A Chapter in Her Life Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

A Chapter in Her Life Blu-ray Movie Review

A Chapter in Her Life is an entertaining and charming silent-era production. Based on the novel by Clara Louise Burnham, A Chapter in Her Life explores a family life in a unique and compelling way. The film features performances from Jane Mercer, Claude Gillingwater, and Jacqueline Gadsdon. The film is compelling for its thoughtful filmmaking. A worthwhile silent classic well worth viewing.

The young girl at the center of tale, Jewel (Jane Mercer), comes to stay with her dear grandfather, Mr. Everingham (Claude Gillingwater) after losing her parents. Jewel is also accompanied at the home by Eloise Everingham (Jacqueline Gadsdon). The relationship between Jewel and her grandfather is one that strengthens. Yet the time spent at the home unveils a host of hypocrisy within the family.

The performances are integral to the filmmaking in A Chapter in Her Life. A Chapter in Her Life is a film that benefits enormously from exceptional performances. Jane Mercer is especially impressive as a young star. The young actress has to convey the emotional turmoil of the experiences she has had without her parents while still evoking her closeness to her dear grandfather. The performance is believable and compelling. Claude Gillingwater is also excellent, providing the film with a sense of unexpected charm as a caring grandparent. The performance offered Gillingwater a chance to shine.

The score by Alexandra Harwood (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Escape) is a highlight of the production. The music sounds serene and charming and is a great backdrop to the production. The music certainly enhances the filmmaking and makes the performances shine. A wonderful effort by Harwood and another great example of the power of music with silent era filmmaking.

The cinematography by Benjamin H. Kline (Guard That Girl, Troopers Three) is another compelling element of the film. The black and white visuals are compelling and are a great accompaniment. Showcasing the inner pain of Jewel in one scene, the close-up shot of her crying is quite striking, providing the filmmaking with a artistic depth that is impressive and well-framed by Kline. A great cinematographic effort.

The art direction by Elmer Sheeley (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Outside the Law) is worthwhile and befitting the production. Sheeley crafted a convincing looking set for the house and the staging is all the more effective because of the level of detail given to these production elements. The results are terrific. Sheeley provided great art direction – there is much to appreciate about it and how it helps the story.

Directed by Lois Weber (Life’s Mirror, The Marriage Clause), A Chapter in Her Life is a great silent gem. The film may be under-seen by some silent film enthusiasts and it would be wise to seek it out as an example of the strengths of Weber as a filmmaker. Adapting the story alongside co-screenwriter Doris Schroeder (The Wolf and His Mate, The Silent Avenger), Lois Weber crafted a compelling storyline. The results are excellent. Weber is a gifted filmmaker and silent film fans will appreciate her skills (and she notably brought forth great performances from the cast). A Chapter in Her Life is well worth seeking out.

A Chapter in Her Life Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, A Chapter in Her Life is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The presentation comes from a brand new 2K restoration by Universal Pictures. The restoration effort is impressive overall and is certainly watchable. The high-definition scan provides the film with a nice boost in clarity and in detail. Nonetheless, though the transfer is still reasonably good for the silent era, the transfer is still not quite as impressive as the presentation provided for Sensation Seekers on the double-feature release of Lois Weber films by Kino Lorber. The transfer does have considerable scratches and film dirt at times and is not perfect. Nonetheless, the transfer is decent and it is wonderful to have the film available on the Blu-ray format.

A Chapter in Her Life Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio encoding sounds crisp and beautiful. The soundtrack is brought to life with the high-quality encoding. The soundstage is quite impressive for a 2.0 track and there is a sense of vitality and clarity to the presentation. A wonderful presentation by Kino Lorber.

A Chapter in Her Life Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A Chapter in Her Life includes no supplemental materials.

A Chapter in Her Life Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Chapter in Her Life is a wonderful and under-seen silent era classic. The filmmaking is excellent and a great showcase for the talents of auteur writer-director Lois Weber (Life's Mirror). As an early pioneer of female filmmakers, Weber is a great talent and a true artist. Weber brought forth great performances from the cast. The Blu-ray release features a 2K restoration provided by Universal Pictures. Highly recommended.