Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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Ashes of Vengeance
(1923)
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Norma Talmadge stars in this historical drama directed by Frank Lloyd, which features Conway Tearle, Wallace Beery, Josephine Crowell, Betty Francisco and Claire McDowell.
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 Alpha Video
2016 DVD edition
Ashes of Vengeance (1923), black & white, 105 minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 7759D, UPC 0-89218-77599-3.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 3.9 Mbps average video bit rate, 384 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised to $8.98).
Release date: 1 March 2016.
Country of origin: USA
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This budget DVD-R edition has been mastered from a very-good 16mm reduction print that appears to have been sourced from a VHS videotape, as the picture details are blurry. On the plus side, shadow details remain open instead of the dark, featureless shadows that are common in most video transfers from 16mm prints.
The film is presented with a music score compiled from preexisting recordings.
Not a great disc but a watchable disc.
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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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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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United Kingdom: Click logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
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 Silent Hall of Fame Enterprises
2016 DVD edition
Ashes of Vengeance (1923), black & white, 102 minutes, not rated.
Silent Hall of Fame Enterprises, 11, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD+R disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo? sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; slimline CD jewelcase; $32.99 (raised to $41.99).
Release date: 1 January 2016.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a very-good 16mm reduction print (based on still frames we have viewed).
The film is likely to be presented with a music score compiled from preexisting recordings.
The edition’s supplemental features include a preface by Alex Staykov; excerpts from the Silent Hall of Fame documentary “Breaking the Silence” (2015); and an introduction to the film.
Even if the video quality is better than the poor Alpha Video edition noted above, we think that the cost of this DVD+R edition is totally bloated and indefensible.
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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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Other silent era NORMA TALMADGE films available on home video.
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