Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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With Love and
Hisses
(1927)
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This comedy short film, directed by Fred Guiol, stars Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, with James Finlayson, Anita Garvin, Eve Southern, Frank Brownlee, Symona Boniface, Will Stanton, Chet Brandenberg, Jerry Mandy and Charlie Hall.
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 Flicker Alley
2023 Blu-ray Disc edition
Laurel & Hardy: Year One (1922-1928), black & white and color-toned black & white, 315 minutes total, not rated, including With Love and Hisses (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Flicker Alley, FA0083, UPC 6-17311-68839-3.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc (two BDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at ? Mbps average video bit rate; LPCM 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, optional English language SDH subtitles; chapter stops; 36-page insert booklet; standard two-disc BD keepcase; $49.95.
Release date: 25 July 2023.
Country of origin: USA
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This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from archival and private collection prints. The collection has been curated by L&H historians Randy Skretvedt, Richard W. Bann, Serge Bromberg, Eric Lange and Ulrich Ruedel.
The films are accompanied by music scores composed and performed by Neil Brand, Antonio Coppola, Éric le Guen and Donald Sosin.
Supplementary material includes audio commentaries for each film by L&H historian and author Randy Skretvedt; audio commentary for The Battle of the Century by Randy Skretvedt and Serge Bromberg; “Restoring Laurel & Hardy,” a documentary by Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange; “Laurel & Hardy On-Location,” a video essay by historian John Bengtson on selected location exteriors — always fascinating information and worth many viewings (11 minutes); a self-guided slideshow presentation of Hats Off (1927), a presumed lost film (48 images); multiple image galleries containing original publicity materials, press reviews and rare production stills (284 images total); and an insert booklet featuring an introduction to the collection by Serge Bromberg, a new essay by historian Richard W. Bann on the Blackhawk Films story and the company’s stewardship of the Laurel & Hardy film materials, and notes on each film by historian Randy Skretvedt.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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This
Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition is available directly from . . .
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 Hal Roach Studios
2000 DVD edition
The Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy, The Complete Collection, Volume Seven (1927-1934), black & white, 130 minutes total, not rated, including With Love and Hisses (1927), black & white, 26 minutes, not rated.
Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Image Entertainment,
HRS4797, UPC 0-14381-47972-0.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 3.8 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 256 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 6 chapter stops; snapper DVD case (reissued in standard DVD keepcase); $29.99.
Release date: 30 May 2000.
Country of origin: USA •
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This DVD edition has been mastered from a 35mm print element. We have seen some of the films on laserdisc and VHS videotape, and we have seen other DVD releases in this series. Our hipshot opinion of the DVD is that some films look very good (transferred from the original 35mm negatives) and others may be passable at best, usually films transferred from the best surviving material in the possession of Hal Roach Studios.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Alpha Video
2025 DVD edition
Silent Slapstick Comedy Parade, Volume 4 (1916-1927), black & white, 86 minutes total, not rated, including With Love and Hisses (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 8650D, UPC 0-89218-86509-0.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $8.98 (raised to $9.99).
Release date: 21 January 2025.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm or 8mm reduction print.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music sources.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
ALPHA VIDEO through . . .
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Other silent era LAUREL AND HARDY films available on home video.
Other silent era OLIVER HARDY films available on home video.
Other silent era STAN LAUREL films available on home video.
Other SHORT COMEDY FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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