Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Vitagraph Comedies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 19, 2024

"Vitagraph Comedies" (1907-1922) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include video introductions by archivists Rob Farr, Lynanne Schweighofer, Rob Stone, and George Willeman; and audio commentaries for each film by film historian Anthony Slide. Region-Free.

Busted

The overwhelming majority of people interested in early silent comedy films will instantly name Charlie Chaplin as their ultimate star. Immediately after that, the same people will bring up Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, and W.C. Fields. Perhaps not in this exact order, but these iconic actors will be mentioned. A few contrarians will passionately argue that Chaplin may not have been the greatest of all time, but they are a tiny minority. They always will be.

But are these actors really the crème de la crème of the early silent comedy films? Yes, they are. However, anyone answering this question must acknowledge a very important fact: Many of their competitors' films have not been seen because they are lost or have been seen only by a very small group of archivists and restorers. In other words, there is a legitimate possibility that the crème de la crème of silent comedy films could be a slightly larger team.

This three-disc set gathers forty silent films made by a motley crew of such competitors at the Vitagraph Studios in the early 1900s. The most recognizable names -- or at least as far as this writer is concerned -- in them are John Bunny, Frank Daniels, and Larry Semon, which makes viewing them an amusing experience because many other unknown actors appear to be just as good. The majority of these silent films are around thirteen minutes long, reconstructed and restored as best as possible.

So, how good are they? And how do they compare to the ones Chaplin, and Keaton made?

Each of the three discs has an introduction with comments from the archivists who unearthed the silent films and worked hard to present the most complete and attractive versions of them. In one of these introductions, it is speculated that Vitagraph Studios aimed to produce more sophisticated content for a more sophisticated audience. This is an interesting and justified speculation because except for the earliest silent films, which are typically static and very mechanical, the intent to produce laughs with more balanced authentic characters is quite obvious. On the other hand, the most attractive of these silent films look very similar to the ones Chaplin and Keaton made. They feature clever stunts, wonderfully choreographed mass scenes, and maintain remarkable tempos. (See Hindoos and Hazards).

Something else that must be addressed when these silent films are discussed is the scope of their ‘production values’. They do not look small or cheap. However, they do not look big and ambitious like many of the silent films Chaplin, Lloyd, and Keaton made. Also, all of the silent films with Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew freely overlap comedy and serious melodrama in a way that feels quite unorthodox, allowing them to slow down and produce very interesting contrasts, many of which make them appear more sophisticated.

Each of the films in the three-disc set is presented with original music by the likes of Ben Model, Violin Noir, Chris Rorrer and Daniel Mandrychenko, Karen Majewicz, and Teil Buck, amongst others. Also, each silent film can be viewed with an optional audio commentary by film historian Anthony Slide.

CONTENT

DISC ONE

Video introduction featuring interviews with Rob Farr, Lynanne Schweighofer, Rob Stone, and George Willeman.
The Disintegrated Convict (1907, 6 min.) Music by Andrew Earle Simpson.
The Boy, the Bust, and the Bath (1907, 6 min.) Featuring Florence Lawrence. Music by Qingye Wu.
Get Me a Step-Ladder (1908, 3 min.) Music by Dana Reason.
The New Stenographer (1911, 12 min.) Featuring Maurice Costello, Florence Lawrence. Music by Ben Model.
The Lovesick Maidens of Cuddleton (1912, 12 min.) Featuring Earle Williams, Edith Storey, John Bunny. Music by Andrew Earle Simpson.
A Regiment of Two (1913, 28 min.) Featuring Sidney Drew. Music by Chris Rorrer and Daniel Mandrychenko.
Jane’s Bashful Hero (1916, 15 min.) Featuring Edith Storey. Music by Teil Buck.
The Egyptian Mummy (1913, 15 min.) Featuring Lee Beggs, Constance Talmadge, Billy Quirk. Music by Andrew Earle Simpson.
Sweeney’s Christmas Bird (1914, 14 min.) Featuring Hughie Mack, Flora Finch. Music by Liz Magnes.
A Case of Eugenics (1915, 11 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Esin Aydingoz.
Auntie’s Portrait (1915, 13 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Chris Lock.
Jane Was Worth It (1915, 28 min.) Featuring Edith Storey. Music by Ben Model.
Mr. Jack Trifles (1916, 14 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Don Ross.
Captain Jinks’ Baby (1917, 12 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Ivanna Cuesta Gonzalez.
Captain Jinks’ Cure (1917, 12 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Annette Johnson.
Damsels and Dandies (1919, 15 min.) Featuring Earl Montgomery and Joe Rock. Music by Ben Model.

DISC TWO

Video introduction featuring Rob Farr, Lynanne Schweighofer, Rob Stone, and George Willeman.
The Flat Dwellers: Or, The House of Too Much Trouble (1907, 6 min.) Music by Shane Prediville.
The Haunted Rocker (1912, 8 min.) Featuring George Ober, Clara Kimball Young. Music by Peter Valsamis.
Kitty and the Cowboys (1911, 11 min.) Featuring John Bunny. Music by Ben Model.
In the Clutches of a Vapor Bath (1911, 7 min.) Featuring John Bunny. Music by Andrew Earle Simpson.
The Deceivers (1915, 13 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Liz Magnes.
His Wife Knew About It (1916, 14 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Linda Chase.
A Horseshoe for Luck (1914, 13 min.) Featuring Sidney Drew. Music by Don Ross.
The Professional Scapegoat (1914, 14 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Violin Noir.
Beautiful Thoughts (1915, 11 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Dana Reason.
Boobley’s Baby (1915, 14 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Renée T. Coulombe.
A Safe Investment (1915, 14 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Ben Model.
A Telegraphic Tangle (1916, 13 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Violin Noir.
Bullies and Bullets (1917, 13 min.) Featuring Hughie Mack, Patsy De Forest. Music by Dana Reason.
Captain Jinks’ Evolution (1916, 12 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Caterina Maddalena Barbieri.
Captain Jinks, the Cobbler (1916, 12 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Dylan Talisien.
A Little Ouija Work (1918, 13 min.) Featuring Edward Earle, Agnes Ayres. Music by Ben Model.
Mr. Jack Ducks the Alimony (1916, 13 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Violin Noir.
Mr. Jack, the Hash Magnate (1916, 12 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Chris Rorrer and Daniel Mandrychenko.

DISC THREE

Video introduction featuring Rob Farr, Lynanne Schweighofer, Rob Stone, and George Willeman.
Hindoos and Hazards (1918, 10 min.) Featuring Larry Semon. Music by Camila Cortina Bello.
The Grocery Clerk (1919, 27 min.) Featuring Larry Semon. Music by José María Serralde Ruiz.
The Head Waiter (1919, 19 min.) Featuring Larry Semon. Musi by Gonca Feride Varol.
School Days (1920, 25 min.) Featuring Larry Semon. Music by Violin Noir.
The Bell Hop (1921, 29 min.) Featuring Larry Semon. Music by Peter Valsamis.
The Sawmill (1922, 26 min.) Featuring Larry Semon. Music by Karen Majewicz.

Vitagraph Comedies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's Vitagraph Comedies release is a three-disc set that gathers forty silent films. The majority of them look quite good. However, all of them, without exception, reveal signs of aging and some cases significant deterioration. Many films are reconstructed too, so there is content coming from different sources. Still, a lot of these films look surprisingly good, so enjoying them is quite easy. Scratches, cuts, blemishes, and even chemical stains can be seen, but I think that these are the type of age-related imperfections that are rather easy to ignore on such older films. (These films come from the early 1900s). All three Blu-ray discs are Region-Free.

Vitagraph Comedies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: Music DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Some of the silent films have intertitles.

Each film is presented with a music track. Obviously, all the native characteristics of the original recording are retained, and I would describe them as having chamber qualities. Clarity and stability are excellent, but dynamic contrasts are rather modest. While viewing the films, I did not encounter any audio dropouts to report in our review.

Vitagraph Comedies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introductions - each of the three discs has a video introduction by archivists Rob Farr, Lynanne Schweighofer, Rob Stone, and George Willeman. Their comments address the nature of the work that was required to present the best and most complete possible versions of the silent films on each disc, as well as the lives and legacies of some of the people that made them.

• Commentaries - each silent film can be viewed with an optional audio commentary by film historian Anthony Slide.

Vitagraph Comedies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Several of Larry Semon's films are on par with the very good ones W.C. Fields made, possibly even some of the good ones Laurel and Hardy made. There are other gems with Frank Daniels, too. I was also quite surprised to see many very talented and completely unknown supporting actors. Time has left its mark on plenty of these films, but quite a few of them look wonderful, far better than I expected they could. If you enjoy the work of the big masters of silent comedy, you should consider picking up Vitagraph Comedies. If you reside outside of North America, you can grab a copy of it too because it is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.