Buster Keaton on Blu-ray

[koberulz]

Is it just me or does the Kino version of College absolutely smoke the Eureka? The Eureka looks horribly washed out.

[Jobla]

Shouldn't the Blu-ray set of THE TWILIGHT ZONE be listed in this thread? Keaton starred in a 1961 TZ episode entitled "Once Upon a Time."

[koberulz]

Which season? It appears all seasons have individual releases as well.

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by koberulz

Which season? It appears all seasons have individual releases as well.

Season 3, episode 13 "Once Upon a Time."

Spectacular OP, koberulz.

[koberulz]

Twilight Zone added.

Anyone else have thoughts on the two College restos? I feel like I'm missing something given how much better I feel the Kino looks.

[Jobla]

I think that Keaton's scenes in ONCE UPON A TIME are done as a silent movie, although other characters may have dialog. I haven't' seen that episode in several years.

[Admonisher]

Originally Posted by Jobla

I think that Keaton's scenes in ONCE UPON A TIME are done as a silent movie, although other characters may have dialog. I haven't' seen that episode in several years.

Just watched this one recently! Scenes in the past are done in the style of a silent movie, with intertitles in place of spoken dialogue. Scenes in the "present" have normal sound, and you do hear Keaton's voice.

BTW, Cohen Media's THE BUSTER KEATON COLLECTION, VOL. 5 (including THREE AGES and OUR HOSPITALITY) can be added to the main post.

[SanCarolina59]

Posted this in the main KL thread too, but Kino Classics will be doing a double feature of Sherlock Jr./Seven Chances sourced from restorations by Lobster Films from the Blackhawk Film Collection, releasing 10/29/2024:

Seven Chances and Sherlock Jr. are two dazzling comedies that showcase Buster Keaton’s genius for super-sized slapstick. Presented in new restorations by Lobster Films from the Blackhawk Films Collection, these masterpieces have never looked better. Seven Chances tells the story of an eligible young bachelor who must marry by 7:00 p.m. in order to receive a $7 million inheritance. A newspaper announcement provides him with more fiancées than he can handle, setting in motion the most epic and surreal chase sequence of Keaton’s career. Sherlock Jr. is a brilliant deconstruction of the filmmaking process. Keaton stars as a movie theatre projectionist who dreams of becoming a super-sleuth, and, in one breathtaking sequence, literally steps into the screen to bring his fantasies to life.

Product Extras :
Audio commentary for Seven Chances by film critic Adam Nayman
Audio commentary for Sherlock Jr. by film critic Matt Singer
A Brideless Groom (1947, 17 min.), a Three Stooges short that recycles the premise of Seven Chances
How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the New York Herald Personal Columns, a 1904 Edison short directed by Edwin S. Porter
Music for Seven Chances and Sherlock Jr. by Robert Israel

Link

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by koberulz

Is it just me or does the Kino version of College absolutely smoke the Eureka? The Eureka looks horribly washed out.

I haven't seen the Eureka but I'm happy with the
Kino. I wish you'd put the date of the film after
the title in your headings in the OP.

[Nazca]

Originally Posted by koberulz

Is it just me or does the Kino version of College absolutely smoke the Eureka? The Eureka looks horribly washed out.

Yeah, I remember that Lobster's (Now FPA) restoration of College (1927) uses an older generation source while the Cohen-Cineteca di Bologna restoration uses a third generation safety dupe positive and second generation safety dupe negative.

Will add that I'm excited for this new Kino release, the Blackhawk-Lobster restoration of Seven Chances (1925) looked nice and the score was also really enjoyable. Also very interested in checking out the Blackhawk-Lobster restoration for Sherlock Jr. (1924), curious to see how it'll compare to the Cohen-Cineteca di Bologna restoration.

Speaking of, I'm curious why we haven't seen a release of the MoMA-Blackhawk-Lobster restoration of The Navigator (1924) outside of Spain. It's without a doubt the best way to watch the film. I know that Lobster technically released the film in France but that release has rather poor encoding and lacks the film's original tinting.

[Dragun]

Originally Posted by SanCarolina59

Posted this in the main KL thread too, but Kino Classics will be doing a double feature of Sherlock Jr./Seven Chances sourced from restorations by Lobster Films from the Blackhawk Film Collection, releasing 10/29/2024

Are these different restorations from the Eureka Blu-Rays?

[IntheMoodforTark]

Originally Posted by Dragun

Are these different restorations from the Eureka Blu-Rays?

Yes. Both Eureka and Cohen BDs are sourced from an older restoration by Cineteca di Bologna and Cohen.

[koberulz]

This is getting ridiculous...I'm going to end up with more copies of Keaton's films than I have of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by koberulz

This is getting ridiculous...I'm going to end up with more copies of Keaton's films than I have of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

He's worth it, though.

[high def ho!]

Does anyone know if this released with a slipcover? Mine from Amazon did not have one, just want to confirm. Thanks!

[Egbert Souse]

FYI, this is worth it mostly for Sherlock Jr., which I find to be a little sharper and more detailed than the Cohen restoration, even if it has more dirt and scratches. Robert Israel's scores for both are fantastic, as always. I'm pretty sure Sherlock Jr. used the exact same film elements as Cohen.

Seven Chances doesn't look as good for the most part, but the re-created color for the opening scene, however inauthentic it is, looks better than the original Kino and Cohen/Eureka versions.

Originally Posted by high def ho!

Does anyone know if this released with a slipcover? Mine from Amazon did not have one, just want to confirm. Thanks!

It was not.

[Ned Brainard]

Originally Posted by Egbert Souse

Here's a breakdown of scores available on various releases...

K = First run of Kino Classics Blu-rays
C = Cohen Media (and also Eureka)
L = Lobster Films edition

STEAMBOAT BILL JR:
Carl Davis [orchestral, 2.0] C
The Biograph Players [small orchestra] K
Timothy Brock [orchestral] K/L
Lee Erwin [organ] K/L
William Perry [piano] K

I know that I'm a couple years out of date here, but the organ score on the Lobster disc is the 1970s Gaylord Carter recording originally done for Blackhawk. The score was also used on the Art of Buster Keaton series. It's a pity that it was incorrectly attributed to Lee Erwin as the score is in my humble opinion one of the finest scores ever recorded for any silent.

[Diorm]

Does the Saphead Eureka version work on region A?

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by Diorm

Does the Saphead Eureka version work on region A?

It's locked, despite being a disc of a film that hasn't been in copyright for the entire lifespan of home video, and of a restoration that hasn't been picked up for licence in any other territory anyway. Hope it gets resolved for Region A, it's mad you guys still haven't got it and it's always particularly unfair I think when a film is locked away from the country it belongs to. It's a great disc too, really packed with Buster rarities.

[Diorm]

I was sure it was going to be rereleased with the Cohen collection but no dice...