Silent Era Information*Progressive Silent Film List*Lost Films*People*Theaters
Taylorology*Articles*Home Video*Books*Search
 
Foolish Wives BD
 
Silent Era Home Page  >  Home Video  >  The Social Secretary
 
Silent Era Films on Home Video
Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.

The Social
Secretary

(1916)

 

Norma Talmadge stars as a beautiful secretary who stays one step ahead of her wolfish employers by taking a job as a social secretary to a society woman. Erich von Stroheim appears in a small role as a newspaper reporter.

coverGrapevine Video
2004 DVD edition

The Social Secretary (1916), color-toned black & white, 52 minutes, not rated, with The Forbidden City (1918), black & white, 62 minutes, not rated.

Grapevine Video, no catalog number, UPC 8-42614-10042-0.
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 4.5 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 224 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $14.95.
Release date: 2004.
Country of origin: USA

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

This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a dark, color-toned 16mm reduction print.

The film is accompanied by a music score performed on theater organ.

Currently, this is the best home video edition of this film.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is also available directly from . . .
coverAlpha Video
2012 DVD edition

The Social Secretary (1916), black & white, 48 minutes, not rated, with ’Twas Henry’s Fault (1919), black & white, 11 minutes, not rated.

Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 6696D, UPC 0-89218-66969-8.
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 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised to $8.98).
Release date: 3 January 2012.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a fair to good Blackhawk Films 8mm reduction print. The video transfer is contrasty, with plugged-up shadows and blasted out highlights.

The film is not accompanied by any kind of music score.

Not at all recommended. Until a better edition comes along, get the Grapevine Video edition noted above.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
Other silent era NORMA TALMADGE films available on home video.
 
Silent Era Home Page  >  Home Video  >  The Social Secretary
 
Lodger BD
Become a Patron of Silent Era

LINKS IN THIS COLUMN
WILL TAKE YOU TO
EXTERNAL WEBSITES

SUPPORT SILENT ERA
USING THESE LINKS
WHEN SHOPPING AT
AMAZON

AmazonUS
AmazonCA
AmazonUK

Devil's Needle BD

Floating Weeds BD

Vitagraph BD

Road to Ruin BD

Cat and the Canary BD

Boob / Why Be Good BD

Madame DuBarry BD

Stella Maris BD

Three Ages / Hospitality BD

Pandora's Box BD

Browning's Shockers BD

Johnstown Flood BD

3 Musketeers / Iron Mask BD

Piccadilly BD

Spanish Dancer BD

Laurel & Hardy Year 1 BD

The Doll BD

Robin Hood / Black Pirate BD

Sky High BD

Michael BD

Johannna Enlists BD