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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Bucking
Broadway
(1917)
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This early John Ford western, one his few surviving silent era films, features Harry Carey and Molly Malone.
When big city revelers and western cowboys mix it up, watch out!
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 The Criterion Collection
2010 Blu-ray Disc edition
Stagecoach (1939), black & white, 96 minutes, not rated, with Bucking Broadway (1917), color-tinted black & white, 54 minutes, not rated.
The Criterion Collection, CC1864BD (collection number 516), UPC 7-15515-05251-1, ISBN 978-1-60465-231-4.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc; 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 25.8 Mbps average video bit rate; Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.1 surround sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate, and Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate, and Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 8 chapter stops; insert booklet; standard BD keepcase; $39.95.
Release date: 25 May 2010.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 8 / additional content: 8 / overall: 7.
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This Blu-ray Disc edition features Bucking Broadway (1917), which has been transferred from the Archives Françaises du Film du Centre National de la Cinématographie restoration of the film undertaken from an incomplete (fragments and frames missing) 35mm print in their collection. Missing frames in the source print makes some shots’ action jerky.
The film is accompanied by music composed and performed on piano by Donald Sosin, with a violinist.
Among the additional content is the new, restored high-definition video transfer of Stagecoach (1939) with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, a video homage to legendary stuntman and silent era cowboy star Yakima Canutt, and the 1949 Screen Director’s Playhouse radio adaptation of Stagecoach with John Wayne, Claire Trevor and John Ford in a MP3 file.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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This Region A Blu-ray Disc edition is available directly from . . .
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 The Criterion Collection
2010 DVD edition
Stagecoach (1939), black & white, 96 minutes, not rated, with Bucking Broadway (1917), color-tinted black & white, 54 minutes, not rated.
The Criterion Collection, CC1857D (collection number 516),
UPC 7-15515-05191-0, ISBN 978-1-60465-225-3.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc (two DVDs in the set); 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 7.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 7 chapter stops; insert booklet; standard two-disc DVD keepcase; $39.95.
Release date: 25 May 2010.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 8 / additional content: 8 / overall: 7.
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This DVD edition features Bucking Broadway (1917), which has been transferred from the Archives Françaises du Film du Centre National d e la Cinématographie restoration of the film undertaken from an incomplete (fragments and frames missing) 35mm print in their collection. Missing frames in the source print makes some shots’ action jerky.
The film is accompanied by music composed and performed on piano by Donald Sosin, with a violinist.
Among the additional content is the new, restored high-definition video transfer of Stagecoach (1939) with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, a video homage to legendary stuntman and silent era cowboy star Yakima Canutt, and the 1949 Screen Director’s Playhouse radio adaptation of Stagecoach with John Wayne, Claire Trevor and John Ford in a MP3 file.
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This Region 1 NTSC DVD edition is available directly from . . .
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 Cinéma
2004 DVD edition
Bucking Broadway (1917), color-tinted black & white, 53 minutes, not rated.
Cinéma magazine, number 8, ISBN 2-9152-8055-X.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 2 PAL DVD 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 7.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); no audio tracks; English language intertitles, permanent French language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; no case; €20.00.
Release date: 22 October 2004.
Country of origin: France
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This DVD edition of the rare John Ford film was released as a supplement to Cinéma magazine, number 8, published by Leo Scheer in France. The film was restored by Archives Françaises du Film in cooperation with the Museum of Modern Art. The results are OK, with a number of video compression artifacts visible.
It is unknown whether the magazine is still available, with the disc, as a back issue.
North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.
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This Region 2 PAL DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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Other silent era JOHN FORD films available on home video.
Other WESTERN FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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