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Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
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The Black Watch
(1929)

 

This imperialist historical drama, directed by John Ford, stars Victor McLaglen and Myrna Loy, with support from David Torrence, David Rollins, Cyril Chadwick, Lumsden Hare, Roy D’Arcy, David Percy, Mitchell Lewis, Claude King, Walter Long and Francis Ford. John Wayne and Randolph Scott appear as extras but are difficult to identify.

This full-sound film displays a number of the shortcomings of early synchronized sound film production, including a slow, deliberate pacing to the delivery of dialogue and a number of incidental songs and music that hold the film’s action hostage that can make it tough going for modern audiences.

A 23-year-old Myrna Loy is exotically beautiful in this early starring role. Roy D’Arcy makes a gloriously smarmy smiling snake of a villain.

Ultimately, the film can be a drudge to watch due to its plodding pace and its clunky dialogue (I don’t think that Indians say “thee” as much as they do here) but it is a must-see for John Ford fans.

Loving the Classics
2010 DVD edition

The Black Watch (1929), black & white, 93 minutes, not rated.

Loving the Classics, THELKY3967, no UPC number.
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 foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $23.99 (reduced to $14.99).
Release date: 2010.
Country of origin: USA
This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a good 16mm reduction print.

The film is presented with its original synchronized soundtrack.

Be advised, it can take a very looooong time for your order to be fulfilled by Loving the Classics.

 
This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
Unidentified publisher
2009 DVD edition

The Black Watch (1929), black & white, 92 minutes, not rated.

Unidentified home video publisher,
no catalog number, no UPC number.
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 4.2 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 256 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 20 chapter stops; slimline DVD keepcase; $17.99.
Release date: 2009.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 2 / audio: 4 / additional content: 0 / overall: 2.

This DVD-R edition, acquired through eBay, has been mastered from a VHS videotape copy of a 16mm reduction print. The videotape displays a number of video tracking glitches throughout and is distressingly coarse in its smeary picture details. The source print itself has the usual amount of dust and speckling, schmutz, large timing marks, with occasional sprocket damage and missing frames lost to print breakage.

The film is presented with its original synchronized soundtrack. Dialogue is audible but occasionally a significant amount of buzzing and hiss comes to the forefront when no other sound is on the soundtrack. Annoying audio distortion is generously supplied by the subpar VHS videotape.

Why a still from Three Girls Lost (1931) with John Wayne and Loretta Young should be used for this cover art is a mystery since Wayne is indistinguishable among this film’s cast and Young doesn't appear here at all. Home video amateurs. Not a good (or legal) presentation. The disc is probably no longer available but it nonetheless does exist and the film can be viewed.

 
This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is . . .
Other silent era JOHN FORD films available on home video.

Other silent era JOHN WAYNE films available on home video.

 
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