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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Mother
Hummingbird
[Maman Colibri]
(1929)
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This feature drama, directed by Julien Duvivier, stars Maria Jacobini and Hélène Hallier, with Madame Baume, Lya Lys, Francis Lederer, Jean Gérard, Jean-Paul de Baere and Jean Dax.
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 Flicker Alley
2022 Blu-ray Disc edition
Cinema of Discovery: Julien Duvivier in the 1920s (1925-1930), black & white, 857 minutes total, not rated, including Mother Hummingbird [Maman Colibri] (1929), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Flicker Alley, FA0077, UPC 6-17311-68779-2.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc (five 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; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate; French language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; chapter stops; 44-page insert booklet; two standard multidisc BD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $79.95.
Release date: 4 January 2022.
Country of origin: USA
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This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from a digital redstoration produced by Lobster Films, Paris, with the CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de L’image animée).
The film is accompanied by a music score composed by Antonio Coppola.
Supplemental material includes introductions to eight of the films by historian Serge Bromberg; appreciations of all nine films with film critic Hubert Niogret and historian Patrick Brion, including an appreciation of Ladies’ Paradise (Au bonheur des dames) by director Patrice Leconte; restoration demonstrations on five of the films by restoration technicians Chrystel Bonne and Colin Ruffin; a featurette on scoring The Divine Voyage by classical ensemble L’Octuor de France and composer Antonio Coppola; image galleries featuring rare production stills and promotional images; and a 48-page insert booklet featuring introductory remarks by Christian Duvivier, son of Julien Duvivier, essay notes by film historian Serge Bromberg, along with full credits on each film, and many rare photographs.
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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 Loving the Classics
2025 DVD edition
Maman Colibri [Mother Hummingbird] (1929), black & white, 75 minutes, not rated.
Loving the Classics,
no catalog number, unknown UPC number.
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 subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $14.99.
Release date: 20 February 2025
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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Other FRENCH FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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