Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2026 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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Arsenal
(1929)
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This feature drama, directed by Aleksandr Dovzhenko, features Semyon Svashenko, Amvrosi Buchma, Georgii Khorkov, Dmitri Erdman, Sergei Petrov, M. Mikhailovski, A. Yevdakov and Luciano Albertini.
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 Film Preservation Associates
2003 DVD edition
Arsenal (1929), black & white, 73 minutes, not rated.
Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID1402DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-14022-4.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc; 1.20:1 aspect ratio picture in windowboxed 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 6.8 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 224 Kbps audio bit rate; Russian language intertitles, permanent English language subtitles; 12 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $24.99.
Release date: 11 February 2003.
Country of origin: USA •
Ratings (1-10): video: 6 / audio: 7 / additional content: 8 / overall: 7.
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This DVD edition, originally produced for release on VHS videotape in 1997, has been mastered from a good 35mm preservation print of the 1972 Mosfilm restoration of the film. Dust, speckling, schmutz, processing blemishes, emulsion scrapes and chipping, frame jitters, and other print flaws are present in the picture. As with most photochemical preservation prints produced in the 1960s and 1970s, flaws in the nitrate source print are hard copied into the preservation materials. The picture looks better on HD systems capable of image upscaling.
The film is accompanied by an orchestral music score from the optical soundtrack of the 1972 restoration print.
Supplemental material includes audio commentary by film historian Vance Kepley.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film for North American collectors.
This review was updated in 2026.
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This Region 1 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Mr Bongo Films
2011 DVD edition
Arsenal (1929), black & white, 87 minutes, BBFC Certificate PG.
Mr Bongo Films, MRBDVD034, UPC 7-11969-11589-5.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 PAL DVD disc; 1.20:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 7.2 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 25 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; Russian language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; £17.99 / $9.99.
Release date: 18 February 2011.
Country of origin: England
Ratings (1-10): video: 5 / audio: 6 / additional content: 0 / overall: 5.
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This DVD edition has been mastered from a 35mm print of the 1972 Mosfilm restoration of the film. Dust, speckling, schmutz, processing blemishes, emulsion scrapes and chipping, frame jitters, and other print flaws are present in the picture. Unfortunately, the coarse resolution of this DVD cannot be upscaled on capable HD systems, as picture details in diagonals clearly show the stair-step presence of low-resolution artifacts that also rob the image of details.
The film is presented with the orchestral music score from the optical soundtrack of the 1972 restoration print.
North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.
This review was updated in 2026.
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This Region 0 PAL DVD edition is available directly from . . .
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Other RUSSIAN and SOVIET FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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