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Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
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and the Silent Era Company.
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Big Business
(1929)

Possibly their best-known silent film, Laurel and Hardy are selling Christmas trees door-to-door in this classic short comedy that quickly spins out-of-control. The tit-for-tat battle between the boys and Jimmy Finlayson is classic comedy.

Hal Roach Studios
1998 DVD edition

The Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy, The Complete Collection, Volume One (1918-1929), black & white, 124 minutes total, not rated, including Big Business (1929), black & white, 18 minutes, not rated.

Hal Roach Studios, HRS 4791, UPC 0-14381-47912-6.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD 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 4.4 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 384 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; no chapter stops (within the film); snapper DVD case (reissued in standard DVD keepcase); $29.99.
Release date: 22 December 1998.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 8 / audio: 6 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.

This early DVD edition has been mastered from a duplicate 35mm print that is reasonably detailed and features a balanced greyscale range. The analog video transfer was originally prepared for release on laserdisc and VHS videotape in the 1990s. While flaws are present, they are not distracting for the viewer.

The film is accompanied by a cobbled-together soundtrack of vintage recordings, some from other Laurel and Hardy shorts.

Unbelievable that no updated home video editions of this film have been released in the past twenty or so years, this remains our recommended disc until a better-looking release comes along. This long out-of-print disc can be found as a used item from time to time but be prepared to lose an arm and a leg in the purchase process.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Film Preservation Associates
2003 DVD edition

Slapstick Masters (1917-1929), black & white, 87 minutes total, not rated, including Big Business (1929), black & white, 18 minutes, not rated.

Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID1897DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-18972-8.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (reissued on 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 5.6 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 224 Kbps audio bit rate; English language subtitles, no foreign language subtitles; 2 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $24.99.
Release date: 15 July 2003.
Country of origin: USA •

Ratings (1-10): video: 8 / audio: 8 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.

This DVD collection features an analog video transfer that is reasonably detailed and runs at a natural pace. The image quality is comparable to the 1998 Roach edition noted above.

Each of the films are accompanied by custom music scores by The Alloy Orchestra and is the principal reason to own this collection (if you like their music . . . we do).

This edition was reissued on manufactured-on-demand DVD-R disc and is now out-of-print.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.