Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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Where
East is East
(1929)
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This tense drama, directed by Tod Browning, stars Lon Chaney, Lupe Velez, Estelle Taylor and the always likeable Lloyd Hughes.
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 Warner Archive Collection
2012 DVD edition
Where East is East (1929), black & white, 66 minutes, not rated.
Warner Home Video,
no catalog number, UPC 8-83316-48527-9.
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 8.6 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; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $17.95 (reduced to $12.99).
Release date: 24 May 2012.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 6 / additional content: 0 / overall: 7.
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This Warner Archive Collection DVD edition has been prepared from a very-good 35mm print, as originally prepared for broadcast on the Turner Classic Movies network. The source print does have the normal amount of speckling, a higher than usual amount of emulsion scuffing (that sometimes looks like the actors are working in a rainfall), and some emulsion chipping, scratches, and other print flaws.
The film is accompanied by its original 1929 Movietone synchronized music and sound effects soundtrack.
No surprise, this is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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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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 CryptFlicks
200? DVD edition
Where East is East (1929), black & white, 68 minutes, not rated, with Midnight Faces (1926), black & white, 54 minutes, not rated.
CryptFlicks, no catalog number, no 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 foreign language subtitles; 8 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 200?.
Country of origin: USA
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This cheapy DVD-R edition of this rare Lon Chaney film has been mastered from a VHS videotape copy of a full-frame video transfer of a 16mm reduction print. Some scenes are too light, some scenes are too dark. Not good viewing. Also, a small, grey “cf” logo appears at times in the lower right-hand corner of the picture. This is supposed to discourage video pirates; which is funny, as this video transfer was likely ripped-off from some other video company for this DVD edition.
The film is accompanied by a disjointed selection of preexisting music recordings that are haphazardly assembled, regardless of the current action of the story.
Not recommended, and not that easy to find. (Why bother?)
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is . . .
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Other silent era LON CHANEY films available on home video.
Other silent era LLOYD HUGHES films available on home video.
Other silent era TOD BROWNING films available on home video.
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