Our Hospitality Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Our Hospitality Blu-ray Movie Review

A masterpiece with a stunning new 2K restoration

Our Hospitality is one of the great masterpieces of the silent era. The film solidifies Buster Keaton as one of the forefront entertainers in silent comedy with his brilliant slapstick routines and wonderful enthusiasm. A silent masterpiece which is worth experiencing for the first time (or becoming re-acquainted with through the new restoration).

The film follows the young Willie McKay (Buster Keaton) as he travels to claim the rights to his estate inheritance only to discover that all he is going to receive is a busted down shack which is worth next to nothing for him. McKay also vies for the beautiful Virginia Canfield (Natalie Talmadge, Keaton's real-life wife) while learning of a long-standing family feud between his ancestors and Virginia's family. As the story unfolds, great perills await him as he battles a waterfall (in one of the most stunning scenes ever done in a silent classic), faces a dam brimmed to explode, and the raging locomotion of a stream-powered engine.

Buster Keaton: a comic genius in every sense of the word.

For more information and a full film analysis, please refer to the review by Casey Broadwater.

Our Hospitality Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

What a joy it is to see the level of meticulous care that has gone into silent film restorations in our era. As a youth, silent films were often horribly mistreated with terrible presentations found on bargain-bin DVD's which were barely watchable and a downright sham to behold. Who would have ever thought that one day viewers would be able to see the best silent classics with such high quality restorative efforts? Kino Lorber continues the trend with another stunning presentation of a silent-era gem that modern viewers should not overlook. Our Hospitality has received a beautiful 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame.

Color tinting on the transfer is largely fantastic. The image is resoundingly clean and free from dirt, debris, or scratches. A few scenes have minor marks but there is nothing detrimental to report in regards to the overall video presentation. The restoration efforts utilized two different sources for its creation so one of the film sources may have been a little more difficult to restore and create an entirely pristine sheen from start to finish.

Yet make no mistake: Our Hospitality looks downright spectacular with the new restoration and there are moments in the film where it can simply feel surreal to see a film from 1923 look so crisp, so clear, and so well defined. The use of color in the silent film is astonishing and the film is a great example of how early cinematographers pioneered the medium with regards to color-grading the photography. The use of color in Our Hospitality makes for a much more engaging viewing experience and seeing hues of blue tinted on the presentation adds some personality to the production.

Our Hospitality Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While it might be a silent film from a bygone era, that doesn't make the sound quality any less important: the lossless 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio presentation adds much to the experience. The release has a high-quality mix which satisfies The music score by composer Robert Israel adds some distinction to the experience and gives the film an exciting, action-packed backdrop to accompany the visually inventive comedic hi-jinks of Keaton. Crisp, clear, and beautifully reproduced, the audio track capably reproduces the silent film score with exceptional detail.

The new re-release of Our Hospitality only contains the newly commissioned score by Robert Israel and does not contain the scores by composer Carl Davis or Donald Hunsberger that are found on the previous edition reviewed by Casey Broadwater here.

Our Hospitality Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a 10 page booklet and reversible cover-artwork (so fan can pick-and-choose which cover art is their favorite).

On disc supplemental features include the following:

Audio Commentary by Film Historians Farran Smith Nehme and Imogen Sara Smith

Un duel a mort (A Duel to the Death) (HD, 23:50) is a short film starring Buster Keaton in the central role. The short is entirely charming and whimsical to see unfold and has some of the traditional sight jokes that Keaton is so renowned for creating (including some gags involving his character fishing while facing some unexpected obstacles along the way). The high-definition restoration isn't that impressive and has frequent specks of dirt and dust on the print (as opposed to the nearly flawless presentation on the feature-film) but it's a fun short that adds to the package considerably nonetheless.

The Iron Mule (SD, 14:03) is a short silent-era film starring Al St. John and begins with a notation stating "this story is taken from facts as far from facts as possible and hysterically correct." The presentation is decidedly underwhelming on this short-film with a old, outdated scan with many scratches, dirt, and inherent softnes which underwhelms. The title-cards are thankfully easy to understand throughout. The filmmaking on display is fun and undeniably breezy with a cartoonish storyline that takes some rather unexpected turns and it's worth a watch for silent film fans even if the presentation isn't restored.

A presentation on Our Hospitality (HD, 4:37) is an engaging and insightful exploration and appreciation on the film by Serge Bromberg (with English subtitles). Using high-resolution photographs of Buster Keaton and clips from his work, the short appreciation discusses the historical significance of Our Hospitality: from it's initial failure at the box-office to it's cultural significance and the myriad of inspirations which led to its creation.

Scoring for Buster (SD, 24:36) is an in-depth two part documentary centered around Robert Israel's new score created for the film. The documentary also delves heavily into appreciation for Buster Keaton and for the film itself. Perhaps even more so than being focused squarely on the score, composer Israel discusses his love of Keaton and his affinity for his charming works. This film is as much a love-letter to the lasting legacy of the great comedian as it is an exploration of the creation of the score to Our Hospitality.

The new remastered edition of the film does not contain the following supplements from the original release:

Making Comedy Beautiful (HD, 26:08), an essay documentary about the production

Hospitality (HD, 55:23), an alternate-cut of the feature-film

Photo Galleries

Our Hospitality Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The great comedy and wisdom of the genius known simply as Buster Keaton helps to shape the foundation of Our Hospitality into the masterpiece it is today. With enormously thrilling action sequences (including the unforgettable scene on the waterfall), Our Hospitality is a must-see experience which stands as one of the eminent classics of the silent film era. It's a gem that should not go overlooked.

The Blu-ray re-release features a stunning new 2K restoration which is remarkably impressive and a selection of brand new supplemental features which are engaging and worth a look for fans. An exceptional film with an equally impressive presentation, Kino's special edition of Our Hospitality comes highly recommended.