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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La souriante
Madame Beudet
(1922)
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This impressionistic short drama, directed by Germaine Dulac, stars Germaine Dermoz as Madame Beudet. Alexandre Arquillière, Jean D’Yd, Madeleine Guitty, Grisier, Paoli, and Thirard support.
Profoundly mopey Madame Beudet can no longer endure her marriage to the childish, oafish and ultimately vindictive Monsieur Beudet and entertains fantasies that turn from whimsical to black terror. Will suicide or murder be her escape?
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 Flicker Alley
2017 Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition
Early Women Filmmakers: An International Anthology (1902-1943), black & white, 652 minutes total, not rated, including La souriante Madame Beudet (1922), black & white, 43 minutes, not rated.
Flicker Alley, FA0052, UPC 6-17311-68529-3.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc (three 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 32.2 Mbps average video bit rate; LPCM 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 1.5 Mbps audio bit rate; French language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; and one single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc (three 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 3.8 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; French language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; 28-page insert booklet; two three-disc BD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $69.99.
Release date: 9 May 2017.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 9 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.
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This Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition has been mastered from a good duplicate 35mm print, presumably from the Blackhawk Films collection or FPA France (Lobster Films collection), as produced for home video by David Shepard, Serge Bromberg, Jeffery Masino and Joshua Morrison. The source print is significantly marked with dust, speckling, schmutz, scratches, processing flaws, emulsion chipping, frame jitters, and other print flaws, however, we have never viewed a print that is better-looking than this. The Blu-ray Disc clearly shows that the high-definition scan is presenting everything that the less-than-perfect source material has to offer. While the DVD edition presents a smoother picture, the lower image resolution of the format also renders a significantly less-clear viewing experience.
The film is accompanied by a fine music score composed, arranged and performed on piano by Judith Rosenberg.
Supplementary material includes audio commentary for The Blot (another film in the collection) by author and professor Shelley Stamp; and a 28-page insert booklet with an essay by film historian and Women Film Pioneers Project Manager Kate Saccone.
While several of the accompanying films have appeared in earlier home video editions, the appeal of this collection will be the retrospective context of the collection and the updated, high-definition film scans. This is our recommended home video edition of the film. Out-of-print but well worth pursuing.
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This Region A Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 DVD edition has been discontinued and is . . .
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 Nostalgia Family Video
2010 DVD edition
Avant Garde Short Subjects from France (1915-1928), black & white, 70 minutes total, not rated, including La souriante Madame Beudet (1922), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Nostalgia Family Video, 5253D, 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 mono sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; no chapter stops; clamshell CD case; $14.99.
Release date: 2010.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R collection was likely mastered from 16mm reduction prints. The disc has no navigation menu, chapter stops or package artwork and is sold in a clear clamshell case.
To order a DVD edition, you must enter “Replace My VHS Title with Standard ‘No Frillz’ DVD” in the comments section at order checkout.
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NOSTALGIA FAMILY VIDEO has discontinued business
and this DVD-R edition is . . .
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Other silent era films by WOMEN DIRECTORS available on home video.
Other FRENCH FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
Other AVANT GARDE FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
Other SHORT DRAMA FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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