The Stan Laurel Collection (Slapstick Symposium) Digital Life DVD

The Stan Laurel Collection (Slapstick Symposium)
starring: Stan Laurel, James Finlayson, Mickey Daniels, Ena Gregory, George Rowe
directed by: George Jeske, Harry Sweet

List Price: $29.95

Amazon.com's Price: $26.99

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Used Price: $14.95
Collectible Price: $29.99
Third Party New Price: $21.28

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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0738329036522
Format: DVD-Video, Silent, NTSC
Label: Kino Video
Manufacturer: Kino Video
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Kino Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: August 03, 2004
Running Time: 357 minutes
Sales Rank: 53016
Studio: Kino Video
Theatrical Release Date: August 03, 1924

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Description:
Before teaming up with Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel was one of the most important Hollywood comics of his time, competing with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Having been Chaplin's understudy and roommate, Laurel spent most of the 1910s avoiding actual demands to become a Chaplin lookalike. It was only in the 1920s that Stan laurel became established enough to capture the attention of producer Hal Roach and compete on equal terms with his mentor. The rare 16 short films (1923-1925) in this all-new DVD were finally restored to their original versions. All shot between 1923 and 1925, these films are a historic proof of Laurel's slapstick genius and a remarkable showcase of the intense work which allowed Lloyd to stand out in a time of great competition among hundreds of hopeful slapstick stars.

From the parodies of popular films from the 1920s ('Roughest Africa'. 'The Soilers') to the hilarious social satires ('Frozen Hearts', 'Short Kilts') or the familial ones ('Mother's Joy', 'Yes, Yes, Nanette') and ending with real jewels of silent comedy ('Oranges and Lemons', 'Postage Due'), this British-born comedian charms, thanks to his understanding of storytelling and his irresistible humor. These 16 short films are gathered on DVD for the first time thanks to the help of collectors and film archives from around the world.

Roughest Africa(1923):
During an expedition in Africa, Stan is confronted by wild animals for the camera of a documentary filmmaker.

The Soilers(1923):
Canister (Stan Laurel), a mine owner in Alaska, would give his life to get his confiscated goods/property back.

Mother's Joy(1924):
An old man asks a lawyer to find his missing daughter and grand-son who turns out to be a very extravagant young man.

Postage Due(1924):
Willy Worst (Stan Laurel) turns a local post-office upside-down just by trying to send a letter.

The Sleuth(1925):
Stan is a detective who essentially relies on different costumes to successfully complete his investigations.

Yes, Yes, Nanette(1925):
Nanette comes home to introduce her husband to her family. Nanette's ex-fiance (Oliver Hardy) takes advantage of the situation to make a comeback in her life.

And the following titles:

Oranges and Lemons(1923), Frozen Hearts(1923), Near Dublin(1924), Zeb Vs Paprika(1924), Short Kilts(1924), West of Hot Dog(1924), The Snow Hawk(1925), Navy Blue Days(1925), Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde(1925), Half a Man(1925).

Amazon.com:
The great Stan Laurel was 37 years old when he definitively teamed up with Oliver Hardy in 1927. So what had he done up till then? The Stan Laurel Collection valuably fills in a gap, with 17 comedy shorts Laurel made for producer Hal Roach between 1923 and 1925. Laurel was already a veteran vaudevillian, with many previous stabs at film work, when he embarked on this series for Roach. The comic personality on display will not be instantly familiar to Laurel and Hardy fans. In a frantic piece like Oranges and Lemons, Laurel is much closer to the acrobatic mischief of Chaplin than to the slow-burning simpleton he perfected opposite Hardy. Laurel was a busy gag-writer and worked on story and direction as well, and it says something about his imagination that these shorts range all over the planet for their settings: Frozen Hearts parodies Russian melodrama (and allows Stan a wonderfully daft Russian dance), Roughest Africa spoofs the African travelogue, with Laurel battling lion and elephant. Movie parodies were a Laurel specialty; Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride is a send-up of a certain Robert Louis Stevenson story, with Laurel's monster an unexpected demonic treat. The final short on disc 2 is Yes, Yes, Nanette, co-directed by Laurel and starring Jimmy Finlayson, a frequent stooge in these shorts. In a supporting role, there's 'Babe' Hardy, pointing the way toward greatness. These shorts are fun, but Laurel and Hardy needed each other. --Robert Horton

Digital Life Reviews

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Stan's preLaurel & Hardy days
He was no match for his former acting school roomate Charlie Chaplin,but Stan did a pretty good job on his own,prior to teaming up with Oliver Hardy.This DVD set is worth viewing.There are many memorable shorts.James Finlayson appears in many of them.Including one of my favourites,Roughest Africa.Pete the Dog,of Little Rascals fame even appears in Dr.Pyckle And Mr.Pride and a few others.The last film in this set,Yes Yes Nanette,was directed by Stan,but he does not appaer in it.James Finlayson and Oliver Hardy are the stars of this film.

Rating:

- Everything is funny, but Stan.
You'd have to go pretty far to find a more devoted Laurel and Hardy fan than I, but as I watched this great collection I realized that Stan wound up exactly where he belonged, behind the camera. The gags are funny, but they could have been done by any other able bodied comedian of the time. He HAD no character, and that is precisely the problem. I still gave this set 4 stars because the prints are gorgeous, the films are fun, and they are definitely worth preserving (KINO does an amazing job). My only negative comment has to do with Stan himself...who, if he wanted to continue as a performer, really needed Ollie a lot more than I'd realized. As for Ollie, well, he more than likely would have continued as a wonderful comic supporting character actor, just as Eugene Pallete did (another Roach veteran).

Rating:

- Solo Stan
Before he became Oliver Hardy's partner in 1927, Stan Laurel had starred in and directed many films on his own. This set has several good films on it. Some of the best are : The Soilers, Stan plays a prospector in Alaska. Oranges and Lemons, Stan plays a fruit picker and causes mayhem. Postage Due, in which Stan causes mayhem by just mailing a letter. Roughest Africa, where Laurel is a professor on an African Safari, and manages to anger some wildlife. Several of the films feature James Finlayson as a nemeis to Stan. Fin would play similar roles in several Laurel and Hardy films. As as been noted, Stan had a hard time finding a character that worked for him during his solo career. But I recommed getting this set to see a comic legend in development. And the prints used are in excellent shape.

Rating:

- A great comic in transition.
1923 to 1925 to Stan Laurel was a period of transition for one of the greatest comedians/gag men of 20th century film.
Starting out with one foot still firmly planted on the vaudeville stages of the United States and Canada Stan Laurels' films of this period made first for film producers Hal Roach,then Joe Rock then back to Roach would see him in the end stay in the film medium for good.
Watching these films reveals a comedian of the first order.He displays his skills with an ease and aplomb that equalled or excelled Chapln,Keaton and Lloyd.And there certainly were very few who could equal his mastery of the gag which he is responsible for throughout most of these films.
Most of these films have been previousy released on video and DVD but these transfers are for the most part quite superior to anythng I've seen before.They are for the most part quite crisp and clear which make them a joy to watch ... Read More

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