If you're a fan of Laurel & Hardy then you have undoubtedly been looking forward to this set for a very long time. Essentially a British version of the ‘Laurel & Hardy: Year One' set that was released in America almost exactly a year ago today, Eureka Entertainment has packed their release full of new goodies specifically for the British fanbase.
With a focus on the British fans of “the boys”, this new set contains special features filled to the brim with footage and interviews from Stan & Ollie's numerous tours throughout the UK, and using British musicians, historians, etc. for both new scores and new audio commentaries for each film.
All coming in some truly gorgeous packaging, Stan Laurel & Oliver Norvell Hardy (the third) are given the Masters of Cinema treatment from Eureka, allowing them to stand tall alongside other silent cinema titans like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. A most well-deserved treatment indeed.
The collection captures the duo's earliest adventures on screen, chronicling their journey from their first films together — The Lucky Dog and the aptly titled 45 Minutes to Hollywood — to the dawn of their official partnership in 1927 thanks to Hal Roach. Featuring all of the iconic pair's completed shorts from that year, including The Battle of the Century (which was only available in incomplete versions until 2015), this selection of films shows the development of the two into one of the greatest comedy duos of all time.
Featuring some truly terrific short films like Duck Soup and Sailors Beware!, there is lots to enjoy for fans old and new alike. With that said, however, this is certainly not a collection of perfect shorts with Stan & Ollie at their best. ‘Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years' is definitely the beginning of the process for the two. Though there may be signs of the duo we'd learn to love — the odd exasperated look to the camera from Ollie or Stan's famous cry here and there — this is just the beginning of their journey, warts and all.
It might not be the ideal starting point for silent cineastes looking to appreciate the duo's work but the hardcore fans are sure to love this set. Bringing Laurel & Hardy back to life with these gorgeous new restorations, the starting blocks of one of the greatest comedy teams of all time can finally be admired in all its glory.
Special Features
- Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Scott Saslow
- 1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from new 2K restorations
- Scores by a variety of silent film composers including Neil Brand, Antonio Coppola, Eric le Guen and Donald Sosin
- Brand new audio commentaries on Lucky Dog, 45 Minutes From Hollywood, Duck Soup, Slipping Wives and Love ‘em and Weep by film historian and writer David Kalat
- Brand new audio commentaries on Why Girls Love Sailors, With Love and Hisses, Sailors Beware and The Second 100 Years by Patrick Vasey, editor of The Laurel & Hardy Magazine and host of The Laurel & Hardy Podcast
- Brand new audio commentaries on Do Detectives Think? and The Battle of the Century by film writer Chris Seguin and Kyp Harness (The Art of Laurel & Hardy: Graceful Calamity in the films)
- Brand new audio commentaries on Flying Elephants, Sugar Daddies, Call of the Cuckoo and Putting Pants on Philip by Glenn Mitchell (The Laurel & Hardy Encyclopedia)
- Brand new audio commentaries on The Second 100 Years and The Battle of the Century by silent film accompanist Neil Brand
- Alternate Robert Youngson score on Putting Pants on Philip, newly restored by Stephen C. Horne
- Brand new interview with Neil Brand
- Laurel & Hardy in the UK – 1932 recording by Laurel and Hardy to promote their UK tour, featuring footage of the duo visiting Tynemouth
- Turning Point: Stan Laurel – Extensive interview with Stan Laurel from 1957
- Stan Laurel talks to Tony Thomas – 1959 interview, featuring footage of Laurel & Hardy visiting Edinburgh as part of their 1932 UK tour
- Sailors Beware – Super 8 version with audio commentary by Chris Seguin and Glenn Mitchell
- The Bulldog Breed – Super 8 version of Do Detectives Think? with audio commentary by Chris Seguin and Glenn Mitchell
- The Mad Butler – Super 8 version of Do Detectives Think? with audio commentary by Chris Seguin and Glenn Mitchell
- The Battle of the Century Pie Fight – Super 8 version with audio commentary by Chris Seguin
- Stills Galleries for each short
- A collector's booklet featuring newly written notes on each film by writer and comedian Paul Merton, and a new essay by silent cinema expert Imogen Sara Smith
Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years – 1927 is available now courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
