Buster Keaton Shorts (1920-1923) Blu-ray Set by Kino (1 Viewer)

[JoHud]

Great to see that the shorts are getting their due with some new masters and (possibly) new elements. Also nice that the set seems chronological. Perhaps we'll see all of the Keaton Silents on Blu by next year?


Release date is July 12 with a list price of $49.95, courtesy of Classicflix.com

For the first time ever, Kino International proudly presents a box set of all of Buster Keaton’s classic silent short films in one collection. All films have been digital remastered in high definition and include all new extras.

DISC 1:

• The High Sign (1920/21, 19 Min.)
• One Week (1920, 24 Min.)
• Convict 13 (1920, 19 Min.)
• The Scarecrow (1920, 18 Min.)
• Neighbors (1921, 19 Min.)
• The Haunted House (1921, 20 Min.)
• Hard Luck (1921, 21 Min.)

DISC 2:

• The Goat (1921, 23 Min.)
• The Play House (1921, 23 Min.)
• The Boat (1921, 23 Min.)
• The Paleface (1922, 20 Min.)
• Cops (1922, 18 Min.)
• My Wife’s Relations (1922, 17 Min.)

DISC 3:

• The Blacksmith (1922, 21 Min.)
• The Frozen North (1922, 17 Min.)
• Day Dreams (1922, 19 Min.)
• The Electric House (1922, 23 Min.)
• The Balloonatic (1923, 22 Min.)
• The Love Nest (1923, 20 Min.)

BONUS FEATURES:

• Fifteen visual essays, illustrated with clips and stills, written by various Keaton experts.
• Four visual essays on the film’s locations by Silent Echoes author John Bengston
• Eight page booklet with an essay by Jeffrey Vanc, author of Buster Keaton Remembered
• The Men Who Would Be Buster, a collection of clips from slapstick films influenced by Keaton’s work
• Character Studies (ca. 1925) a gag film starring Carter DeHaven, with cameos by Keaton, Harold Lloyd Fatty Arbuckle and others
• Seeing Stars (excerpts) a 1922 promotional film featuring cameos by Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and others
• A series of brief, alternate / deleted shots from The Goat, The Blacksmith and The Ballonatic

 

[Brandon Conway]

This is amazing news!

 

[JohnMor]

This is great!

 

[David_B_K]

Wow. I'd still like to know what they will be using for music. I assume the scores from the Kino DVD set?

 

[Ruz-El]

I might have to buy this!

 

[Adam_S]

I'm definitely buying this.

 

[Ruz-El]

Kino seems to be releasing Buster on Blu pretty regularly. Anyone think there's a good chance of all these being collected into a complete boxset to mimic the out of print SD set? I might keep on waiting.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by Russell G

Anyone think there's a good chance of all these being collected into a complete boxset to mimic the out of print SD set?

Possibly, but they still have several features to release (The Saphead, The Navigator, Seven Chances, Go West, Battling Butler, College), and so it'll probably be 2-3 years, IMO.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

I hope HARD LUCK will be the version including the long-missing-but-newly-rediscovered ending, and that DAYDREAMS will include the missing bits previously only seen as extras on the KEATON PLUS disc.

 

[Rodney]

I guess I will get this.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

I'm down for this too!

 

[Eric Peterson]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Nelson

I hope HARD LUCK will be the version including the long-missing-but-newly-rediscovered ending, and that DAYDREAMS will include the missing bits previously only seen as extras on the KEATON PLUS disc.

I was hoping for clarification on this too. That might make me jump on this quicker. As it is, I own the complete DVD boxset and would not be able to replace it until the balance of the features are released. I HATE having to hold on to two copies of films.

 

[David_B_K]

I cannot imagine they would not include the version of Hard Luck with the restored ending. The DVD on Keaton Plus is also from Kino; and these Blu-rays are supposed to be upgrades over the DVDs. Didn't they include some missing frames or shots from Sherlock, Jr? I'd be shocked if Hard Luck is not the most recent version.

 

[David_B_K]

I cannot imagine they would not include the version of Hard Luck with the restored ending. The DVD on Keaton Plus is also from Kino; and these Blu-rays are supposed to be upgrades over the DVDs. Didn't they include some missing frames or shots from Sherlock, Jr? I'd be shocked if Hard Luck is not the most recent version.

Well, color me shocked. The IDIOTS @ Kino used the version of Hard Luck without the freaking restored ending! Remember this is the gag that Buster said was the greatest laugh-getter of his career! I now wish I hadn't opened the set. This is close to deal-breaker territory for me. They included alternate DNR'd versions of some of the films, but not the (more or less) complete Hard Luck.

 

[Patrick McCart]

That's a very nasty comment to make about Kino. The ending is in atrocious condition and would stick out badly in HD. It should have been at least in the supplements, but one short with a missing section doesn't void out the rest of the set. How about contacting Kino and finding out if it was an oversight instead of name-calling?

 

[JoHud]

Good reason for me to pick up Keaton Plus then. On the bright side, it appears Daydreams has had footage restored.

 

[David_B_K]

That's a very nasty comment to make about Kino. The ending is in atrocious condition and would stick out badly in HD. It should have been at least in the supplements, but one short with a missing section doesn't void out the rest of the set. How about contacting Kino and finding out if it was an oversight instead of name-calling?

It was Kino that produced the "restored" Hard Luck on the Keaton Plus set. Why are they now reverting to the old version? Do you really think they found a great version of Hard Luck that looks great in HD but for the ending? Have you seen it? Do you know diddly about it? Here's a news flash: it does not look very good in HD. The ending most certainly would not have stood out. You may think me hasty in my name-calling; but your gallant defense of something you have not seen is even more out of place than my comment. Hard Luck is missing more than the ending. The opening scenes should start with Buster playing with the policeman's nightstick. when he is discovered, he runs off and then hitches a ride on a moving taxi. he then tries to coax a tip from the passengers by acting the part of a groom. This deluxe Blu-ray version begins at the very end of the sequence. So, the Blu-ray is missing the beginning and end of the movie that is present on the Keaton Plus version put put out by Kino. The quality is not better than the version on Keaton Plus. In many scenes, it is worse. Sure, maybe it's a oversight. A restored version that Kino seemed right proud of on the Keaton Plus disc is jettisoned in favor of an incomplete version. No big deal, I guess. It's just Keaton. ---EDIT--- I have emailed Kino as to why they chose this inferior version of Hard Luck in what one would would think is a definitive set.

 

[montrealfilmguy]

@ David_B_K Wow never thought i'd see the see the day.... Passive-aggressive,misplaced sarcasm AND mean-spirited comments about a company,who,correct me if i'm wrong,from all standards goes out of its way to have the top transfers on many many occasions. need i remind you of the overall praise for the BD"s of The general,Our hospitality etc...? here is one example. http://hpr1.com/film/article/kino_puts_classic_keaton_onto_blu-ray When Richard Pryor was sitting next to Milton Berle on the Mike Douglas show,he started laughing at some story Berle was telling. It wasn"t funny to Milton. He glared at Pryor and said :" Pick your battles baby " I haven"t checked your other 708 posts,maybe i"ll have a better view of who you are,but i started with this one and this one stumped me. There are other companies to vilify.If you're going to do that anyways,put that shoulder chip to better use.

 

[montrealfilmguy]

I posted my post and then saw your edit. Good call. I'm sure everyone will be looking forward to the email response you get.

 

[Patrick McCart]

The longer Hard Luck was licensed from Lobster Films, though. I'll post the response from Kino if I get an email reply from them. No reason to get rude about it.