reshot a few times because the film stock melted and the crew realized, the only way this film was going to be made is by quick thing and that was to submerged their cameras in ice to keep cameras operable and film stock intact.

The film also became one of Keaton’s most expensive films ever made as it required a stampede of cows, especially having the cows walk through the city.

In 1925, the film didn’t exactly do great in the box office but many years later, many fans of Keaton’s silent films do feel that it’s one of his most entertaining silent comedies.

“Go West” revolves around a man known as Friendless (played by Buster Keaton), who has sold everything in order to move from Indiana and travel out to the west.

He manages to find himself near the Diamond Bar Ranch and although he knows nothing about ranch life or taking care of animals, needing a job and wanting to make money, Friendless takes a cowboy outfit and eventually gets a job.

But despite not knowing how to milk a cow or how to ride a horse and bring cows in to their stable, Friendless meets a cow named Brown Eyes who is unable to walk due to having a rock caught in her paw.  Friendless removes the rock and immediately both Friendless and Brown Eyes become friends.

But when all the cows must be branded and sent to the slaughterhouse, Friendless will do all he can to prevent his new friend from getting hurt and killed.

In the 1926 film “Battling Butler”, But Keaton plays the role as Alfred Butler, the child of a wealthy aristocrat, who feels that his son has grown up too comfortably and has not become a real man.

So, the spoiled Alfred is sent on a hunting trip in the mountains and is accompanied by his valet (played by Snitz Edward) but for Alfred, instead of taking on the role of a hunter, he brings his wealthy life to the hunting ground, with a very large tent, oven, tables, bed and bath.  As well, as bringing his tuxedo and other garments.  Also, while camping out in the mountains, Alfred’s valet discovers that a boxer is using his name and is known as Alfred “Battling” Butler.  Alfred requests his valet to contact the boxer and to not use his name.

As Alfred knows nothing about hunting, nor does he know how to use a firearm and ends up nearly shooting the mountain girl (played by Sally O’Neil) and needless to say, their first exchange is not pleasant.  But for Alfred, he is amused to find a woman so brash. But is charmed by her and now wants to marry her.

While trying to catch a fish, Alfred falls of his boat and is rescued by the mountain girl and invites her to dinner near his tent.  While having dinner, the mountain girl’s father and brother comes to check out the man that the mountain girl is with and does not want her to be near someone that is so weak.

So, to defend his master’s name, the valet tells the father and brother that Alfred is a professional boxer and shows them the newspaper.  He tells them that they are in the mountains and he is training.

Feeling that now he is a tough man, they give Alfred the permission to marry the mountain girl if he wins his upcoming boxing match.

Feeling the pressure of their lie, when Alfred and his valet go to watch the live boxing match, Alfred “Battling” Butler manages to win and becomes the championship boxer.

For Alfred, the good is that he would now get to marry the mountain girl and when he goes back to the mountains, the whole village has a parade for Alfred and immediately, a wedding ceremony.  Alfred is happy that he has a wife but just when he thought the lie of being a professional boxer would end, news circulates that Alfred “Battling” Butler will be defending his title in a bout against the “Alabama Murderer”.

And to make things worse, now Alfred must continue the charade and stay and train in the same area where the real boxer is at to fool his wife.   But when the real Alfred “Battling” Butler catches wind of Alfred Butler’s lie, the boxer then chooses Alfred to fight the real boxing matching against the “Alabama Murderer” and for his trainers to get him ready for the real boxing match.

Will Alfred Butler have any chance in fighting against a real boxer?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Go West” (1925) and “Battling Butler” (1926) receives its HD release and are presented in black and white while the latter does have color-tinting.  Having previously owned “The Art of Buster Keaton” Kino DVD boxset, I can easily say that these two films do look great on Blu-ray.  The contrast looks great, the films look sharp and these are the best version of both films via picture quality to date.

While “Go West” is the better of the two when it comes to picture quality, both still manage to look better than its DVD counterpart in the fact that the whites and grays show awesome contrast, much more detail and black levels are nice and deep.  You do see lines and white specks from time-to-time on “Battling Butler” but by no means does it take away from the viewing of these two films.

The fact that both of these films show no major nitrate degradation and are complete films is a major plus and have no doubt that Keaton fans will agree that the picture quality for both films are very good!

As for the audio, for “Go West”, the music is composed and performed by Eric Beheim and “Battling Butler” features music arranged and directed by Robert Israel.  There are no alternate soundtracks but for those who enjoyed the music from the previous DVD release, will be happy that they are featured in the Blu-ray release.

The music for both films are well done and compliment the film just perfectly!

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Go West” comes with the following special features:

• Go West - A 12 minute comedy short produced by Hal Roach and features the trained monkeys (The Dippy Do Dads).
• 60-Minute Audio Recording - An audio recording of Buster Keaton working on a script proposal for the Western TV series “Wagon Train” (courtesy of Bob Bergen).
• Photo Gallery – Production stills from “Go West”.

“Battling Butler” comes with the following special features:

• Screenplay Excerpt - A screenplay excerpt featuring text on the unproduced remake of “Battling Butler” written by Keaton in 1947.
• Gallery – Gallery of photographs from the 1922 stage production of “Battling Butler”.
• Photo Gallery – Production stills from “Battling Butler”.

EXTRAS:

“Go West and Battling Buttler” comes with a slipcase cover.

Once again, Buster Keaton fans are treated with two more films from the filmmaker’s oeuvre showcasing his physical comedy as an actor but also his directorial and screenplay writing efforts in “Go West” and  directorial effort for the film adaptation of the stage play “Battling Butler”.

Both films precede his “The General” (1927) and “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” but there was no doubt that Buster Keaton, a perfectionist, would cause concern with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with “Go West” as it was an expensive film that required multiple do-overs because of filming in the desert of Arizona proved to be problematic for the cameras and the film stock.

While “Go West” would showcase Buster Keaton as a cowboy, it was a silent comedy western that was unlike any Western ever made and still is a unique film that holds up perfectly well in 2011.  In 1925, Buster Keaton brought in a large numer of cows to walk the streets of Hollywood.  Just watching the scene of, who knows how many cows were featured, walking through the city of Los Angeles in broad daylight was accomplished.

It’s probably the only film in which a woman is not Buster Keaton’s leading lady but a cow named Brown Eyes who is his true friend throughout the film and the female that he is trying to protect.  It really is an absurd film but it is a hilarious film that showcases Keaton’s comedy.  From being a cowboy that doesn’t know how to milk a cow, nor does he know how to ride a horse or to lasso a young cow, “Go West” is a film that provides a lot of laughs but a stampede sequence that is literally shocking when you watch it today.

As for “Battling Butler”, this is a straight-up Buster Keaton film that takes misunderstandings and lies to make for one exciting sports film.  In fact, I’m not really sure if “Battling Butler” is the first boxing film ever created but what we do know is that it is an adaptation of a popular Broadway play that ran from 1923-1924 and that the film was Keaton’s most financially successful feature film in the box office.

Keaton has said that “Battling Butler” is one of his favorite films, despite it being forced on him by Joe Schenck but it’s a wonderful farce as we see Keaton put into a boxing role and having to go one-on-one with experienced boxers.

But in this screenplay, it diverts from the original Broadway play in the fact that fans do get to see Keaton’s character Alfred Butler actually getting into a fight to protect his wife’s honor.

But it’s a hilarious film that is classic Keaton.  Farce combined with Keaton’s physical comedy, “Battling Butler” is highly entertaining!

And of the two films, I admit that I am more fond of “Battling Butler” in terms of story but admire the direction of “Go West” because how Keaton directed a large herd of cows through Los Angeles is surprising but yet an amazing thing to watch onscreen.  Many decades before CGI and yet, Keaton as always ahead of his time, was able to make it happen.

As for the Blu-ray release, once again…these are the best looking versions of the film to date.  In fact, I don’t know if I can even watch my older Kino DVD’s ever again because these films look so fantastic on Blu-ray. Granted, these films were never 100% pristine but the fact that the contrast and overall look of both films are an improvement from the original DVD release is a major plus.

The special features for this latest Blu-ray release offers different special features compared to the previous release.  As I would have loved to see the special features on the behind-the-scenes of the making of both films, at least we are given a rare 60-minute audio recording of Keaton working on “Wagon Train” plus an excerpt of the screenplay for the “Battling Butler” 1947-remake.  Sure, I would have loved to have additional choices for audio score but the Eric Beheim for “Go West” and the score for “Battling Butler” from Robert Israel which were used on the original DVD release are already wonderful and compliment the films really well!

Overall, if you have been watching the previous Buster Keaton films on Blu-ray, more than likely you will purchase “Go West” and “Battling Butler”.  If you are new to Buster Keaton, both films are highly entertaining…are they better than “The General” or “Steamboat Bill Jr.”, in my opinion, definitely not.  But these two films are still very entertaining and do a great job of showcasing Keaton’s physical comedy but also his efforts as a director.

Enjoyable, entertaining and fun…these two Keaton classics are definitely worth watching and this Blu-ray release is definitely recommended!

 

 

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