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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Cobra
(1925)
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 Flicker Alley
2015 DVD edition
Cobra (1925), black & white, 75 minutes, not rated.
Flicker Alley, distributed by MovieZyng,
FA-MD3-011, UPC 8-89290-09116-1.
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; chapter stops; standard DVD case; $19.95.
Release date: 18 March 2015.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition is a reissue of the Film Preservation Associates edition noted below. This edition should be identical in quality to FPA disc.
The film is accompanied by an excellent music score compiled by Rodney Sauer and Susan Hall, and performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from FLICKER ALLEY through . . .
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 Film Preservation Associates
1999 DVD edition
Cobra (1925), black & white, 75 minutes, not rated.
Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID5662DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-56622-2.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (reissued on 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 7.6 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 15 chapter stops; snapper DVD case (reissued in standard DVD case); $24.99.
Release date: 3 August 1999.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 8 / additional content: 1 / overall: 7.
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This early DVD edition from Film Preservation Associates has been mastered from a video transfer that utilized a 35mm master positive print struck from the original nitrate camera negative, transferred at the visually-correct speed of 22 frames per second. The picture quality is certainly acceptable but a bit soft and slightly greyed out.
The presentation features a music score compiled by Rodney Sauer and Susan Hall from period arrangements, which is performed on piano, reeds and strings by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
Supplemental material consists solely of three filmographies.
At one time out-of-print, this edition was rereleased in on-demand DVD-R format in 2011. Officially, it is out-of-print again, replaced by the Flicker Alley MOD DVD-R noted above.
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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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 The Film Detective
2017 DVD edition
Cobra (1925), black & white, 70 minutes, not rated.
The Film Detective,
unknown catalog number, 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 48 kHz 8-bit? 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase, $9.99.
Release date: 4 May 2017.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.
All of the films in the collection have previously appeared on DVD in high-quality editions.
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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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 Passport Video
2009 DVD edition
The Rudolph Valentino Collection: 5 Fabulous Films (1918-1925), black & white, 420 minutes total, not rated, including Cobra (1925), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Passport Video,
unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
Three single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs, 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 48 kHz 8-bit? 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; three-disc DVD keepcase, $19.98.
Release date: 11 August 2009.
Country of origin: USA
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This three-disc DVD collection of Rudolph Valentino films may have been mastered from 16mm reduction prints.
All of the films in the collection have previously appeared on DVD in high-quality editions.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Other RUDOLPH VALENTINO films available on home video.
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