Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

What Happened to Jones? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 3, 2021

Note: This version of this film is available as part of the Early Universal Vol. 2 set from Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema series.

Universal Pictures branded itself variously as Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-Jewel when the silents included in this package were released, and those slight if kind of quaint differences in names may point to the fact that Universal, in any of its "versions", has been around a long time, and is in fact the oldest surviving film studio in the United States. Some of Universal's earliest product has been getting released globally on Blu-ray, and in that regard Kino Lorber has already released two of the three films in this collection for the Region A market (links can be found in the reviews of this release's offerings). These early Universal films are noted for sometimes rather impressive technical achievements, with this collection in particular offering then innovative location filming, including underwater sequences for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and wide open prairie material for The Calgary Stampede.

What Happened to Jones? is one of two films in this set that has been released for Region A by Kino Lorber, and those interested may want to read Neil Lumbard's What Happened to Jones? Blu-ray review. This agreeable farce may not have a bunch of slamming doors, but it does offer another staple of the idiom, namely mistaken identities. The story follows the misadventures of a guy with the perhaps not so coincidental name of Tom Jones (Reginald Denny), who, on the eve of his marriage to Lucille Bigbee (Marian Nixon), ends up getting involved in all sorts of shenanigans which in turn leads to him masquerading first as a woman and then as a bishop. Things typically go from bad to worse, with true romance finally triumphing when Lucille has the good sense (?) to take Tom in holy matrimony despite his obviously questionable judgment.

What Happened to Jones? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

What Happened to Jones? is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Eureka! sent only check discs for the purposes of this review, so I'm not privy to any information about the transfer which might be included in an insert booklet, but the press sheet mentions that the film has been restored in 4K. With a production date of 1926, this is the "newest" film in Eureka!'s set, though that doesn't necessarily mean this is a damage free presentation. Once again there are manifest occurrences of scratches, nicks and even a bit of emulsion damage that can crop up. Detail levels are generally quite good throughout the presentation, however, though some may notice ebbs and flows in fine detail depending on what kind of toning and/or tinting is being utilized (the purplish material looked a bit clearer to me than some of the yellow, to cite just one example). Grain structure fluctuates occasionally, but resolves naturally.

What Happened to Jones? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

What Happened to Jones? features an LPCM 2.0 track offering a new score by Anthony Willis. This is another midsized ensemble that probably sounds fullest in its string cues, though there's quite a bit of piano on tap as well, sometimes in a quasi-ragtime mode. Everything sounds well balanced and perfectly clear.

What Happened to Jones? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by film historian and writer David Kalat is incorrectly listed on the menu of this disc as accompanying The Shakedown, which was actually part of Eureka! Entertainment's Early Universal Vol. 1.

What Happened to Jones? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What Happened to Jones? is a surprisingly engaging farce that manages to offer consistent laughs as things careen from bad to worse for the interestingly named Tom Jones. Technical merits are generally solid, though those with experience with high definition restorations of problematic silent film elements will probably be best prepared for the look of this release. Recommended.