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Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
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Down to Earth
(1917)

Douglas Fairbanks stars in this comedy directed by John Emerson. Able support is provided by Eileen Percy, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Charles P. McHugh, Charles Gerrard, William H. Keith and Ruth Allen.

Alpha Video
2013 DVD edition

Down to Earth (1917), black & white, 55 minutes, not rated, with American Aristocracy (1916), black & white, 47 minutes, not rated.

Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 7266D, UPC 0-89218-72669-8.
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 6.2 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; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised again to $9.99).
Release date: 31 December 2013.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 3 / additional content: 2 / overall: 3.

This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from an 8mm reduction print. The video transfer was done at sound speed and runs at a distressingly faster pace than natural speed.

The film is presented with a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings, crudely edited together.

For now, this is our recommended home video edition of the film.

This review was updated in 2026.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
ALPHA VIDEO through . . .

Unknown Video
2007 DVD edition

Down to Earth (1917), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with A Ten Minute Egg (1924), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Unknown Video, no catalog number, unknown 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; $18.95.
Release date: 6 November 2007.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD-R edition of this five-reel film has likely been mastered from a fine-grain 16mm reduction print. Picture blacks are a bit greyed out.

The film is presented with a ragtime score by George L. Cobb, arranged and performed by Frederick Hodges.

UNKNOWN VIDEO has discontinued business and this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is . . .

Loving the Classics
201? DVD edition

Down to Earth (1917), black & white, 71 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: 9 April 2026.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.

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.

Sight unseen, this is our recommended home video edition of the film.

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