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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Black Oxen
(1923)
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This scarce feature film directed by Frank Lloyd stars Corinne Griffith, Conway Tearle and a young Clara Bow.
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 Prowlin’ Productions
2006 DVD edition
A Double Dose of . . . Clara Bow, Volume 9, color-toned black & white, 143 minutes total, not rated, with Black Oxen (1923), color-toned black & white, 58 minutes, not rated, and Down to the Sea in Ships (1925), color-toned black & white, 95 minutes, not rated.
Prowlin’ Productions,
no catalog number, UPC 1-74135-72018-0.
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 2.4 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); LPCM 2.0 mono sound encoded at 1.5 Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 12 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 2006.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 3 / additional content: 5 / overall: 3.
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This DVD-R edition has been video transferred from a good but incomplete 16mm reduction print, but the disc has been mastered from a VHS videotape copy of the original transfer, complete with occasional video glitches. The source may be a pirating of the Buyers’ Gallery Video edition noted below. As with other cheap editions of this film, the source print ends abruptly at the dinner party sequence. The results are clearer than other low-budget discs but is still quite dark in its shadow areas of the picture.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings with a persistent hum and occasional playback speed fluctuations. Annoying.
This edition is out-of-print and will be difficult to find. We hope that it will soon all be moot after a quality home video edition is released. The George Eastman Museum has preserved the film from a 35mm fine-grain positive struck from the original camera negative, so hope is not lost.
This review was updated in 2026.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Alpha Video
2015 DVD edition
Black Oxen (1923), black & white, 57 minutes, not rated, with My Lady of Whims (1925), black & white, 44 minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 7699D, UPC 0-89218-76999-2
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.20:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 3.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 384 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; no chapter stops (within the film); standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised again to $9.99).
Release date: 1 September 2015.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 3 / additional content: 3 / overall: 3.
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a 16mm reduction print that is reasonably even toned but more than a bit blurry. In case you miss them the first time through, the main titles are repeated so you may read them again. Dust, speckling, and other print flaws are present in the picture.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting orchestral music recordings that are often overblown compared to the film’s action.
This review was updated in 2026.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
ALPHA VIDEO through . . .
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 Loving the Classics
201? DVD edition
Black Oxen (1923), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
Loving the Classics, 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 ? 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 subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $14.99 (raised to $15.49).
Release date: 201?.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print. We question the longer running time.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
Note that this company apparently has a history of pirating other home video editions or pirating television network recordings to produce their products. Be aware that purchasing pirated home video editions does not benefit the original edition producers nor the composers whose music is often pirated as well.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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Buyers’ Gallery Video
2004 DVD edition
Black Oxen (1923), black & white, 60 minutes, not rated.
Buyers’ Gallery Video, 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 ? 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 subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase?; $12.99.
Release date: 2004.
Country of origin: Canada
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This DVD-R edition from eBay retailer Buyers’ Gallery Video has been mastered been an incomplete (likely 16mm reduction) print, ending at the dinner party sequence.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
As with all cheapy editions, we advise waiting.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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Other silent era CORINNE GRIFFITH films available on home video.
Other silent era CLARA BOW films available on home video.
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