Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 25, 2023

If a typical diehard film fan were asked to name a titan of early cinema with the surname Griffith, chances are just about everyone in this singular demographic would immediately respond with "D.W. Griffith", which in and of itself may help to point out the curious lack of remembrance for one of the silent era's most notable comic presences, Raymond Griffith. If you've never even heard of this particular Griffith, don't consider yourself uneducated, since many of this Griffith's films in which he appeared as an actor are presumably lost to the vagaries of time and tide, and if he's remembered at all these days, it may be more in his guise as either a producer or associate producer of any number of (talkie) films, including two Shirley Temple opuses, Heidi and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. As is discussed in an overview of Griffith's on screen career included as a bonus feature on this disc, he crafted an instantly recognizable persona that was kind of an arguably world weary dandy, replete with silk top hat and slightly sardonic attitude. Undercrank Productions, a label devoted to rescuing silent films from the veritable days of yore, with a little help from a Kickstarter campaign, is coming to the rescue of the lack of current day renown for Raymond Griffith by offering a double feature of the actor's silent film performances.

For reviews of the films on this disc, please click on the following links:

Paths to Paradise Blu-ray review

You'd Be Surprised Blu-ray review

Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Undercrank Productions is offering both Paths to Paradise and You'd Be Surprised on one disc, with the following supplement:

• Raymond Griffith: Silent Cinema's Silk Hatted Secret (HD; 11:17) is a fun and informative of Griffith's career as an actor, with a passing nod to his producing work as well.

Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a really fun and worthwhile release that will hopefully help to reinvigorate Raymond Griffith's reputation as a really kind of sui generis silent film character. Miracles still occur in terms of finding "lost" elements, and so let's keep our fingers crossed that that delicious sounding final reel of Paths to Paradise shows up someday. Technical merits are generally fine, though I'm sure some audiophiles will share my opinion that lossless tracks would have been preferable. Recommended.