Chaplin Mutuals 90th Anniversary Edition back in print

[Mark07]

I went ahead and picked one up on Amazon for around $58 with tax. Is this a decent deal given its DVD? Anyone think these will make a transition to Blu-Ray at some point, if at all?

[35MM]

Hi, I was wondering if there has been any update on this? I've been searching and all I can find are the inflated used copies.

About $58 at J&R. Just pennies off list, but better than the scalpers. http://www.jr.com/product/movie/pv/_1159774V/" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank.

Is $58 a good price for this? I know it's rare but from what I'm hearing there's a ton of copies still out there. Also, does anyone think this would make it to Blu-Ray? Also, the description says its two discs while the Amazon description says it has four. Which is correct?

Overstock.com -
Today $40.25
Picture shows "4 DVD SET" and the MSRP for 4 discs seems about right. But only two left!

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-M ... 13183226:s" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

[Mark07]

35MM, you're the man. Just cancelled my Amazon order and picked it up on Overstock. Looks like they only had one left as its showing out of stock now. Hopefully it's the right one or doesn't get cancelled.

Thanks!

[moglia]

Was finally able to order one. Glad I was patient.

Of course now that I did sure there will be a blu-ray announcement in a day or two

[Mark07]

Was finally able to order one. Glad I was patient.

Of course now that I did sure there will be a blu-ray announcement in a day or two

Where did you wind up purchasing it from?

[moglia]

Was finally able to order one. Glad I was patient.

Of course now that I did sure there will be a blu-ray announcement in a day or two

Where did you wind up purchasing it from?

Amazon US - few dollars more there than some sites which are out of stock but to me worth it as if there are any issues [correct set, damage, etc] they won't be my issues.

[augustinius]

Got my copy of this from Amazon today. Good news and bad news. The good news is that this is indeed the Image 4 DVD set that is silver pressed. The bad news is that is all that is identical to the 2006 set. The package is a standard DVD case, no books at all, and no pages for multiple DVDs. All four DVDs are fixed onto a single spindle, one on top of the other. Had this been a budget set, that would have been more palatable, but for over $50, I would have thought they could have packaged this with a format that would be more conducive to actually taking out the disc you want and playing it without dealing with all four discs at once.

[WaverBoy]

Crap single-spindle packaging and no booklets? Methinks a price drop to $19.95 is in order. I'm glad I got mine while the getting was good.

[Doug Sulpy]

Got my copy of this from Amazon today. Good news and bad news. The good news is that this is indeed the Image 4 DVD set that is silver pressed. The bad news is that is all that is identical to the 2006 set. The package is a standard DVD case, no books at all, and no pages for multiple DVDs. All four DVDs are fixed onto a single spindle, one on top of the other. Had this been a budget set, that would have been more palatable, but for over $50, I would have thought they could have packaged this with a format that would be more conducive to actually taking out the disc you want and playing it without dealing with all four discs at once.

Wow. This is how the bonus disc in the Stooges box came as well. What a STUPID idea – package the discs so there's SURE to be damage to them... and why ... to save $0.05 on the case?

As you said, if this was a $5.00 Mill Creek set or something... understandable. But not for something this expensive.

[Rob Farr]

This is now available from Amazon as one of their spotlight deals for $36. http://www.amazon.com/Chaplin-Mutual-Co ... 1&sr=1-105" target="_blank

[Roscoe]

Thanks for the headsup about the Chaplin Mutual price on Amazon! Now we'll see how many weeks it takes amazon to actually get around to getting it to me.

[NotSoSilent]

Thanks for the headsup about the Chaplin Mutual price on Amazon! Now we'll see how many weeks it takes amazon to actually get around to getting it to me.

I ordered one on April 2, choosing Super Saver free shipping, and received it two days later on April 4. Usually free shipping is five to eight business days, which is more what I am used to when choosing that option. It was a nice surprise getting it so quickly!

[William D. Ferry]

Not to beat a dead horse, but Amazon has this set still available at a competitive price:

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Chaplin-S ... LH4WNYQUSQ" target="_blank" target="_blank

This comes packaged in a white box and has all three Essanays and Mutuals and the CHAPLIN'S GOLIATH disc.

I've had this on my Wish List for quite some time.

Given what I've read about the reissued set - and this is not a knock on anyone involved in this project, by any means - is there any demonstrable difference between it and this older version? I believe the Mutuals are NOT the "90th Anniversary" versions, so there may be some additional footage, etc.

If anyone could offer some second opinions, I'd be most grateful.

[DShepFilm]

The white box set of Essanays and Mutuals packaged together uses the older edition of the Mutuals with Michael Mortilla's scores. Image made many too many and is still selling them off. It's a good deal if you don't care about either the Carl Davis music or the tweaks we made to the films including the longer ONE A.M.

David Shepard

[Roscoe]

Thanks for clarifying, David -- I'd wondered about that other Mutual/Essanay set.

Amazon got me my 90th Anniversary Set in almost record time, surprisingly.

And the set is gorgeous -- don't hesitate to snap this up if these films mean anything at all to you.

[Gaucho]

Hello David -
I had a question on the Mutual set - a reviewer on Amazon mentioned that you had discovered new footage and would be re-releasing the set again late this year/early 2014. Is this the case?
Thanks in advance!

[WaverBoy]

Additional footage for some of the Mutuals certainly exists (and I'm not talking about outtakes or alternate shots); for instance, a few extant chunks of THE IMMIGRANT still need to be restored (our very own Doug Sulpy did his own personal restoration of this, and it now flows much more smoothly) and some for THE CURE (again, Doug did a version of this too, which again flows much better). Most of the others have a few missing bits here and there as well; I have compiled a list of known versions and which films are still missing which bits of extant footage. These poor films were mutilated by later distributor cuts (especially ONE A.M.); David and his cohorts have done so much over the decades to rectify the damage, but it ain't quite fixed yet. I'd love to see these on Blu-ray with further footage restoration and the incomparable Sharples/Rodemich scores from the Van Beuren re-issues re-recorded to match the new versions (and I wouldn't mind some judiciously placed foley effects as well). David has said the original cue sheets are available, so it would be within the realm of possibility, at least technically if not financially.

[Gloria Rampage]

Image Entertainment now owns Madacy, perhaps this explains the cheap packaging with this Chaplin Mutuals reissue and problems with bad discs on the Slapstick Encyclopedia.

Read about it here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/2 ... Home-Video" target="_blank

[William D. Ferry]

Thanks very much for the input, David. I'll probably go for the "new" Mutuals instead, and hunt down the Essanays separately.

[charlie]

I'm hoping someone can help me out with this question -- I keep almost pulling the trigger on purchasing the Chaplin Mutuals 90th Anniversary Edition on Amazon (although it's not currently available from Amazon, only from other sellers), but there's a comment indicating that this edition has been pulled out of print because:

"... David Shepard has found some new material and a new release will be coming in late 2013 or 2014."

If this is true then I'll continue to hold off on my purchase -- does anyone know for sure the status of a new edition of these restored Chaplin Mutuals?

Thanks so much for any help that can be provided on this!

[charlie]

Thought I'd try bumping this and giving it one more try. My original question is in the post above. It's funny because, for just a few hours today, Amazon had this disc listed for only $34 along with a note that said "Arriving August 19" or something like that. That note is now gone (along with that price) and the prices among the other sellers has gone back up to around $52. Weird.

Anyway, if anyone has information about this disc and can help me out, I'd be most appreciative -- thank you!

[DShepFilm]

Charlie,

Amazon failed to reorder the Chaplin Mutuals 90th Anniversary Edition but I prompted Image who presumably prompted Amazon so it should soon be back in stock. Gotta wonder what would happen without my nagging ...

There will be a BD set next year but it will be quite different from the current one. You might want both but I don't think the future one is any reason to pass on the current set, that despite the opinion of certain very vocal posters here, is IMHO quite a wonderful presentation.

David Shepard

[Doug Sulpy]

Your intimation that "certain very vocal posters" have trashed the set seems to be something of an over-reaction.

To date, the Chaplin Mutuals have never been properly restored. When a group of fans can scrounge up 6 1/2 minutes missing from "The Immigrant," several more minutes from "The Cure," the Spanish dancer sequence from "The Adventurer" plus missing shots from "Easy Street," "The Pawnshop" and "The Fireman" one has to wonder what footage you and the other professional archivists, with all of your connections, could unearth.

I understand your long-standing preference to stick to the pristine (but edited) negatives that are in your possession, and that you may well feel the jump in quality would be distracting to viewers. We'll have to agree to disagree. I prefer to see the films restored, as much as possible, to the way they were originally released, regardless of quality. I think preserving every moment of Chaplin's work is that important.

And maybe the upcoming blu-ray will be a pleasant surprise. I'm keeping my hopes up.

As for the "90th Anniversary Edition" – it's the best that's on the market right now, by far.

[charlie]

Charlie,

Amazon failed to reorder the Chaplin Mutuals 90th Anniversary Edition but I prompted Image who presumably prompted Amazon so it should soon be back in stock. Gotta wonder what would happen without my nagging ...

There will be a BD set next year but it will be quite different from the current one. You might want both but I don't think the future one is any reason to pass on the current set, that despite the opinion of certain very vocal posters here, is IMHO quite a wonderful presentation.

David Shepard

Thank you so much for responding with this information, David! I really appreciate it. If there's a new set coming next year, I feel like I might just wait for that one -- as I can't figure out why I'd need both? While I'm a big Charlie Chaplin fan and am working on acquiring the full collection of his work, I'm not necessarily such a buff that I need different versions of each short -- but if there are reasons beyond what I'm considering, please feel free to enlighten me. I'm no expert, that's for sure.

[WaverBoy]

Your intimation that "certain very vocal posters" have trashed the set seems to be something of an over-reaction.

To date, the Chaplin Mutuals have never been properly restored. When a group of fans can scrounge up 6 1/2 minutes missing from "The Immigrant," several more minutes from "The Cure," the Spanish dancer sequence from "The Adventurer" plus missing shots from "Easy Street," "The Pawnshop" and "The Fireman" one has to wonder what footage you and the other professional archivists, with all of your connections, could unearth.

I understand your long-standing preference to stick to the pristine (but edited) negatives that are in your possession, and that you may well feel the jump in quality would be distracting to viewers. We'll have to agree to disagree. I prefer to see the films restored, as much as possible, to the way they were originally released, regardless of quality. I think preserving every moment of Chaplin's work is that important.

And maybe the upcoming blu-ray will be a pleasant surprise. I'm keeping my hopes up.

As for the "90th Anniversary Edition" – it's the best that's on the market right now, by far.

Being another of the "very vocal posters" to whom Mr. Shepard is no doubt referring, I agree with you on all counts. I've never trashed the set; it is certainly the best on the market, the most complete (especially the long-lost uncut version of ONE A.M., major kudos to David for that), and with awesome extras (at least in the original issue, not so much the current cut-rate reissue, which is missing both booklets and has crap single-spindle packaging but is still being sold at the higher price). It suffers only from still-missing extant footage and Carl Davis's disappointingly lackluster scores. But the word seems to be that this upcoming Blu-ray release will have corrected credits and intertitles in the original Mutual style, and even more footage restored, which will result in the necessary recording of new scores; personally, I'm hoping for re-recordings of the fabulous Sharples/Rodemich scores from the Van Beuren reissues of the early '30s, but I could also go for some bouncy Bob Israel, who's never let me down yet. I'm really looking forward to this, and many many thanks to all who are working on it and trying to make it the best that it can possibly be for us picky Chaplinites.

[charlie]

...it is certainly the best on the market, the most complete, and with awesome extras (at least in the original issue, not so much the current cut-rate reissue, which is missing both booklets and has crap single-spindle packaging but is still being sold at the higher price)...

Interesting! Well, this confirms my suspicion that I should hold off on buying this current version. Wow, missing booklets and cheap packaging? No thanks! It's interesting because I recently bought all three of the Image Essanay volumes from Amazon -- volumes 1 and 3 arrived looking just fine, but volume 2 arrived with a very cheap looking design on the case, no information about the shorts included on the disc, no flyer included inside, and a plainly designed DVD disc slapped inside. For $18!! I complained, so they sent another -- but it was just the same. Really weird. I ended up finding one that matched the look of the two other volumes from a very kind Amazon seller, who checked it for me first.

Thank you for letting me know about the condition of this current cut-rate reissue!

[WaverBoy]

...it is certainly the best on the market, the most complete, and with awesome extras (at least in the original issue, not so much the current cut-rate reissue, which is missing both booklets and has crap single-spindle packaging but is still being sold at the higher price)...

Interesting! Well, this confirms my suspicion that I should hold off on buying this current version. Wow, missing booklets and cheap packaging? No thanks! It's interesting because I recently bought all three of the Image Essanay volumes from Amazon -- volumes 1 and 3 arrived looking just fine, but volume 2 arrived with a very cheap looking design on the case, no information about the shorts included on the disc, no flyer included inside, and a plainly designed DVD disc slapped inside. For $18!! I complained, so they sent another -- but it was just the same. Really weird. I ended up finding one that matched the look of the two other volumes from a very kind Amazon seller, who checked it for me first.

Thank you for letting me know about the condition of this current cut-rate reissue!

Well, I do kinda feel bad about discouraging a sale of restored Chaplin films, but I do feel that people should know what they're getting. I know I'd feel burned if I paid the same premium price of the original set for a reissue version without the booklets and multi-page disc packaging. If this set was selling for $19.95 instead, or even $24.95, that would be different.

[charlie]

Well, I do kinda feel bad about discouraging a sale of restored Chaplin films, but I do feel that people should know what they're getting. I know I'd feel burned if I paid the same premium price of the original set for a reissue version without the booklets and multi-page disc packaging. If this set was selling for $19.95 instead, or even $24.95, that would be different.

I'm very particular about packaging! Especially if I'm spending a good amount, but for Chaplin stuff I believe it deserves to come with extra information to read along and learn more -- cheap packaging with no booklets, etc., would've definitely upset me for this set. So, I really appreciate knowing this information.

[charlie]

I have yet another question for the Chaplin pros around here -- how do the Mutuals being offered by ReelClassicDVD compare to this 90th Anniversary Edition? ReelClassicDVD claims their set is "the definitive" collection, but it sounds like the 90th Anniversary set includes new footage? I'd like to wait for the new Blu-ray edition that David Shepard refers to in this thread -- which I'm guessing (correct me if I'm wrong) will be similar to the 90th Anniversary edition, but with additional footage, etc. But I'm also anxious to own/watch Chaplin's Mutual films! And I'm totally confused by all the editions available.

[WaverBoy]

I have yet another question for the Chaplin pros around here -- how do the Mutuals being offered by ReelClassicDVD compare to this 90th Anniversary Edition? ReelClassicDVD claims their set is "the definitive" collection, but it sounds like the 90th Anniversary set includes new footage? I'd like to wait for the new Blu-ray edition that David Shepard refers to in this thread -- which I'm guessing (correct me if I'm wrong) will be similar to the 90th Anniversary edition, but with additional footage, etc. But I'm also anxious to own/watch Chaplin's Mutual films! And I'm totally confused by all the editions available.

The ReelclassicDVD set consists of the '30s Van Beuren reissue versions with music-and-effects tracks by bandleaders Winston Sharples and Gene Rodemich, ripped from the old Chaplin Mutuals: Lost & Found laserdisc series prepared from David Shepard's 1984 restoration, which has nice visual quality from 35mm elements but suffers from too slow of a projection speed, an out-of-synch pokey-sounding soundtrack (resulting from David's decision to slow the films down to 20fps from 24fps), and some missing footage that is intact in Shepard's 16mm Blackhawk prints. Avoid. A better choice for the Van Beuren versions is Grapevine's set, a straight rip of the Republic laserdiscs (which were straight transfers of the aforementioned 16mm Blackhawk prints, zoomed in a bit too far), minus the opening Blackhawk introductory text descriptions of each film, and with the Native American logo digitally blacked out on the title cards. So, if anyone wants the Van Beuren editions with the jazzy scores and effects on DVD, this is the best way to go in my opinion, as the films are more complete than the 1984 David Shepard restorations which ReelclassicDVD culled from the old Image laserdiscs, and the soundtrack runs at the correct speed and is in perfect synch, unlike the '84 Shepard versions.

The 90th Anniversary DVD set has far superior visual quality, with some more footage and intertitles restored here and there. The main draw for this set for me is that it contains the long-lost complete version of ONE A.M., which was missing more footage than all the others until David Shepard finally unearthed a complete print. However, this set is also saddled with largely lackluster scores by Carl Davis, and really makes one pine for the old '30s reissue scores; it is also still missing bits of extant footage from most of the films, and the main titles and intertitles are still a mish-mash of styles from later distributors instead of the original Mutual style. I'm really excited about the upcoming Blu-ray release, because the word is that David and his team are hard at work putting as much right as possible, re-creating titles in the proper style and restoring more bits of footage to the films. Word also has it that some films will need new scores because of the restorative work done on them, and I'm hoping that Robert Israel will be tapped this time around. I'd also love to see re-orchestrations and re-recordings of the Sharples/Rodemich scores, the cue sheets of which David has access to, but that may be a pipe dream. Regardless, I'm seriously amped for the upcoming Blu set.