Buster Keaton - 65th Anniversary Collection DVD

Directed by Del Lord and Jules White
USA 1939 - 41'

 

  Ten comedic shorts from the Great Stone Face himself, Buster Keaton, arrive on DVD for the first time ever in this must-own special two-disc set. The honorary Academy Award-winner shines in rare films from Hollywood's golden - and hilarious - years. Teamed with the brilliant comediennes Dorothy Appleby and Elsie Ames, Keaton bumbles from one side-splitting mishap to another, always maintaining his famously blank expression. Whether he's a millionaire, a plumber, or a hat maker, Keaton's physical antics and hapless adventures light up the screen in these unforgettable 1940s comedies. The Buster Keaton Collection will have you doubled over with laughter.

Titles

DVD Review: Sony (2-disc) - Region 1,3,4 - NTSC

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Distribution Sony Pictures - Region 1,3,4 - NTSC
Runtime Approx 3 hours of shorts 
Video 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.5 (disc 1) + 5.15 (disc 2) mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s  

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Sample Bitrate:

Disc 1

Samnple Bitrate:

Disc 2

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0) 
Subtitles English, None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Sony Pictures

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• Commentary for each short
• Featurette: Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
• A reproduction of an actual annotated script with a foreword from Buster Keaton's granddaughter

DVD Release Date: April 5th, 2006

Keep Case
Chapters: 10

 

 

Comments:

8 of the 10 shorts are directed by Jules White who many may recognize from Three Stooges production fame. At about 20 minutes each, I'll assume these films were meant to open a theatrical feature but even with Keaton extended past his silent iconoclast status these are darn funny. With regulars such as Elsie Ames many of the gags are slapstick and I am quite excited to own this package. These include some great comedy moments!

The image quality is exceptional. They are transferred in HD and the black levels are piercing (possibly boosted a shade). Most scenes are extremely detailed with a visible amount of grain showing through. You can see some very infrequent speckles but overall the transfer is far better than I could have hoped for. Audio, likewise, is consistent and quite strong. Obviously the big bonus to this 2-disc set are the included commentaries on each short - some are by David Weddle but they often have others chosen for specific knowledge of the particular short. A kind of excessive inclusion is an extremely well-appointed 30-page booklet with the original scripts and an introductory note by Melissa Talmadge Cox.

Overall, although this may not be Keaton from his feature-length silents - this is still a wonderful package that we highly recommend!

Gary W. Tooze

 





DVD Menus

Disc 2

 


Subtitle Sample

 

 


 

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DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK to order from:

Distribution Sony Home Video - Region 1,3,4 - NTSC




 

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Gary Tooze

Mississauga, Ontario,

   CANADA

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