Silent Era : Home Video Reviews

Silent Era Home Page > Home Video > Laughing Gas

Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2026 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.

Laughing Gas
(1914)

This short comedy, directed by Charles Chaplin, stars Charles Chaplin and Alice Howell, with Mack Swain, Josef Swickard, Slim Summerville, Fritz Schade and Joseph Sutherland.

Flicker Alley
2010 DVD edition

Chaplin at Keystone (1914), black & white, 590 minutes total, not rated, including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, 13 minutes, not rated.

Flicker Alley, FA0018,
UPC 6-17311-67579-9, ISBN 1-893967-57-3.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (four 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; four slimline DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $79.95.
Release date: 26 October 2010.
Country of origin: USA

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

This DVD edition has been mastered from an excellent 35mm source print held by Kansallinen audiovisuaalinen arkisto (National Audiovisual Archive of Finland) formerly the Suomen elokuva-arkisto (Finnish Film Archive) in Helsinki, Finland. The original English intertitles have been recreated.

The film is accompanied by a music score by Robert Israel, The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, Neil Brand, Frederick Hodges, Stephen Horne, Ethan Uslan, Antonio Coppola, Éric Le Guen, Eric Beheim, and Ken Winokur (of The Alloy Orchestra) with the Tillie’s Nightmare ensemble.

For information about other films in this collection, see our Chaplin at Keystone on home video page.

The improvement in quality over previous home video editions is so great that you’ll toss your other Keystone Chaplin discs when you see this collection. Highly recommended!

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

All Day Entertainment
2006 DVD edition

American Slapstick (1914-1929), black & white and color-tinted black & white, 279 minutes total, not rated, including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, 11 minutes, not rated.

All Day Entertainment, distributed by Image Entertainment,
ADE3581DVD, UPC 0-14381-35812-4.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc (three DVDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in windowboxed 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 stereo sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; no chapter stops (within the film); double-wide three-disc DVD keepcase; $39.99.
Release date: 21 November 2006.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 4 / audio: 7 / additional content: 6 / overall: 5.

This DVD edition has been mastered from a fair 16mm reduction print that is flat and a bit grey in its image highlights. As is to be expected, among other print flaws, dust, speckling, splices and schmutz are present. Intertitles have been replaced with well-executed digital titles that emulate the originals quite closely. It is too bad that the muddy print sharply contrasts the clarity of the titles.

The film features musical accompaniment composed and performed on piano by Ben Model.

For information about other films in this collection, see our American Slapstick on home video page.

Supplemental material includes a short film from the 1960s featuring clips from silent films (5 minutes); and a PDF copy of The Charlie Chaplin Book (1916).

This review was updated in 2026.

ALL DAY ENTERTAINMENT has discontinued disc sales
and this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition is . . .

Reel Classic DVD
200? DVD edition

A Festival of Silent Comedy, Volume 5 (1914-1927), black & white, 108 minutes total, not rated, including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Reel Classic DVD, no catalog number, UPC 7-62184-87722-8.
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 ? 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; no chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $19.98.
Release date: 200?.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print and the picture quality is likely to be the same as the All Day Entertainment edition noted above.

The film is presented with a music score composed and performed on piano by Ben Model.

For information about other films in this collection, see our A Festival of Silent Comedy, Volume 5 on home video page.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
REEL CLASSIC DVD through . . .

Alpha Video
2009 DVD edition

Silent Comedy Classics (1913-1987), black & white, 207 minutes total, not rated, including Laffing Gas [Laughing Gas] (1914), black & white, 9 minutes, not rated.

Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 5941D, UPC 0-89218-59419-8.
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 3.4 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; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98.
Release date: 24 November 2009.
Country of origin: USA

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

This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a poor-to-good 16mm reduction print from Official Films that is burned out in its white highlights and plugged up to solid black in its shadows. Dust, speckling, and other print flaws are seen.

The film is accompanied by the source print’s synchronized soundtrack of music and silly sound effects. The effects are almost silly enough to be funny.

For information about other films in this collection, see our Silent Comedy Classics on home video page.

Not recommended.

This review was updated in 2026.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition has been discontinued
and is . . .

St. Clair Vision
2005 DVD edition

Charlie Chaplin: 51 Features (1914-1921), black & white, 870 minutes total, not rated, including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

St. Clair Vision, 45340-9, UPC 7-87364-53409-8.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (three 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) 5.1 surround sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; double-wide three-disc DVD keepcase; $19.98.
Release date: 27 July 2005.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 5 / additional content: 3 / overall: 3.

This DVD edition follows the suit of other big box Chaplin collections: put as many films onto as many discs as possible, irregardless of print quality and sell them as cheap as possible. With so many quality versions of the later Chaplin films available, the chief attraction of this collection will be the presence of the 1914 Keystone films. But don’t expect them to be mastered from anything but 16mm reduction prints.

For information about other films in this collection, see our Charlie Chaplin: 51 Features on home video page.

Don’t consider buying this collection for the later Chaplin films. The Essanay, Mutual and First National films have all been released on DVD home video in far superior editions transferred from 35mm prints (see below). The main attraction of this set is the fairly complete collection of the Keystone films (nine of the 35 films are not in the collection — one, Her Friend the Bandit [1914], is presumed lost).

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .

Brentwood Home Video
2004 DVD edition

Charlie Chaplin: 57 Classics (1914-1921), black & white, 5948 minutes total, not rated, including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Brentwood Home Video, 45340-9, UPC 7-87364-53409-8.
One dual-sided, single-layered, Region 0 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; and one single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD 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; five-disc DVD keepcase with bonus disc in paper envelope in cardboard slipcase; $19.98.
Release date: 27 April 2004.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 4 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 4.

This DVD edition follows the suit of other Brentwood big box releases: put as many films onto five or six discs as possible, irregardless of print quality and sell them as cheap as possible. With so many quality versions of the later Chaplin films available, the chief attraction of this collection will be the presence of the 1914 Keystone films. But don’t expect them to be mastered from anything but 16mm reduction prints.

The documentary The Chaplin Puzzle, written by Joe Adamson, features narration by Burgess Meredith.

For information about other films in this collection, see our Charlie Chaplin: 57 Classics on home video page.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .

Delta Entertainment
2005 DVD edition

The Essential Charlie Chaplin Collection (1914-1916), black & white, 700 minutes total, not rated, including Laughing Gas (1914), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Delta Entertainment, 89 246, UPC 0-18111-92269-6.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (eight 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; eight plastic DVD trays in bookwrap; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 7 June 2005.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 5 / additional content: 4 / overall: 4.

This DVD edition follows the suit of other big box releases: put as few films onto as many discs as possible, irregardless of print quality and sell them as cheap as possible. With so many quality versions of the later Chaplin films available, the chief attraction of this collection will be the presence of the 1914 Keystone films. But don’t expect them to be mastered from anything but 16mm reduction prints.

For information about other films in this collection, see our The Essential Charlie Chaplin Collection on home video page.