Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
|
Special Delivery
(1927)
|
This Paramount feature comedy, directed by William Goodrich (Roscoe Arbuckle), stars Eddie Cantor, Jobyna Ralston, William Powell and Donald Keith.
|
 Original Cast
2006 DVD edition
Special Delivery (1927), black & white, 59 minutes, not rated, with Getting a Ticket (1929), black & white, 10 minutes, not rated, and Glorifying the American Girl (1929) [excerpt], black & white, 12 minutes, not rated, and Insurance (1930), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Original Cast, CC6200, UPC 7-41117-62009-4.
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 4.0 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 subtitles; 18 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $19.99.
Release date: 2006
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 5 / audio: 5 / additional content: 6 / overall: 5.
|
This DVD edition has been mastered from a very good 16mm reduction print, which is touted as the only known surviving print. The slightly-faster than natural speed video transfer does hold some shadow details but seems rather soft in image details.
The film is accompanied by an original score written and performed on piano by Arthur Siegel. The recording quality is a little lacking as the audio quality is a bit muffled and the synchronization of the performance is substantially ahead of the action.
The supplementary material includes Cantor short films, a Cantor excerpt from a 1929 feature, and a photo gallery with commentary by Cantor impersonator Rick Rogers.
This being the only known home video edition of the film, this is our recommended edition.
|
|
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
|
|
|
 Loving the Classics
201? DVD edition
Special Delivery (1927), black & white, 60 minutes, not rated.
Loving the Classics,
no catalog number, 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 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $14.99.
Release date: 201?
Country of origin: USA
|
|
This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
|
|
This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
|
|
|
|
Other silent era EDDIE CANTOR films available on home video.
|
