Blu Ray Review: Laurel and Hardy: The Definitive Restorations

Sometimes the amount of vintage cinema that is being restored and made available and accessible is so vast it's hard to wrap one's head around the magnitude of it all. Entire collections of brilliant classic movies have become readily available, and this extends to B movies, serials, short subjects and cartoons.

One of the greatest releases this year is an outstanding 4 disc set of restored Laurel and Hardy comedies, including some of their greatest films.

Laurel and Hardy: The Definitive Restorations has been released by Kit Parker Films through Sprocket Video and is the result of years of hard work by a group of dedicated historians, archivists, and technicians. Each of the four discs will be discussed separately in this review.

DISC ONE

Laurel and Hardy's quintessential feature film Sons of the Desert is fully restored with a sharpness of detail that is truly remarkable. While each image exhibits brilliant clarity, there is still ample film grain retaining the integrity of the visual image. As far as the film itself is concerned, it is probably Laurel and Hardy's most perfect feature-length movie, which means it is one of the absolute greatest comedies ever produced by anyone. This disc also includes Berth Marks, a film that I always championed as being woefully underrated. This early 1929 talkie is presented with its rare original soundtrack and also with its more familiar 1936 re-release soundtrack. However, perhaps the most important item on his disc is the newly restored Battle of the Century, a 1927 silent that features the screen's greatest pie fight. Having only seen the footage presented in Robert Youngson's 1958 anthology The Golden Age of Comedy, the complete surviving elements were a true revelation (I didn't realize there were extra shots in the pie fight itself). This disc also offers a wealth of special features that will be discussed later in this review.

DISC TWO

As with Berth Marks on disc one, this disc features the duo's 1930 short Brats with its original soundtrack as well as the more familiar 1936 print that has different background music, which is the one that was available to TV all these years. Beautifully restored prints of the shorts Hog Wild (in its original motion ratio), One Good Turn, Come Clean, and Me and My Pal round out this disc. These are films I have been watching repeatedly over the years since childhood but seeing them restored to this level is almost like a first-time viewing for each. The clarity allows for greater detail, extending to the subtlest nuance in each performance. Also, more special features.

DISC THREE

Laurel and Hardy might be best known for their Oscar winning 1932 three-reeler The Music Box, and that is featured on this disc, along with what might be their best sound two-reeler Helpmates. These two films represent Laurel and Hardy as well as any in their entire filmography. They both derive a full short movie's worth of hilarious gags and situations out of a simple presence. It's not only comedy, it bleeds into the realm of science. These, plus The Chimp, County Hospital, Scram, Their First Mistake, The Midnight Patrol, and Busy Bodies. And, still more special features.

DISC FOUR

This disc features the duo's 1937 classic Way Out West, which is sharply restored here. Layered with a strong plot, action, musical set pieces, and hilarious comedy, Way Out West is one of those films that, like Sons of the Desert, is a genuine screen classic. The shorts Towed in a Hole and Twice Two are also included, as are a couple of interesting oddballs. First, a short film of outtakes made in 1938 for Stan's birthday called That's That. Nothing rare or revealing here, but it is an amusing curio that has thankfully survived. Also, the color industrial short Tree in a Test Tube, made during wartime, is included.

SPECIAL FEATURES

On each disc, there is a wealth of extras that make this set even more valuable. Interviews with associates like Joe Rock and Anita Garvin cover both the duo's solo careers and as a team. A shipboard conversation with Oliver Hardy from 1950 shows the discernible warmth and friendliness of the man himself. There are a great many rare photos on each disc, and commentaries by experts like Randy Skretvedt and Richard W. Bann. In all, that's about 9 hours of exclusive rarities besides the restored classic comedies.

One can lose count at how many times some older movies are re-released to home video, as greater technological advances make the films look better and better. However, even for those who have the films contained on this set, their better presentation, alternate titles, and incredible collection of extras make this set an absolute must for any Laurel and Hardy fan.

The set can be ordered here: Laurel and Hardy blu ray restorations.