Silent Era Information*Progressive Silent Film List*Lost Films*People*Theaters
Taylorology*Articles*Home Video*Books*Search
 
Foolish Wives BD
 
Silent Era Home Page  >  Home Video  >  The Bells
 
Silent Era Films on Home Video
Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.

The Bells
(1926)

 

This intriguing historical drama stars Lionel Barrymore, Gustav von Seyffertitz and the Caligarian Boris Karloff.

coverFilm Preservation Associates
2000 DVD edition

The Bells (1926), color-toned black & white, 68 minutes, not rated, with Paris endormi [The Crazy Ray] (1922), color-toned black & white, 18 minutes, not rated.

Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID5832DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-58322-9.
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 6.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 1.0 mono sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 12 chapter stops; snapper DVD case; $24.95.
Release date: 28 March 2000.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 5 / additional content: 6 / overall: 7.

This DVD edition features a natural-speed, pleasingly sepia-toned and slightly windowboxed video transfer (that will appear to be full-frame on most television monitors) from an excellent 35mm print that features a broad greyscale range, and a very light sprinkling of dust and speckling. On high-definition equipment with video upscaling, the older video transfer still renders well, with smooth tonal transitions and reasonably sharp image detail. Some horizontal details, like the shingled roof of a building, will shows twitching signs of its standard-definition NTSC video transfer.

This film is entertainly accompanied by a music score performed on synthesizers by Eric Beheim. The synthesizer sound settings for strings and horns can be annoying artificial-sounding to some listeners.

We highly recommend this edition of The Bells for the high quality of its print source material. The disc includes René Clair’s short film Paris endormi [The Crazy Ray] (1922).

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
coverAlpha Video
2008 DVD edition

The Bells (1926), black & white, 68 minutes, not rated.

Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 5545D, UPC 0-89218-55459-8.
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 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised to $8.98).
Release date: 26 February 2008.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 7 / additional content: 0 / overall: 7.

This DVD edition has been mastered from an analog videotape copy, as evidenced by the dark smearing to the right of the white lettering in the film’s intertitles, of a slightly-windowboxed video transfer of an excellent 35mm print. Given that the windowboxing is identical and the running times are the same, this disc has likely been mastered from a copy of the Image edition cited above. While the video quality is quite good, the disc’s bit rate could have been higher to increase the resolution of the coarsely-rendered picture.

Despite what the packaging has to say, the film was not based on any material written by Edgar Allan Poe. It is, instead, based on a French play by Émile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrain. Do your research, Alpha!

The presentation is accompanied by a good but repetitious pipe organ music score composed and performed by Paul David Bergel.

Overall, this disc is far better than the majority of Alpha Video product and isn’t a bad alternative to the Image edition.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
coverReelclassicdvd.com
200? DVD edition

The Bells (1926), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with Having Their Picture Took (1913), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Reelclassicdvd.com, no catalog number, UPC 7-62184-87542-2.
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 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $20.00.
Release date: 200?
Country of origin: USA
The DVD-R edition has been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.

The film is accompanied by a music score performed by Jeff Rapsis.

 
This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from Reelclassicdvd.com through . . .
Other silent era BORIS KARLOFF films available on home video.
 
Silent Era Home Page  >  Home Video  >  The Bells
 
Lodger BD
Become a Patron of Silent Era

LINKS IN THIS COLUMN
WILL TAKE YOU TO
EXTERNAL WEBSITES

SUPPORT SILENT ERA
USING THESE LINKS
WHEN SHOPPING AT
AMAZON

AmazonUS
AmazonCA
AmazonUK

Floating Weeds BD

Vitagraph BD

Road to Ruin BD

Cat and the Canary BD

Boob / Why Be Good BD

Madame DuBarry BD

Stella Maris BD

Three Ages / Hospitality BD

Pandora's Box BD

Browning's Shockers BD

Johnstown Flood BD

3 Musketeers / Iron Mask BD

Piccadilly BD

Spanish Dancer BD

Laurel & Hardy Year 1 BD

The Doll BD

Robin Hood / Black Pirate BD

Sky High BD

Michael BD

Johannna Enlists BD

Foolish Wives BD