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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When the Clouds
Roll By
(1919)
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This Douglas Fairbanks comedy, directed by Victor Fleming, features Kathleen Clifford, Frank Campeau, Ralph Lewis and Herbert Grimwood.
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 Flicker Alley
2008 DVD edition
Douglas Fairbanks: A Modern Musketeer (1916-1921), color-toned black & white, color-tinted black & white, color-tinted and color-toned black & white and black & white, 760 minutes total, not rated, including When the Clouds Roll By (1919), color-toned black & white and color-tinted black & white, 86 minutes, not rated.
Flicker Alley, FA0011,
UPC 6-17311-67359-7, ISBN: 1-8939-6735-2.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (five DVDs in the set); 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 6.6 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 14 chapter stops; 32-page insert booklet; five slimline DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $89.95.
Release date: 2 December 2008.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 6 / audio: 7 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.
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This DVD edition has been mastered from a coarse video transfer from a very-good 35mm print struck in the 1950s from the camera negative (possibly for the Museum of Modern Art), with inserts from two other prints. Some dust, speckling, schmutz, and significant emulsion scuffing are present. The transfer may play acceptably on old CRT standard televisions or on computer screens but is hard to tolerate, with its (vertical!) pixels that are easily detected and distracting, on high-definition monitors. The intertitles are presented in still frames that only emphasize the low resolution of the transfer. The inserted footage is easily identifed as their transfers are smoother than that of the main source material. The film would benefit greatly from a new HD digital scan released on Blu-ray Disc.
The film is accompanied by a musical score composed and performed on piano by Franklin Stover.
Supplemental material includes a 32-page booklet with film notes by Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta; production stills and pressbook reproductions; an audio essay for A Modern Musketeer by Vance and Maietta; and a reproduction of Fairbanks’ first film contract. This boxset collection won an award at Il Cinema Ritrovato in 2009 for excellence.
Reluctantly recommended until a better home video edition is released.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is available directly from . . .
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 Grapevine Video
2011 DVD edition
When the Clouds Roll By (1919), black & white, 83 minutes, not rated, with The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916), black & white, 23 minutes, not rated.
Grapevine Video, no catalog number, UPC 8-42614-10326-1.
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.
Release date: 2011.
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 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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 Reel Classic DVD
201? DVD edition
When the Clouds Roll By (1919), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with Burglars Bold (1921), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Reelclassicdvd.com, no catalog number, UPC 7-62185-05352-2.
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; $19.98.
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 accompanied by a music score composed and performed by Bernie Anderson.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
REEL CLASSIC DVD through . . .
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 Reel Vault
2015 DVD edition
When the Clouds Roll By (1919), black & white, 68 minutes, not rated.
Reel Vault, unknown catalog number, UPC 6-44827-18262-6.
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; $9.99.
Release date: 9 July 2015.
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 music score.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
REEL VAULT through . . .
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 Alpha Video
2010 DVD edition
When the Clouds Roll By (1919), black & white, 68 minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 6433D, UPC 0-89218-64339-1.
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; $6.98 (raised to $8.98).
Release date: 28 September 2010.
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.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
ALPHA VIDEO through . . .
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Other silent era DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS films available on home video.
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Douglas Fairbanks filmography in The Progressive Silent Film List
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