Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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Play Safe
[Chasing Choo-Choos]
(1927)
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This feature comedy film survives as the condensed rerelease version, Chasing Choo-Choos of Play Safe (1927). Monty foils a scheme to bilk an heiress and ends up rescuing her from a runaway train.
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 Film Preservation Associates
2002 DVD edition
Slapstick Encyclopedia (1909-1929), black & white and color-toned black & white, 1089 minutes total, not rated, including Chasing Choo-Choos [condensed version of Play Safe] (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID0699DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-06992-1.
Five single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate, and Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; five standard DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $69.99.
Release date: 7 May 2002.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 8 / audio: 7 / additional content: 7 / overall: 8.
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This DVD edition has been mastered from a condensed version of the feature comedy Play Safe (1927), conflated from a combination of good to very-good, but jittery, 35mm and 16mm prints.
The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed on synthesizers by Eric Beheim.
The introductions to the films have a number of typographical errors in them, but provide brief and sometimes valuable background information to each of the films.
For the number of films and the gargantuan length of the program, this DVD set is well worth the comparatively modest cost. We highly recommend this DVD edition of the Slapstick Encyclopedia.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Madacy Entertainment
2012 DVD edition
Slapstick Encyclopedia (1909-1929), black & white and color-toned black & white, 1089 minutes total, not rated, including Chasing Choo-Choos [condensed version of Play Safe] (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Madacy Entertainment, distributed by Image Entertainment,
VB951290, UPC 6-28261-12909-6.
Five single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo and mono sound, English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; rollfold cardboard DVD videobook with cardboard disc pockets, $16.98.
Release date: 25 September 2012.
Country of origin: Canada
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This budget DVD edition of the mammoth silent comedy collection has been released by the questionable company historically responsible for some of the worst-looking silent film DVDs ever released. However, it is apparent that the video masters prepared by producer David Shepard have been licensed and utilized for this budget edition. The same files (including the menus) as prepared for the edition above have been utilized for this edition.
We caution that disc mastering makes a huge difference in the visual quality of DVDs. Since the content has been manufactured onto five double-sided discs, and if proper care has been taken to master the DVDs, the visual quality is comparable to the 2002 Image edition noted above.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Alpha Video
2017 DVD edition
Monty Banks: Hollywood’s Forgotten Comic Genius (1923-1927), black & white, 103 minutes total, not rated, including Chasing Choo-Choos [condensed version of Play Safe] (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 7957D, UPC 0-89218-79579-3.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised again to $9.99).
Release date: 16 May 2017.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm or 8mm reduction print.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
Please note that we purchsed a copy of this edition but found that it would not play in any of our players and arrangements would not be made to replace the defective disc.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
ALPHA VIDEO through . . .
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Other SHORT COMEDY FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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