Thu Dec 20, 2007 9:27 am
I don't know how many 16mm collectors are on this forum yet. It's been a tough year for film collectors since David Shepard shut down his film business. There still are a few sources left for new 16mm films though.
Yesterday I received one of the "exclusive" new prints from Ray Healy at FilmClassic.com. It was Laurel & Hardy's With Love and Hisses (1928). Stan & Ollie are not really "teamed" in this short. It is a Hal Roach "All Star" and James Finlayson's part is as big as Stan and Ollie's. While it can't compete with most of their shorts where they are actually "teamed", it is certainly one of the best of their earlier shorts. The climax is probably the best part, as the platoon takes a skinny-dip while their uniforms burn, thanks to Ollie's careless toss of his cigarette. Another funny part is Stan's "flirting" with Fin after Fin trys to position Stan correctly in formation! Stan's character is still rooted in his solo shorts, not his later simpleton character.
Every version that I've seen of this film is pretty beat-up, but this version still looks pretty nice. This version is tinted sepia, and has a very nice music and effects track. There's a short section in the middle where the preprint goes out of focus a little, but it is gone as soon as you notice it. If you are a fan of Laurel & Hardy silent comedies, you'll want to get this print.
I've also recently obtained a copy of FilmClassic.com's A Jitney Elopement (1915) starring Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance. Although it does not have a track, the film is tinted an amber color. Except for a couple of shots obviously from a worn-out print, this version is sharp as a tack! This is the print that you need to pull out when people say that silent films always looked scratchy, contrasty, and out-of-focus! It projects just fine at 24 fps too. This short is interesting, in that Chaplin and Edna already have a love relationship before the film begins. It's not quite up to the best of the Chaplin Essanay shorts though, because the final few minutes is a typical car chase through the California countryside.
These prints are kind of expensive and you do have to wait a couple of months while they are printed by the lab, but they are both gems and certainly worth it if you are a Laurel & Hardy or Chaplin fan.
Yesterday I received one of the "exclusive" new prints from Ray Healy at FilmClassic.com. It was Laurel & Hardy's With Love and Hisses (1928). Stan & Ollie are not really "teamed" in this short. It is a Hal Roach "All Star" and James Finlayson's part is as big as Stan and Ollie's. While it can't compete with most of their shorts where they are actually "teamed", it is certainly one of the best of their earlier shorts. The climax is probably the best part, as the platoon takes a skinny-dip while their uniforms burn, thanks to Ollie's careless toss of his cigarette. Another funny part is Stan's "flirting" with Fin after Fin trys to position Stan correctly in formation! Stan's character is still rooted in his solo shorts, not his later simpleton character.
Every version that I've seen of this film is pretty beat-up, but this version still looks pretty nice. This version is tinted sepia, and has a very nice music and effects track. There's a short section in the middle where the preprint goes out of focus a little, but it is gone as soon as you notice it. If you are a fan of Laurel & Hardy silent comedies, you'll want to get this print.
I've also recently obtained a copy of FilmClassic.com's A Jitney Elopement (1915) starring Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance. Although it does not have a track, the film is tinted an amber color. Except for a couple of shots obviously from a worn-out print, this version is sharp as a tack! This is the print that you need to pull out when people say that silent films always looked scratchy, contrasty, and out-of-focus! It projects just fine at 24 fps too. This short is interesting, in that Chaplin and Edna already have a love relationship before the film begins. It's not quite up to the best of the Chaplin Essanay shorts though, because the final few minutes is a typical car chase through the California countryside.
These prints are kind of expensive and you do have to wait a couple of months while they are printed by the lab, but they are both gems and certainly worth it if you are a Laurel & Hardy or Chaplin fan.
Bruce Calvert
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com
