Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations - Kit Parker Films - June 16, 2020

[rdodolak]

STAN AND OLLIE LOOK AND SOUND BETTER THAN EVER! New 2K and 4K digital restorations from original 35mm nitrate, Laurel and Hardy's classic comedies are here in the best quality since their first release! Two features and 17 shorts, including the legendary pie-fight silent film "The Battle of the Century," making its video debut and nearly complete for the first time in over 90 years!

Bonus Materials:

• Commentaries by Randy Skretvedt and Richard W. Bann
• Never before seen video interviews as well as audio interviews with L&H co-workers
• Over 2,500 rare photos, posters, scripts and studio files
• Alternate Soundtracks
• Music Tracks
• "Ship's Reporter" Oliver Hardy Interview (restored)
• "That's That" (restored/first time on video)
• "Tree in a Test Tube" (restored from 16mm Kodachrome)
• L&H off-camera pix from Hardy's collection
• Restored Trailers

Feature Films:

• Sons of the Desert
• Way Out West

Short Subjects:

• Berth Marks
• The Battle of the Century (with new music track by Donald Sosin; virtually complete and restored)
• Brats
• Busy Bodies
• The Chimp
• Come Clean
• County Hospital
• Helpmates
• Hog Wild
• Me and My Pal
• Midnight Patrol
• The Music Box
• One Good Turn
• Scram!
• Their First Mistake
• Towed in a Hole
• Twice Two

Restorations by Jeff Joseph/SabuCat in conjunction with the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Library of Congress. Using careful photochemical and digital techniques, these classic films are restored to pristine condition. In these stunning new transfers, they look and sound as beautiful as they did when they were first released.

[mike962]

the HAL Roach shorts were the best they ever did , the MGM era kinda sucked

[mike962]

there were 2 legendary shorts they should have added but I forgot their name

1) Stan and Oliver are help for some rich family and they plan a trip on a picknick , but various issues prevent them leaving with their car , at the end they finaly get going only for them to sink into a deep hole which was filled with water

3) silent Laurel and Hardy end up in a car traffic jam and they start a fight which spreads to all the motorists

[WaverBoy]

It’s a shame that only one silent short is included, but at least it’s the newly restored version of BATTLE OF THE CENTURY. I’m one of the rare ones who prefers L&H’s silents to their talkies, but I’ll definitely be getting this.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by mike962

there were 2 legendary shorts they should have added but I forgot their name

1) Stan and Laurel are help for some rich family and they plan a trip on a picknick , but various issues prevent them leaving with their car , at the end they finaly get going only for them to sink into a deep hole which was filled with water

3) silent Laurel and Hardy end up in a car traffic jam and they start a fight which spreads to all the motorists

PERFECT DAY and TWO TARS.

[mike962]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

PERFECT DAY and TWO TARS.

exactly

they should have been on blu

another of the better ones was BIG BUSINESS

[WaverBoy]

Yeah, BIG BUSINESS is the one of the funniest films they ever made, far superior to many of their later talkies IMO. I really hope the rest of the silent shorts are being restored as well.

[fred25_Ca]

So, I bought the Hal dvd collection a few years ago. Are these movies from that set or not? Just wondering if anybody knows.

Edit: Nevermind, I checked and these are all on my dvd box set. That's a bummer. I'd be happy to upgrade to blu ray if this was the entire collection or even better if it was a set of all of their silent films (I don't own any) but this is only a small portion of their Hal movies, I can't see buying this. I'll wait and see if a bigger set is released one day.

[fred25_Ca]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

It’s a shame that only one silent short is included, but at least it’s the newly restored version of BATTLE OF THE CENTURY. I’m one of the rare ones who prefers L&H’s silents to their talkies, but I’ll definitely be getting this.

I love their silent short where they are walking on top of a new building in the middle of construction. Scary and yet hilarious. Liberty I think it was name. I saw that one with a live pianist with 5,000 people and everybody was laughing so hard (it was projected outside for free in the middle of the Just for Laugh festival in Montreal). Wonderful experience!

[The Sovereign]

This looks awesome! I would have loved to have seen Tit for Tat and Block-Heads included as well, but I'm not complaining.

[jacksparrow900]

These are the only ones so far restored by UCLA as more get restored more collections will probably become available.

[Egbert Souse]

Great to see this coming out, though I'm a little concerned about the lack of a "Volume 1" name, but that could be a while since this seems to collect all the UCLA restorations that have been completed so far.

Going to pick this up as soon as it's on preorder. The selection of shorts is pretty great - The Music Box, Towed in a Hole, Busy Bodies, and County Hospital are among their funniest. While my personal favorite features are Beau Hunks and Pack Up Your Troubles, Sons of the Desert and Way Out West are among their best, too.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by The Sovereign

This looks awesome! I would have loved to have seen Tit for Tat and Block-Heads included as well, but I'm not complaining.

You can't have Tit for Tat without Them that Hills.

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by fred25_Ca

So, I bought the Hal dvd collection a few years ago. Are these movies from that set or not? Just wondering if anybody knows.

Edit: Nevermind, I checked and these are all on my dvd box set. That's a bummer. I'd be happy to upgrade to blu ray if this was the entire collection or even better if it was a set of all of their silent films (I don't own any) but this is only a small portion of their Hal movies, I can't see buying this. I'll wait and see if a bigger set is released one day.

Don't expect it to happen without support. I don't understand the mindset of people that say "oh...I'll just wait."

You do realize the audience for these things is dying (quite literally) and not growing. If people don't buy them, they will see that as lack of demand.

[mike962]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Don't expect it to happen without support. I don't understand the mindset of people that say "oh...I'll just wait."

You do realize the audience for these things is dying (quite literally) and not growing. If people don't buy them, they will see that as lack of demand.

but they should have started off with their better shorts like the ones mentioned to get things spinning much better

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by fred25_Ca

So, I bought the Hal dvd collection a few years ago. Are these movies from that set or not? Just wondering if anybody knows.

Edit: Nevermind, I checked and these are all on my dvd box set. That's a bummer. I'd be happy to upgrade to blu ray if this was the entire collection or even better if it was a set of all of their silent films (I don't own any) but this is only a small portion of their Hal movies, I can't see buying this. I'll wait and see if a bigger set is released one day.

BATTLE OF THE CENTURY isn’t on the DVD box set. This new set is worth it for that alone.

[mike962]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

Yeah, BIG BUSINESS is the one of the funniest films they ever made, far superior to many of their later talkies IMO. I really hope the rest of the silent shorts are being restored as well.

and another really good short of their I can't remember name right now

essentialy both try to squaze a really fat woman that Oliver dates into a really tiny car

[fred25_Ca]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Don't expect it to happen without support. I don't understand the mindset of people that say "oh...I'll just wait."

You do realize the audience for these things is dying (quite literally) and not growing. If people don't buy them, they will see that as lack of demand.

Maybe but these aren't even in order (had this been a volume 1 with their first 15 shorts, for exemple, I would have been all over it). Honestly, i'm pretty happy with my DVD set. I need a better reason to upgrade. If we never get any other Laurel and Hardy on blu ray, so be it. I'm not just going to throw cash at every new releases in the hopes we get better ones down the line...
Then again, who am I kidding, i'll probably still end up buying it in the end. :P

[jacksparrow900]

Their First Mistake Comparison - YouTube

Hog Wild Comparison - YouTube

One Good Turn Comparison - YouTube

Me and My Pal Comparison - YouTube

Film Classics/MGM Lion Comparison "Come Clean" - YouTube

[WaverBoy]

Very impressive upgrades!!!