NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Flicker Alley Blu-ray (August 2019): Flicker Alley states: "L’Argent was forgotten by many until it was reconstructed in the 1970s, and did not receive a proper preservation until the 1990s. Now, thanks to Lobster Films—with the support of Marie-Ange L’Herbier (the director’s daughter), the French CNC and SACEM, the original camera negative of this silent classic has been rescanned at a pristine 4K resolution."

NOTE: We do note the running times differ by almost 15-minutes. The Masters of Cinema runs longer. In actuality the original film ran about 3 1/4 hours. If we can get a definitive statement, regarding the different sources, restoration and frame-rate utilized in regards to the time we will post it here.

RESPONSE FOR THE DIFFERENCE IN RUNS TIMES BETWEEN FLICKER ALLEY'S EDITION AND PREVIOUS PUBLICATIONS:

The 2019 joint publication of L'Argent by Flicker Alley and Lobster Films is a collaboration between the CNC and Lobster Films (with the support of Cinematheque Française, the Eye Film Museum and the L'Herbier family). This latest restoration is based on the camera negative, which was compared with all the existing surviving elements, shot by shot. The film's original intertiles were completely restored and re-timed. The length difference with some other versions comes mostly from the running speed (the restoration team felt that the old versions ran simply too slow). No footage is missing or left out of this version, and not a single frame is missing in this latest and ultimate restoration.

During the film's production, at least three cameras were used for the filming of the same scenes, creating three original camera negatives. The negative OCN °1 is missing (and no print is known to survive from this camera). The negative OCN °3 is the export version (containing what was felt to be inferior camera angles) that was used in this restoration for only a few shots that had decomposed in all the other elements and for the last shot with the optical special effect. As did the CNC in the past, the latest restoration is primarily based on the only complete camera negative in existence, the OCN °2, which we believe was the one used for the initial release.

The content present in our publication is as close to the original film as presented in 1928. We at Flicker Alley thank you for your appreciation and understanding of these distinctions.

It is on a dual-layered Blu-ray with a reasonable bitrate. It's all about the 4K restoration and the image has some predictable inconsistency but there are spots that look stellar - almost like an 8X10 glossy. There are marks and scratches with some contrast flickering but this is a massive leap above the 2008 DVD. The 1080P image is lighter and shows more information in the frame with rounded corners visible, but seems to have the same damage marks.

NOTE: 23 more full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray captures for Patrons are available HERE.

About the audio: "Flicker Alley’s publication of L’Argent features a new score from Olivier Massot, preformed by the National Orchestra of Lyon under the direction of Timothy Brock, and an earlier orchestral adaptation from Rodney Sauer, preformed by the Mont Alto Orchestra."

The two score options are in linear PCM 2.0 channel (16-bit), and there are optional English subtitles for the French intertitles. This Blu-ray disc is Region FREE.

On the Extras: "Also included in this deluxe edition is The Making of L’Argent, one of the first-ever behind-the-scenes documentaries of a feature film. This bonus featurette, complete with a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm elements, and two new musical compositions, including a fascinating score by Tempsion, is a masterpiece in itself."

The Making of... runs 40-minutes and also included as Blu-ray supplements are the 5-minute video "The Two Restorations of Autour de L’Argent" which is a restoration demonstration of Autour de L’Argent hosted by Serge Bromberg in French with English subtitles. Prometheus Banker (Prométhée Banquier) runs 1/4 hour and is a perfect thematic complement to L’Argent, complete with new restoration, this short film by Marcel L’Herbier tells the story of a banker-seducing vampire. There is a 4-minute photo gallery slide show presentation of vintage marketing materials, behind-the-scene stills and more from L’Argent and the package has a souvenir booklet featuring an essay by Mireille Beaulieu and collection of unique photographs and promotional material recently discovered in Mrs. L’Herbier’s collection.