Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright ÂĐ 1999-2026 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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The Racket
(1928)
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This feature crime drama, directed by Lewis Milestone, stars Thomas Meighan and Marie Prevost, with Louis Wolheim, George E. Stone, John Darrow, âSkeetsâ Gallagher, Lee Moran, Lucien Prival, Tony Marlo, Henry Sedley and Sam de Grasse.
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 Flicker Alley
2026 Blu-ray Disc edition
Howard Hughes in Hollywood, Volume One (1927-1928), black & white, 173 minutes total, not rated, including Two Arabian Knights (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with The Racket (1928), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Flicker Alley, FA0091, UPC 6-17311-00919-8.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc (two BDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (3840 x 2160 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at ? Mbps average video bit rate; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; insert booklet; two standard BD keepcases; $49.95.
Release date: 28 July 2026.
Country of origin: USA
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This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from a 35mm print in the Howard Hughes collection held by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The film is accompanied by two optional music scores: one arranged by Robert Israel and performed by the Robert Israel Orchestra, and a second score composed by Neil Brand.
Supplemental material includes audio commentaries by Harlow Robinson (Two Arabian Knights) and by Farran Smith Nehme and Glenn Kenny (The Racket); outtakes from The Racket (44 minutes); the documentary Howard Hughes in Hollywood (2026) written by David Pierce; the documentary Howard Hughes and the First Academy Awards (2026), an examination of the beginning of the Academy Awards® by historian Randy Haberkamp; the featurette âHart Wegner Remembranceâ; an image gallery; and an insert booklet with an essay by Imogen Sara Smith.
For information about other films in this collection, see our Howard Hughes in Hollywood, Volume One on home video page.
Sight unseen, this is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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This Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc (BD-R) edition is available directly from . . .
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 Loving the Classics
202? DVD edition
The Racket (1928), black & white, 84 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
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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.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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Other CRIME FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
Other silent film music scores by ROBERT ISRAEL available on home video.
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