Laurel & Hardy - The Definitive Restorations Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Laurel & Hardy - The Definitive Restorations Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 1, 2025

Laurel and Hardy fans are getting some early holiday presents courtesy of this release, Flicker Alley's Laurel & Hardy: Year Three due imminently, and ClassicFlix's impending Laurel and Hardy: The Restored Features Vol. 1, coming out in about a month as this review is being written. Films entering the public domain, as several Laurel and Hardy efforts have been over the past few years, often tend to result in "budget label" compendiums, but this iconic comedy duo has been at least relatively well served in the high definition era in multiple regions. A lot of fans felt Laurel & Hardy - The Definitive Restorations Volume One missed the mark with aggressive digital noise reduction, and those who did feel that way will find at least a couple of examples in this new set that are similarly scrubbed looking. That said, the restorations worked on by Thad Komorowski in particular look great for the most part, with a nicely organic grain field and refreshing absence of any major damage (more on video quality below).

The first volume of this series featured four discs and included two feature length films. This two disc set is comprised only of shorts, though some of those shorts are offered in more than one version. The contents of each disc are as follows:

Disc One

• Men O'War (1929) comes with the following prefatory information:

  Men O'War has been restored using the best surviving elements, reinstating the original Vitaphone aspect ratio for the first time since its original release.

  This features the original Vitaphone soundtrack.


• Perfect Day (1929) comes with the following prefatory information:

  Perfect Day was photographed in the silent 1.33 full aperture aspect ratio allowing for presentation in theaters equipped for either sound on disc or sound on film.
  
  Perfect Day had been badly cropped and heard with an added musical score since its reissue in 1937. UCLA has restored its original 1929 shooting ratio and original 1929 soundtrack.

  This short is available with either the original Vitaphone soundtrack or the 1937 reissue soundtrack.


• Blotto (1930) is restored to the 1937 reissue version, but is also offered in a silent version and has an additional option of a rare voice and effects track.


• Brats (1930) comes with the following prefatory information:

  The silent version of Brats was prepared for overseas release for theatres not yet converted to sound.
  
  The first minute of this film element is missing due to nitrate decomposition.

• Another Fine Mess (1930) is restored to full frame with the original Vitaphone soundtrack. This has the option of a rare voice and effects track as well.

Disc Two

Note: The films on this disc offer prefatory credits but no information as is imparted above on the Disc One shorts.

• Dirty Work (1933)


• Going Bye-Bye! (1934)


• Them Thar Hills (1934)


• Tit for Tat (1935)

Laurel & Hardy - The Definitive Restorations Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Laurel and Hardy: The Definitive Restorations Volume 2 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and SabuCat with AVC encoded 1080p transfers (mostly) in 1.32:1. SabuCat's Jeff Joseph offers some rather interesting thoughts on "preservation and restoration" in the insert booklet accompanying this set, opening with:

The Hal Roach / Laurel & Hardy library has been in poor condition for many years. Over time, different owners of this library have sold rights, gone bankrupt — more than once — licensed and sublicensed material by sending out original elements and not always getting them back, and generally not prioritiz[ing] preservation and restoration.

That may explain at least in part some of the variances on display. To cut to the chase in terms of the DNR many fans complained about with regard to the first set, yes, you can still see it on some of the shorts here, notably Brats, as evidenced by screenshots 5 and 16 that I've uploaded to accompany this review. I'd also put Men O'War in that same general category, though probably saliently in terms of that film, Joseph's comments are contextually interesting:

All we have ever seen of this short since 1947 has come from very poor dupe elements. Everything else, including 35mm theatrical prints and 16mm prints for television, was copied from this substandard source. An original "work print" from the 1930s still exists, but it was unusable due to severe damage accumulated over the years, resulting in many missing frames. Fortunately, software now enables enhancements that were either impossible or very costly in the past.

Some may argue about the efficacy of various "enhancements" on that particular title, but there are a number of real standouts that Thad Komorowski had a hand in, including Another Fine Mess (screenshot 1), Dirty Work (screenshots 4 and 18), Going Bye-Bye! (screenshots 2 and 9) Them Thar Hills (screenshots 3 and 11) and Tit for Tat (screenshot 12). There are certainly quality variances even in these that can be seen (there's a rather peculiar moment in Them Thar Hills with the pair cooking in a trailer that suddenly degrades quite noticeably for a moment), but these shorts are arguably the best looking in this collection, and they show a nice balance between eliminating damage and preserving an organic appearance. Blotto, which Komorowski also worked on, is pretty fuzzy looking and its silent version is even more damaged (with a narrower aspect ratio).

Laurel & Hardy - The Definitive Restorations Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All of the main soundtracks are offered in LPCM 2.0 Mono (the voice and effects tracks are offered in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono). The esteemed audio restorer Ray Faiola has worked his magic on these tracks, but they simply can't escape their age and general condition at times. Almost all of the tracks have rather thin high ends with some pronounced hiss, and occasional pops and cracks can still occur, but on the whole, things sound rather spry and at least decently full bodied within the context of early film recording technologies. Music and effects can be a bit brash on the high end. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. There are no subtitles available.

Laurel & Hardy - The Definitive Restorations Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Commentaries feature Richard W. Bann on Men O'War, Blotto, and Another Fine Mess, and Randy Skretvedt on Perfect Day.


• Galleries

Men O'War (HD; 6:41)




Perfect Day (HD; 8:01)




Blotto (HD; 7:11)




Blotto (French Version) (HD; 2:26)




Brats (HD; 11:16)




Another Fine Mess (HD; 7:00)

Disc Two

• Commentaries feature Randy Skretvedt.


• Galaxy of Stars (HD; 8:36) is a 1936 promotional MGM film.


• There Goes My Heart (HD; 3:40) is a 1938 trailer with none other than Ed Sullivan.


• There Goes My Heart Trailer Outtakes (HD; 3:59) are silent.


• Ship's Reporter (HD; 5:47) is a recently discovered 1952 interview with Laurel and Hardy aboard the Queen Mary.


• This is Your Life (HD; 29:23) is the 1954 episode of the series with Laurel and Hardy.


• Hal Roach Backlot Interview (HD; 4:59) is from the 1960s shortly before the demise of the Roach backlot.


• Trailers

Pardon Us (German Version) (HD; 2:04)




Fra Diavolo (British Version) (HD; 2:49)




Bohemian Girl (HD; 1:45)




Our Relations (HD; 1:07)




Swiss Miss (HD; 2:24)

• Galleries

Dirty Work (HD; 7:52)

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Going Bye-Bye! (HD; 4:11)




Them Thar Hills (HD; 7:41)




Tit for Tat (HD; 6:48)

A really nicely appointed insert booklet contains a lot of information on all of the films with Randy Skretvedt providing production notes on everything. There is a nice essay by Richard W. Bann on the Hal Roach Studios.

Laurel & Hardy - The Definitive Restorations Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With the glut of Laurel and Hardy material either already available or soon to be coming out, fans have their choices of various versions. For those who were disappointed with the first "definitive" volume, the good news is that the shorts worked on by Thad Komorowski look nicely organic. That good news continues with excellent commentary tracks, some appealing alternate versions and a really interesting insert booklet. Recommended.