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
Soilers
(1923)
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This Stan Laurel comedy features Ena Gregory, James Finlayson and Sammy Brooks.
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 Kino on Video
2004 DVD edition
The Stan Laurel Collection (1923-1925), black & white, 357 minutes total, not rated, including The Soilers (1923), black & white, 24 minutes, not rated.
Kino International, K365, UPC 0-38329-03652-2.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (two 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; standard two-disc DVD keepcase; $39.95.
Release date: 3 August 2004.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD collection of seventeen short Stan Laurel comedies, made before his successful teaming with Oliver Hardy, features the best available editions of films that are plentiful in myriad cheap discs.
The disc was produced with the assistance of Lobster Films, Paris, and should feature transfers from the best-available prints, both 35mm and 16mm reduction prints.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is available directly from . . .
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 Hal Roach Studios
2000 DVD edition
The Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy, The Complete Collection, Volume Six (1923-1929), black & white, 121 minutes total, not rated, including The Soilers (1923), black & white, 20 minutes, not rated.
Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Image Entertainment,
HRS4796, UPC 0-14381-47962-1.
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 4.8 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 256 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 6 chapter stops; snapper DVD case (reissued in standard DVD keepcase); $29.99.
Release date: 25 April 2000.
Country of origin: USA •
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This DVD edition has been mastered from 35mm print elements. We have seen some of the films on laserdisc and VHS videotape, and we have seen other DVD releases in this series. Our hipshot opinion of the DVD, sight unseen, is that some films will look very-good (transferred from the original 35mm negatives) and others may be passable at best, usually films transferred from the best surviving material in the possession of Hal Roach Studios.
Read our review of volume three in this series for an idea of what to expect from this release.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Reel Classic DVD
2004 DVD edition
A Festival of Silent Comedy, Volume 2 (1916-1926), black & white, 93 minutes total, not rated, including The Soilers (1923), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Reel Classic DVD no catalog number, UPC 7-62184-87622-1.
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; $20.00.
Release date: 2004.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.
The film is presented with a music score performed by Ben Model.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
REEL CLASSIC DVD through . . .
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 Alpha Video
2005 DVD edition
Early Silent Classics of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Volume 2 (1917-1926), black & white, 87 minutes total, not rated, including The Soilers (1923) [abridged], black & white, 9 minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 4680D, UPC 0-89218-46809-3.
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 4.0 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; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised again to $9.99).
Release date: 22 February 2005.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 3 / additional content: 3 / overall: 3.
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a fair abridged 8mm reduction print, with coarse image details, dust, speckling, and other print flaws.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
For information about other films in this collection, see our Early Silent Classics of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Volume 2 on home video page.
Not complete and not recommended.
This review was updated in 2026.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
ALPHA VIDEO through . . .
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 Passport Video
2006 DVD edition
The Laurel or Hardy Collection (1917-1927), black & white, 560 minutes total, not rated, including The Soilers (1923), black & white, 9 minutes, not rated.
Passport International Productions,
DVD-5380, UPC 0-25493-53809-0.
One single-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 4.0 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; chapter stops; 4-page insert pamphlet; double-wide five-disc DVD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 21 February 2006.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 4 / audio: 5 / additional content: 4 / overall: 4.
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This DVD edition has been mastered from collector film elements that include 8mm and 16mm reduction prints. The majority of these video transfers are presented from low-quality analog videotape, with some displaying the ghosting to the right of bright objects in the picture that is characteristic of analog videotape. Some of these editions of the films are outright terrible. The films are all presented with a digital “The Laurel OR Hardy Collection” watermark in the lower right corner of the picture; this is to discourage video pirates (which is ironic given the low quality of many of these transfers).
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
Supplemental material includes a video introduction by archivist Rob Stone; and a 4-page insert pamphlet with brief notes and film listings.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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Other silent era STAN LAUREL films available on home video.
Other SHORT COMEDY FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
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