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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Below
the Surface
(1920)
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This deep-sea diving drama, directed by Irvin V. Willat, stars Hobart Bosworth, Grace Darmond and Lloyd Hughes, with George Webb, Gladys George, J.P.Lockney and Edith Yorke.
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 Flicker Fusion
2025 Blu-ray Disc edition
Behind the Door (1919), black & white, 70 minutes, not rated, with Below the Surface (1920), black & white, 91 minutes, not rated.
Flicker Alley, FF0006, UPC 6-17311-60069-2.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at ? Mbps average video bit rate; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, English language SDH subtitles; chapter stops; insert booklet; standard BD keepcase; $34.95.
Release date: 4 March 2025.
Country of origin: USA
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This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from the 35mm restoration produced by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. The restoration print has been conflated from two known surviving film elements (a 35mm nitrate export version negative held by the Gosfilmofond and an incomplete 35mm print held by the Library of Congress) referencing director Willat’s copy of the original scenario.
The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed by Stephen Horne.
Supplemental material includes a complete presentation of the Russian release version with music by Horne; outtakes from Behind the Door; the featurette “Restoring Irvin Willat’s Behind the Door” documenting the restoration of the film; the featurette “Kevin Brownlow Spotlights Irvin Willat” with film historian and Honorary Academy Award® winner Kevin Brownlow; a slideshow gallery of film stills and promotional materials for Behind the Door; and an insert booklet featuring rare photographs, and essays on both films by film historians Jay Weissburg and Scott Simmon.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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This
Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition is also available directly from . . .
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 Grapevine Video
2005 DVD edition
Below the Surface (1920), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with From Hand to Mouth (1919), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Grapevine Video, no catalog number, UPC 8-42614-10020-8.
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; $16.95 (reduced to $14.95).
Release date: September 2005
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is also available directly from . . .
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 Alpha Video
2023 DVD edition
Below the Surface (1920), black & white, 69 minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 8561D, UPC 0-89218-85619-7.
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; $8.98.
Release date: 17 October 2023.
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 recordings.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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 Loving the Classics
201? DVD edition
Below the Surface (1920), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Loving the Classics,
no catalog number, unknown UPC number.
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 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $14.99.
Release date: 201?
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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Other silent era LLOYD HUGHES films available on home video.
Other NAUTICAL FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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