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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Ring Up
the Curtain
(1919)
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 Kino on Video
2005 DVD edition
The Harold Lloyd Collection, Volume 2 (1918-1921), black & white and color-tinted black & white, 198 minutes total, not rated, including Ring Up the Curtain (1919), black & white, 12 minutes, not rated.
Kino International, K431, UPC 7-38329-04312-4.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (two 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 ? 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; 4 chapter stops; standard two-disc DVD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 13 September 2005.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD edition was produced for home video by Lobster Films, Paris, from a very-good archival film print.
The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed on piano by Donald Sosin.
Currently our recommended home video edition of the film.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is available directly from . . .
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 Alpha Video
2013 DVD edition
Lost Comedy Classics, Volume 2 (1917-1919), black & white, 82 minutes total, not rated, including Ring Up the Curtain (1919), black & white, 9 minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 7236D, UPC 0-89218-72369-7.
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 5.4 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 subtitles; no chapter stops (within the film); standard DVD keepcase; $6.98 (raised again to $9.99).
Release date: 10 December 2013.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 4 / audio: 3 / additional content: 3 / overall: 3.
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a good 16mm reduction print, which doesn’t hold highlight details. One of the better-looking films in this collection — which isn’t saying much.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting vintage jazz music recordings.
Not recommended, but passable.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
ALPHA VIDEO through . . .
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Other silent era HAROLD LLOYD films available on home video.
Other silent era BEBE DANIELS films on home video.
Other SHORT COMEDY FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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