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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The First Auto
(1927)
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Auto racing legend Barney Oldfield is featured in this comedy-drama of early automobiles directed by Roy Del Ruth. Stars Patsy Ruth Miller and Russell Simpson are ably supported by Frank Campeau, William Demarest, Douglas Gerrard, Gibson Gowland and Anders Randolf.
This Warner Brothers feature film was released prior to the premiere of The Jazz Singer (1927) but may not have featured its Vitaphone soundtrack until later in 1927.
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 Warner Archive Collection
2009 DVD edition
The First Auto (1927), black & white, 77 minutes, not rated.
Warner Home Video,
no catalog number, UPC 8-83316-16524-9.
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 7.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 7 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $19.95 (reduced to $12.99).
Release date: 16 September 2009.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 6 / additional content: 0 / overall: 7.
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from the UCLA 35mm restoration print. Some beginning decomposition is seen in a couple of shots and the restoration print has a serious case of frame jitters. Some shots are significantly speckled.
The film is accompanied by its original Vitaphone soundtrack featuring synchronized music and sound effects.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION through . . .
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 Sinister Cinema
202? DVD edition
The First Auto (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with The First Auto (1927), color-tinted black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Sinister Cinema, AA140, unknown UPC number.
Two single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R discs; 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 two-disc DVD keepcase; $12.95.
Release date: 202?.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a 35mm print.
The film is accompanied by its original Vitaphone soundtrack featuring synchronized music and sound effects.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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