DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Laurel and Hardy (1 Viewer)

[Derek_McL]

Sorry I can't be certain about Way Out West as that wasn't one I purchased but I'd very surprised if it didn't have the original audio. You can also get Way Out West in the UK and I'm pretty sure its the same print/restoration. If you don't want to risk it and no one can confirm the original soundtrack try amazon.co.uk for that version. For the record these are the Kinowelt titles I purchased which are all fine :

1. Pardon Us (1931) : two versions - the longer one with extra material not in the release version actually flows better. Extras : The Second Hundred Years (1927), Eve's Love Letters (1926)
2. Pack Up Your Troubles (1932) Extras : Wrong Again (1929) and Their First Mistake (1932)
3. Brats (1930) and Helpmates (1932) Extras : Early To Bed(1928)
4. Me and My Pal (1933), Beau Hunks (1931), Twice Two (1933)
Extras : Crazy Like A Fox (1926)
5. Hog Wild (1930), The Hoosegow (1929), Two Tars (1928),
Angora Love (1929) Extras : Movie Night (1929)
6. Blotto (1930), Chickens Come Home (1931), Come Clean (1931) Extras : Love 'Em and Weep (1927)
7. Our Relations (1936) Extras : Should Married Men Go Home ? (1928)
8. Going Bye Bye (1934), Them Thar Hills (1934) and Tit For Tat (1935)

 

[Christian Preischl]

Regarding the German Way out West DVD, German DVD site "DVDInside" has a review here which confirms English audio.

Chris

 

[Danny_N]

All the German releases (including Way Out West) have the original English soundtrack.

For those who are interested and have R2 capability: in November Kinowelt will release a second boxset with 10 DVDs. The first 10-DVD box cost about 99 Euro, individual releases are about 20 Euro, so the boxsets are great value for money.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I don't know whether Kinowelt uses the same masters as the UK discs, but while there's more detail on the UK Music Box disc, the print is in much worse condition. So you have to choose between soft and lacking in fine detail and a blizzard of speckling. Frankly, I prefer the dupey but better-condition print used by Artisan, but YMMV.

 

[Paul Penna]

After sampling the Artisan disc, I'll start off by saying I'm glad to have it, as it's generally superior, image-wise, to my laserdisc of "Sons of the Desert," and I'm glad that L&H sound films are finally getting official R1 release.

That being said, however, it's a huge disappointment when compared to what can be and has been done with films of this vintage ("The Thin Man," "42nd Street") for which excellent elements exist. Apparently they do indeed exist, but are languishing. I wish there was some effective way to encourage this treatment for the L&Hs.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

For still more appalling news about Hallmark's utter contempt for the Hal Roach library, and their intentions to DESTROY the Laurel & Hardy nitrates and negatives, see the following recent post from alt.comedy.laurel-hardy:

http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&...ef9ed42c359294

Apparently they were prevailed upon to give the stuff away, but it's clearly indicative that these characters have no appreciation for the film assets they own.

 

[Seymour Uranowitz]

The second bit of news you may want to know is that Hallmark was going to "dump" all their Hal Roach nitrate materials. By dump, I mean just that. Destroyed for all time. Just before this happened, the word was received and, in the nick of time, the material was saved.

This is truly mind-boggling. And here we thought they were holding on to the source materials just as assets to eventually sell. Their intentions were obviously much more malevolent.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Their intentions were obviously much more malevolent.

I seriously doub that "malevolence" was the reason. Ignorance and/or apathy are much more likely culprits, although the potential end results are just as tragic.

Regards,

 

[Seymour Uranowitz]

You think they didn't know or care about the value of the assets they were holding?

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Yes

 

[RobertSiegel]

Not sure if it was mentioned previously, but Universal in the U.K. is releasing a huge Laurel and Hardy dvd set in May of 2004, 21 DVD SET (wow)..it's really sad that here in the USA, these titles are on the back burner. I found a few for auction, that's where I got the listing of titles included. Here's the list of what's on the set:

1926

45 Minutes From Hollywood - Dec. 26, - Silent

1927

Duck Soup - March 13, 1927 - Silent

Slipping Wives -April 3, 1927 - Silent

Love 'Em and Weep - June 12, 1927 - Silent

Why Girls Love Sailors - July 17, 1927 - Silent

With Love and Hisses - August 28, 1927 - Silent

Sugar Daddies - September 10, 1927 - Silent

Sailors Beware - September 25, 1927 - Silent

The Second Hundred Years - Oct. 8, 1927 - Silent

Call of the Cuckoo - October 15, 1927 - Silent

Do Detectives Think? - November 20, 1927 - Silent

Putting Pants on Phillip - Dec. 3, 1927 - Silent

The Battle of the Century - Dec. 31, 1927 - Silent

1928

Leave 'Em Laughing - January 28, 1928 - Silent

Flying Elephants - February 12, 1928 - Silent

The Finishing Touch - February 25, 1928 - Silent

From Soup to Nuts - March 24, 1928 - Silent

You're Darn Tootin' - April 21, 1928 - Silent

Their Purple Moment - May 19, 1928 - Silent

Should Married Men Go Home? -Sept. 8, 1928 - Silent

Early to Bed - October 6, 1928 - Silent

Two Tars - November 3, 1928 - Silent

Habeas Corpus - December 1, 1928 - Silent

We Faw Down - December 29,1928 - Silent

1929

Liberty - January 26, 1929 - Silent

Wrong Again - February 23, 1929 - Silent

That's My Wife - March 23, 1929 - Silent

Big Business - April 20, 1929 - Silent

Unaccustomed as We Are - May 4, 1929 - Sound

Double Whoopee - May 18, 1929 - Silent

Berth Marks - June 1, 1929 - Sound Short

Men 'O War - June 29, 1929 - Sound Short

A Perfect Day - August 10, 1929 - Sound Short

They Go Boom - September 21, 1929 - Sound

Bacon Grabbers - October 19, 1929 - Silent

Hoosegow - November 16, 1929 - Sound Short

Angora Love - December 14, 1929 -Silent

1930

Night Owls - January 4, 1930 - Sound Short

Blotto - February 8, 1930 - Sound Short

Brats - March 22, 1930 - Sound Short

Below Zero - April 26, 1930 - Sound Short

Hog Wild - May 31, 1930 - Sound Short

The Laurel & Hardy Murder Case - 1930 - Sound

Another Fine Mess - November 29, 1930 - Sound





1931

Be Big - February 7, 1931 - Sound Short

Chickens Come Home - February 21, 1931 - Sound

Laughing Gravy - April 4, 1931 - Sound Short

Our Wife - May 16, 1931 - Sound Short

Pardon Us - August 15, 1931- Sound Feature

Come Clean - September 19, 1931 - Sound Short

One Good Turn - October 31, 1931 - Sound Short

Beau Hunks - December 12, 1931 - Sound

1932

Helpmates - January 23, 1932 - Sound Short

Any Old Port - March 5, 1932 - Sound Short

The Music Box - April 16, 1932 - Sound Short

The Chimp - May 21, 1932 - Sound Short

County Hospital - June 25, 1932 - Sound Short

Scram - September 10, 1932 - Sound Short

Pack Up Your Troubles - September 17, 1932 - Sound

Their First Mistake - November 5, 1932 - Sound Short

Towed in a Hole - December 31, 1932 - Sound Short

1933

Twice Two - February 25, 1933 - Sound Short

Me and My Pal - April 22, 1933 - Sound Short

The Midnight Patrol - August 3, 1933 - Sound Short

Busy Bodies - October 7, 1933 - Sound Short

Dirty Work - November 25, 1933 - Sound Short

Sons of the Desert - December 29, 1933 - Feature

1934

Oliver the Eighth - February 1934 - Sound Short

Going Bye Bye - June 23, 1934 - Sound Short

Them Thar Hills - July 21, 1934 - Sound Short

The Live Ghost - December 8, 1934 - Sound Short

1935

Tit for Tat - January 5, 1935 - Sound Short

The Fixer Uppers - February 9, 1935 - Sound Short

Thicker Than Water - March 16, 1935 - Sound Short

1936

The Bohemian Girl - February 14, 1936 - Feature

Our Relations - October 30, 1936 - Sound Feature

1937

Way Out West - April 16, 1937 - Sound Feature

1938

Swiss Miss - May 20, 1938 - Sound Feature

Block-Heads - August 19, 1938 - Sound Feature

1939

The Flying Deuces - October 20, 1939 - Feature

1940

A Chump at Oxford - February 16, 1940 - Feature

Saps at Sea - May 3, 1940 - Sound Feature

 

[Gary Palmer]

Just in case anyone's heart gives out at the prospect of paying £200 (approx. $300) for that whopping great box-set, potential customers will be relieved to learn that the discs will be made available separately, too. For fans of the duo, this is truly sensational news.