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 Shakedown
(1929)
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This crime-boxing drama, directed by William Wyler, stars James Murray and Barbara Kent, with George Kotsonaros, Wheeler Oakman, Jack Hanlon, Harry Gibbon and Harry Tenbrook.
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 Kino Classics
2020 Blu-ray Disc edition
The Shakedown (1929), black & white, 65 minutes, not rated.
Kino Lorber, K24893, UPC 7-38329-24893-2.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc; 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 36.8 Mbps average video bit rate; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 2.0 Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; 12-page insert booklet; standard BD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 28 July 2020.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 6 / audio: 7 / additional content: 8 / overall: 7.
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This Blu-ray Disc edition has been restored at 4K high-resolution by NBCUniversal from a 35mm duplicate negative copied from a moderately worn 16mm reduction positive. The results are not great as the image quality is no better than an average 16mm print. The picture has been stabilized and digitally cleaned, removing dust, speckling, emulsion scuffing, scratches, and other print flaws. While the scuffing has been softened, it hasnât been entirely removed.
The film is accompanied by a jazzy music score composed by Michael Gatt and performed by a small ensemble.
Supplemental material includes audio commentary by Nick Pinkerton; and a booklet with a critical essay by Nora Fiore.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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This Region A Blu-ray Disc edition is available directly from . . .
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 Masters of Cinema
2021 Blu-ray Disc edition
Early Universal, Volume 1 (1926-1929), black & white, 204 minutes total, BBFC Certificate PG, including The Shakedown (1929), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Eureka Entertainment,
EKA70433 (MoC 250-252), unknown UPC number.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Region B Blu-ray Discs; 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; LPCM 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; insert booklet; standard BD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 13 September 2021.
Country of origin: USA
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This Region B Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from a 4k scan of archival print materials restored by Universal Pictures.
The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed by Michael Gatt.
Supplemental material includes audio commentary on Skinnerâs Dress Suit by film historian David Kalat; audio commentary on The Shield of Honor by professor Jason A. Ney; audio commentary on The Shakedown by film writer Nick Pinkerton; and an booklet featuring essays by critic Richard Combs and film writer Andrew Graves.
This is our recommended home video edition of this film for European collectors. North American collectors will need a region-free Blu-ray Disc player to view this edition.
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This Region B Blu-ray Disc edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Kino Classics
2020 DVD edition
The Shakedown (1929), black & white, 65 minutes, not rated.
Kino Lorber, K24892, UPC 7-38329-24892-5.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 1 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; 12-page insert booklet; standard DVD keepcase; $19.95.
Release date: 28 July 2020.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD edition has been mastered from restored at 4K high-resolution by NBCUniversal from a 35mm duplicate negative copied from a moderately worn source 16mm reduction print.
The film is accompanied by a music score composed by Michael Gatt and performed by a small ensemble.
Supplemental material includes audio commentary by Nick Pinkerton; and a critical essay by Nora Fiore.
This is our recommended DVD home video edition of the film.
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This Region 1 NTSC DVD edition is available directly from . . .
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