The Buster Keaton Collection

[AngelGraves13]

Does anyone know if the new 2K remasters are included in this set, the 2016 release? It's 54% off, but I'd feel silly buying it if it doesn't include the newly remastered films coming out next year in Feb.

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=20309

[MifuneFan]

Just The General is from a newer restoration, all the others are the same as the old set. It wouldn't surprise me if Kino put out a newer set again with more of the newer restorations included.

[AngelGraves13]

So I'll just skip this release then. Oh well.

[1godzillafan]

I'm mostly just interested in the new short film set with the Fatty Arbuckle shorts. But if there is a new restoration of The General, then I hope for a separate release for it since it's his best work.

But as it is the original Ultimate set is one of my blu-ray crown jewels. I'm quite happy with it, with the exception of incomplete shorts.

[thatguamguy]

Is The Ultimate Collection the best way to buy Keaton, or are they gradually upgrading the movies so that it would be better to either wait or buy individually, depending on the title?

[bigshot]

The thing about silent films on blu-ray is that every restoration offers something different. If the films are important to you, you might want to double dip on some titles. But the complete set is a great place to start.

[AngelGraves13]

I'll just grab the new 2K Shorts remaster and the films when they're eventually released next year.

I'd hardly consider this set complete.

[Reeniop5]

Got $25 in Amazon points and on top of current lowest price of $109 ( 63% off) , I got it down to around $91 with tax which I believe is a great deal bringing it to 70% off from the original $299. I only have Steamboat Bill in Blu so I am good with this box set!

I will just double dip on new individual restorations when they are on sale.

[Stationary Explorer]

I'm sorry to be a dullard, but is this set dated November 2016 exactly the same as the previous version, aside from The General?

At this price, I think I'm going to take the plunge. I wasn't eager to retire my old (and space consuming) "Art of Buster Keaton" DVD set but this might be the time. If they upgrade the films again in the future I'll live. These blu-rays look good enough to me.

[Tardo317]

Purchased this set from Amazon last week for $136.99. It was delivered prior to the price drop to $109.99. I had read that Amazon will make a price adjustment if notified within 7 days of delivery. I'm here to tell you that it is no longer true. I respectfully requested a $27.00 refund which was denied on the basis of their "price matching" policy. As far as I'm concerned, "price matching" is not the same as "price protection" but Amazon doesn't seem to agree.

Still a great deal but $27.00 back in my pocket would have been better....

[Tardo317]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

Policy changed 6-9 months ago maybe? Also seems to have affected the international sites as well.

Price guarantees don't sell Prime Memberships so the policy is seen as worthless. You rebuy/return on your dime - $4-5 shipping in this case might make it worth it as long as you aren't a frequent flyer.

If you are a good enough customer you could call back and argue a bit and you might be granted a 'one time pass,' but that will be treated as a special favor on the Amazon ledger and too many favors will earn you a warning/suspension

Thanks for the feedback. I looked at it as a shot in the dark anyway. An internet search on the subject found postings where people claimed success in getting a credit within the 7 days. I did notice that the posts were from last year though. So a policy change over the past year makes sense...

[jfearnside]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Just The General is from a newer restoration, all the others are the same as the old set. It wouldn't surprise me if Kino put out a newer set again with more of the newer restorations included.

I'm curious how this might work, as it looks like the new Kino 2K restoration of THE GENERAL also includes THREE AGES on it. It wouldn't seem this would fit well with the rest of the old discs.

I've read that the new 2K THE GENERAL doesn't have the Carl Davis score from the first edition on it, which seems odd. Does anyone know anything about this?

With the Cohen Collection putting out their own Keaton films, I'm wondering if Kino still owns the rights to everything they put out before and will be able to release a second comprehensive box set.

[larry333]

Does this set have any booklets included?
If so, what does it include?

[Bandit Tajomaru]

Will the new General disc have the Joe Hisaishi score?

[jfearnside]

Well, I couldn't pass up the deal Amazon had on the new version of the Buster Keaton Collection, so I went ahead and picked it up. Very nice! To answer a couple of questions above: no, there are no booklets included, but yes, the 2016 restoration of THE GENERAL does include the Joe Hisaishi score, which wasn't on the original release. However, it doesn't include the Carl Davis score that was on the earlier release.

That's the only new restoration in the set. Everything else is the same as in the 2012 set. The new version of THE GENERAL is presented by itself on one disc, even though it appears Kino will be pairing it with THREE AGES when this is released as a standalone early next year.

Now, here's the really strange thing to me, and I'm curious if anyone else feels this way: are my eyes tricking me, or is the 2016 restoration by Lobster Films not as sharp as the earlier mastering done by Kino? According to the press releases, both versions were sourced from a 35mm archive print struck from the original camera negative. Yet I did a back-and-forth comparison, and from the type of wear shown on each print, they look like they came from different sources. Perhaps Lobster used a different archival print? (It seems possible there might have been more than one made.) Somehow, it just doesn't look as good, even with the 2K scan, scratch cleanup, image stabilization, etc.

Also, the Lobster restoration doesn't seem to utilize any tinting, from what I could tell skipping through scenes. I really like the light sepia tone used in Kino's original release, with the blue tinting for nighttime scenes. I now think I'll keep my original copy--for the tinting, the Carl Davis score, and what to me looks like a sharper picture.

It's great to have all the rest of the films together in the set. And now I have two versions of THE GENERAL, each with something unique to recommend them.

[bigshot]

The version of The General to keep an eye out for is the one from Cineteca Bologna from Cohen's original camera negative. Everyone with prints are rushing out their copies because they know they won't be able to compete once Cohen's version hits.

[jfearnside]

Originally Posted by bigshot

The version of The General to keep an eye out for is the one from Cineteca Bologna from Cohen's original camera negative. Everyone with prints are rushing out their copies because they know they won't be able to compete once Cohen's version hits.

Good to know! Do they own the original negatives to all of Keaton's films, or just some?

[bigshot]

They own a bunch of them. Not sure which ones though.

[jfearnside]

Originally Posted by bigshot

They own a bunch of them. Not sure which ones though.

Yeah, I haven't seen a complete list of titles they own either, for any of their artists.

[grundy]

$99.95 w/FS at the KL site:

https://www.kinolorber.com/product/view/id/3784