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Eleven P.M.
(1928)

This feature drama, directed by Richard Maurice, stars Richard Maurice and Orine Johnson, with Sammie Fields, Leo Pope, J.M. Stephens, Eugene Williams and H. Marion Williams.

Kino Classics
2016 Blu-ray Disc edition

Pioneers of African-American Cinema (1915-1946), black & white, color-tinted black & white, color-toned black & white, and color, 1266 minutes total. not rated, including Eleven P.M. (1928), black & white, 67 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K20601, UPC 7-38329-20601-7.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc (five BDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at 20.8 Mbps average video bit rate; LPCM 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 1.5 Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 6 chapter stops; 80-page insert book; one cardboard wrap with three plastic BD trays in cardboard slipcase; $99.95.
Release date: 26 July 2016.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 3 / additional content: 8 / overall: 6.

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered in 4K high-definition from a 35mm preservation print held by the Library of Congress that ranges in quality from fair to excellent and is marked by a significant amount of dust, speckling, schmutz, scrapes and scratches, sprocket damage, and other flaws.

As strange as the film is, it is accompanied by an equally strange and distracting music score composed and performed on electric guitar and keyboards by Rob Gal. OK, after a while the score is downright annoying. Kudos if you can take it for an hour.

Supplemental material includes the documentaries “We Work Again” (1937) produced by the Federal Works Project (15 minutes), and “The Tyler-Texas Black Film Collection: The Missing Link in Black Cinema” (1985), with Ossie Davis (6 minutes); theatrical trailers for Veiled Aristocrats (4 minutes) and Birthright (3 minutes); an interview with historian S. Torriano Berry on the works of James and Eloyce Gist (5 minutes); and the featurettes “Pioneers of African-American Cinema: An Introduction,” with collection curators Jacqueline Najuma Stewart and Charles Musser (8 minutes), “About the Restoration,” with edition producer Bret Wood (8 minutes), “The Color Line,” with Charles Musser (5 minutes), “Ten Nights in a Bar Room: An Introduction,” with Charles Musser (4 minutes), “Eleven P.M.: An Introduction,” with Charles Musser (3 minutes), “The Films of Oscar Micheaux,” with Charles Musser (9 minutes), “The Films of Zora Neale Hurston,” with film archivist Mike Mashon (2 minutes), “The Films of Spencer Williams,” with Jacqueline Najuma Stewart (7 minutes), “Religion in Early African-American Cinema,” with Jacqueline Najuma Stewart and Charles Musser (7 minutes), and “The End of an Era,” with Jacqueline Najuma Stewart (5 minutes); and an 80-page insert book with notes on the films and essays by Charles Musser and Jacqueline Najuma Stewart, with contributions from Rhea L. Combs, Mary N. Elliott and Paul D. Miller.

This is our recommended home video edition of the film, although it might be tough going due to the accompanying music.

This Region A Blu-ray Disc edition is available directly from . . .

Kino Classics
2016 DVD edition

Pioneers of African-American Cinema (1915-1946), black & white, color-tinted black & white, color-toned black & white, and color, 952 minutes total. not rated, including Eleven P.M. (1928), black & white, 60 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K20600, UPC 7-38329-20600-0.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc (five DVDs in the set); 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; an insert book; one cardboard wrap with three plastic DVD trays in cardboard slipcase, $79.95.
Release date: 26 July 2016.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD edition has been mastered in 4K high-definition from a 35mm print held by the Library of Congress.

The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed by Rob Gal.

The collection is supplemented with an insert book that includes notes on the films and essays by collection curators Charles Musser and Jacqueline Najuma Stewart.

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

This Region 1 NTSC DVD edition is available directly from . . .

Loving the Classics
202? DVD edition

Eleven P.M. (1928), black & white, 56 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: 202?.
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.

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