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Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
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Reason
[Le Retour à la raison]
(1923)
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Le Retour à la raison (1923), Man Ray’s first motion picture, was quickly completed after being informed that he had been scheduled as a contributor of a new experimental film to be presented at a Dadaist gathering — a film that hadn’t yet been made. Editing live footage with exposed raw stock covered with springs, sand, thumbtacks and nails, Man Ray created a spontaneous avant-garde masterpiece.
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 Kino Classics
2023 Blu-ray Disc edition
Silent Avant-Garde (1921-2022), black & white, color-tinted and color-toned black & white, and color, 188 minutes total, not rated, including Return to Reason (1923), black & white, 2 minutes, not rated.
Kino Lorber, K26157, UPC 7-38329-26157-3.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive scan AVC (MPEG-4) format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, 1.6 Kbps audio bit rate, DTS-HD 48 kHz 2.0 stereo and mono sound, no intertitles, no subtitles, no chapter stops (within the film); standard BD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 21 February 2023.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 7 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.
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This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from the 2022 2K high-resolution restoration prepared from an archival 35mm print. The clarity of the scan is most appreciated in still frames of the sequences of frenetic textural image changes. The scan has not been digitally cleaned, repaired or stabilized. We are certain that the restoration producers felt that dust, speckling and other print imperfections add to the film’s presentation (and we are not inclined to disagree but we think that the film’s live action footage could have benefitted from some clean-up efforts).
The film is accompanied by a music score adapted by Paul Lehrman from George Antheil’s “First Sonata: Sonate Sauvage” (1923) and performed on piano by Guy Livingston.
This is likely to be the best home video edition of these films available.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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This
Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition is also available directly from . . .
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 Kino on Video
2005 DVD edition
Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and ’30s (1921-1947), black & white, 360 minutes total, not rated, including Le Retour à la raison (1923), black & white, 2 minutes, not rated.
Kino International, K402, UPC 7-38329-04022-2.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, no intertitles, no subtitles, chapter stops; two-disc DVD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 2 August 2005.
Country of origin: USA
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Kino International has filled in a previously-neglected gap in world cinema available on quality home video with this collection of experimental films. Several of the most-famous avant-garde films of the silent era are presented in this DVD.
The presentation of silent films is accompanied by newly-composed music scores by Donald Sosin, Larry Marotta, Sue Harshe and Paul Mercer. The disc also features film notes by film critic/historian Elliott Stein, and optional English language subtitles (on selected films).
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USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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 Film Preservation Associates /
Anthology Film Archives
2005 DVD edition
Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film (1894-1947), black & white, color-toned black & white and color, 1127 minutes total, not rated, including Le Retour à la raison (1923), black & white, 3 minutes, not rated.
Film Preservation Associates with Anthology Film Archives, distributed by Image Entertainment,
ID0592DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-05922-9.
Seven single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame and windowboxed 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 5.0 Mbps average video bit rate, 224 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo and mono sound, no intertitles, no subtitles, chapter stops; seven slimline DVD keepcases in cardboard box; $99.99.
Release date: 18 October 2005.
Country of origin: USA
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Le Retour à la raison (1923) has been transferred from an excellent 35mm print once held by Douris UK (now held by the Cohen Media Group).
The film is accompanied by a contemporary George Antheil music score performed on piano by Guy Livingston.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Other AVANT-GARDE FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
Other FRENCH FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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