Tweet All Quiet silent version not in HD on the new Blu-Ray

Once again a major studio shows what it thinks of silent film. The silent version of All Quiet On the Western Front is in 480i, not even a 480p transfer.

It doesn't look bad, but I was disappointed.

Nothing obvious on the packaging to indicate Standard Definition - they even feature the presence of the silent version on the back cover without indicating the inferior presentation.

Disappointing, I agree, but at least we have it in good quality. These days, when a major studio puts out a silent in ANY definition, especially on an actual pressed disc, I'm grateful.

[Christopher Jacobs]

Although it's certainly a classic film deserving of Blu-ray release, as I would be watching the silent version far more often than the talkie version I'll pass on this Blu-ray until the price drops a bit, or until a "super deluxe collectors' edition" comes out that has the silent version in HD, and maybe a commentary or at least some bonus features specific to the film itself. You'd think they could fit an HD version of the trailer on the disc, but that too is SD according to the reviews.

I was disappointed as well, but I guess I should just be happy they gave the talkie version some love. They did the same thing with the 10 commandments Bluray. Silent version was in 480.

I was disappointed as well, but I guess I should just be happy they gave the talkie version some love. They did the same thing with the 10 commandments Bluray. Silent version was in 480.

Really? I heard that that was HD. And it was Ben Hur that was in 480. Can we get confirmation on that? Makes a huge difference over whether I pursue the box for 10C or not.

[Danny Burk]

The silent TC is full HD....silent BH is not.

Danny is correct, the silent version of The Ten Commandments IS in HD. The box set has tons of extras. Very worth the price.

[Christopher Jacobs]

I was disappointed as well, but I guess I should just be happy they gave the talkie version some love. They did the same thing with the 10 commandments Bluray. Silent version was in 480.

Not only did Paramount include the silent TEN COMMANDMENTS in full 1080p, but the bonus clips from the Technicolor and Handschliegel color prints are also in full 1080p. The full feature is from a preservation print, so it's a couple of generations from the camera negative and not nearly as spectacular as the 1956 restoration (or Kino's THE GENERAL), but it still looks extremely impressive.

More Blu-rays are just starting to include many or all of the bonus features in HD when possible, but way too many still merely port over old SD transfers rather than re-transferring material originally shot in HD or on film. And the inclusion of a full-length feature as a bonus seems to be the most likely to be relegated to an SD copy just so they can say it's there (as in the MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS bonus DVD included with the new CITIZEN KANE Blu-ray). Right now it appears that the BFI, Sony, and Paramount are more likely than others to have the bulk of their extras in HD. Criterion is also pretty good, at least when adding new featurettes and interviews. John Ford's complete silent feature BUCKING BROADWAY (1917) is a full HD bonus feature on the Blu-ray of STAGECOACH, and even though the source preservation print is quite contrasty and nowhere near the standard you'd expect from a Blu-ray it still has more detail visible than it would in an SD copy. CROOK'S TOUR (1941) is another complete feature that's a full-HD bonus with Criterion's Blu-ray of THE LADY VANISHES. Sony even included the odd and unexpected personal experiment of the feature-length silent version of Gus Van Sant's RESTLESS (2011) in full-HD on the same Blu-ray as the regular sound version.

The UK release includes the silent version, but doesn't even list it as a bonus feature on the packaging! That reminds me of when House of Wax from 1953 came out on DVD and the packaging omitted the fact that The Mystery of the Wax Museum was a bonus feature!

[(as in the MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS bonus DVD included with the new CITIZEN KANE Blu-ray)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that was a special offer only available if you pre-ordered through Amazon, and you had to get the super deluxe colossal stupendous edition of Kane as well (on blu-ray, not on DVD, even though MA was only a DVD).

Thankfully, Ambersons is now available separately (which is how I got it), with no bonus features. Maybe I'll make my own special edition using what's on my Criterion CAV laserdisc of MA.

While Paramount did include THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1923) in Full HD, they did not use the 2004 George Eastman House restoration with all the spectacular restored Tints and Tones. Pieces of this were used on the 2006 De Mille Documenatary American Epic from Photoplay Productions when it premiered on TCM in 2006.

As I mentioned before, the last time I saw BEN HUR (1925) on TCM back in December, at least portions of it looked like a new transfer to me. Superior to the previous DVD extra release from 2005. I wondered it it hadn't been partly re-mastered? Never got a clear answer or any confirmation on the subject.

[(as in the MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS bonus DVD included with the new CITIZEN KANE Blu-ray)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that was a special offer only available if you pre-ordered through Amazon, and you had to get the super deluxe colossal stupendous edition of Kane as well (on blu-ray, not on DVD, even though MA was only a DVD).

Thankfully, Ambersons is now available separately (which is how I got it), with no bonus features. Maybe I'll make my own special edition using what's on my Criterion CAV laserdisc of MA.

Well, I thought the snow globe bonus would be nice, but someone dropped it, as for the little sled they promised....

Whether in SD or HD, I'm still mystified as to why this silent version of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT was made in the first place. What kind of an audience was it aimed at? If it was for theaters not yet wired for sound, why does it have a synchronized score and sound effects? Why would any theater owner in his right mind back then show this version when the talking version was more readily available and preferable to 1930 audiences?

I'm inclined to think it might have been for overseas markets, but why are the titles in English? Why not French, German, or Spanish, the primary foreign languages that films were translated into back then?

Judging from the opening credits, it seemed to have been planned and thought out as a silent film with music and effects, but why? Did it serve some aesthetic purpose? Was it part of an experiment, maybe?

I, too, have been greatly moved by the silent version, but the above questions are really bugging me. Anybody have any answers?

I think I'm the only person who thinks the silent version is a mess. A synchronised music score is one thing, but when that also includes people singing and background talking etc, it just confuses me! I'm so glad to have seen it, andit's wonderful that it survived and was restored, but for me it remains a curiosity and nothing more.

I think I'm the only person who thinks the silent version is a mess. A synchronised music score is one thing, but when that also includes people singing and background talking etc, it just confuses me! I'm so glad to have seen it, andit's wonderful that it survived and was restored, but for me it remains a curiosity and nothing more.

Quite a few late-era silents were made like that. I've got no problem with crowd noises, song vocals, etc. Two absolute classics by the name of OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS and THE MAN WHO LAUGHS also have such effects. Don't be confused, just roll with it.

[Mike Gebert]

I'm inclined to think it might have been for overseas markets, but why are the titles in English? Why not French, German, or Spanish, the primary foreign languages that films were translated into back then?

It was made for overseas markets. The titles are in English because the assumption was that they would then be translated in the respective countries. The studios had existing setups around the world for doing that, it wouldn't have occurred to them to make the Spanish version in Hollywood when people were on the payroll in Madrid waiting to do exactly that.

I'm inclined to think it might have been for overseas markets, but why are the titles in English? Why not French, German, or Spanish, the primary foreign languages that films were translated into back then?

It was made for overseas markets. The titles are in English because the assumption was that they would then be translated in the respective countries. The studios had existing setups around the world for doing that, it wouldn't have occurred to them to make the Spanish version in Hollywood when people were on the payroll in Madrid waiting to do exactly that.

Universal released a number of their films in synched-silent versions for the overseas market, such as "Cohen's & Kelly's in Africa," "White Hell of Pitz Palu" (original version included narration by Graham McNamee rather than intertitles), "A Lady Surrenders," "Indians Are Coming," et al. Universal also filled out their foreign schedule by reissuing some silents with music-effects tracks, such as "Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Midnight Sun."

[silentfilm]

Universal did exactly the same thing with Phantom of the Opera, releasing a silent version that probably had sound effects in 1929/1930 for foreign markets at the same time they jazzed up the original with real opera singing for a few scenes for a sound re-release in the USA and Canada. As luck would have it, that is the version that survives in the best condition today.

I stand correct about the Fifteen...*crash*..uh...Ten Commandments. I think I was thinking of Ben Hur where the 1925 version is a extra at 480i.

[(as in the MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS bonus DVD included with the new CITIZEN KANE Blu-ray)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that was a special offer only available if you pre-ordered through Amazon, and you had to get the super deluxe colossal stupendous edition of Kane as well (on blu-ray, not on DVD, even though MA was only a DVD).

Thankfully, Ambersons is now available separately (which is how I got it), with no bonus features. Maybe I'll make my own special edition using what's on my Criterion CAV laserdisc of MA.

MA is the best I have ever seen it, but the movie deserved a Bluray release with some features. Hopefully that will happen down the line. I hope they aren't gauging the movies popularity off a barebones DVD release. If it got a great full fledge Blu release it would definitely sell a lot more copies.

All Quiet looked wonderful on this recent Bluray release. I can say I left the movie feeling shell shocked as the huge amount of bombardments in the movie worked my subwoofer overtime. They didn't have those babies in the 30's

I think the correct name for this version is the "International Sound Version"
It was the cheaper way of making versions for foreign non-English speaking markets as opposed to re-shooting the
film entirely with a different cast (e.g. the Spanish version of Dracula 1931)

Phantom of the Opera was re-released in Sound on Disk Versions ONLY in 1929. The domestic
version was a Part-Talkie and included Ballet Sequences in Technicolor. (An ad in Motion Picture News is worded in such a way as to suggest there was more than one ballet sequence in color)

The second version was the International Sound Version which unfortunately had these musical color sequences cut
as well as any talking sequences. Luckily the non-musical Technicolor sequence was kept intact.
(There was no new silent version)

I think a lot of confusion would be cleared about films of this era if people would keep in mind that film with
soundtracks are not silent.

A silent version of "All Quiet on the Western Front", if it ever existed, would have been cut down even more to
remove the musical interludes and portions that relied on sound effects ... Frankly I prefer the recorded Sychronized Scores of that period to any modern score, as I find the modern music to be extremely anachronistic and annoying.
If I watch a film that has no original Vitaphone score I simply turn the modern music off and play a random score recorded in that era.

They had very good taste in music in the 1920's and the scores relied heavily on popular music of the day and made heavy use of string instruments resulting in elegant and sophiscated sounding scores.

Modern scores have to rely on public domain music and and almost always played in a style that has nothing to do with the era the film was released. Of course I realize that a lot of people rely on making these silly scores to make a living and of course we can't forget the movie studios who always love to re-copyright a public domain film by adding a new score and therefore being able to copyright their "new version" The wonder is how they managed to trick so many people into believing their modern scores are better than the originals.

Case in point, the recent DVD release of a so called restoration of the "Iron Mask".. Even though a complete set of the Vitaphone disks was made available, the people responsible chose to add a new score and keep a bit of the dialogue sequence. Sorry but adding a new score does not result in a restoration. Audiences in 1929 saw or heard nothing of the kind. Of course the DVD producers are happy because if they had released the film with the original Vitaphone score they would of ended up releasing a public domain DVD as the original sound version of the "Iron Mask" is now in the public domain.

I hear on TCM Forum that silent movie version was made for theatre out in rural area wasn't program to SOUND YETTTT this what I hear from TCM member user that what I hear

Don't quote me

Case in point, the recent DVD release of a so called restoration of the "Iron Mask".. Even though a complete set of the Vitaphone disks was made available, the people responsible chose to add a new score and keep a bit of the dialogue sequence. Sorry but adding a new score does not result in a restoration. Audiences in 1929 saw or heard nothing of the kind. Of course the DVD producers are happy because if they had released the film with the original Vitaphone score they would of ended up releasing a public domain DVD as the original sound version of the "Iron Mask" is now in the public domain.

I'd be interested to know to which version you are referring. If it is the Kino DVD of the Photoplay restoration, are you sure that the 'restoration' consisted solely of a new score? I understand that Photoplay do an awful lot more than simply commissioning new soundtracks for silent films.

Case in point, the recent DVD release of a so called restoration of the "Iron Mask".. Even though a complete set of the Vitaphone disks was made available, the people responsible chose to add a new score and keep a bit of the dialogue sequence. Sorry but adding a new score does not result in a restoration. Audiences in 1929 saw or heard nothing of the kind. Of course the DVD producers are happy because if they had released the film with the original Vitaphone score they would of ended up releasing a public domain DVD as the original sound version of the "Iron Mask" is now in the public domain.

I'd be interested to know to which version you are referring. If it is the Kino DVD of the Photoplay restoration, are you sure that the 'restoration' consisted solely of a new score? I understand that Photoplay do an awful lot more than simply commissioning new soundtracks for silent films.

Well, there WAS a new score and the Vitaphone discs were only used for the Fairbanks dialogue. His point was that the rest of the remaining discs were not used for the restoration. It would be like making a new score for the silent portions of The Jazz Singer in some ways. However, I don't think that PD had anything to do with it. Are we sure that the discs are in good enough shape to release?