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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Sold for Marriage
(1916)
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Produced by Fine Arts Film Company, this story of old Russia stars Lillian Gish, Frank Bennett, Walter Long and Allan Sears.
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 Grapevine Video
2005 DVD edition
Sold for Marriage (1916), color-tinted and color-toned black & white, 54 minutes, not rated, with Behind the Screen (1916), black & white, 21 minutes, not rated.
Grapevine Video, no catalog number, UPC 8-42614-10056-7.
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 6.8 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); MPEG 2.0 mono sound encoded at 224 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $16.95.
Release date: 2005.
Country of origin: USA •
Ratings (1-10): video: 4 / audio: 4 / additional content: 5 / overall: 5.
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This DVD-R edition has been transferred from a very-good 16mm reduction print that is a little contrasty, but with a reasonable range of greytones and acceptable image detail. The picture is a little jittery in places, with some print damage, dust, speckling, emulsion scrapes, and other print flaws. The full-frame video transfer runs noticeably faster than natural speed.
The film is presented with a serviceable compiled music score of preexisting orchestral recordings, edited to accompany the film’s action.
Supplemental material is limited to a Charles Chaplin short comedy, Behind the Screen (1916).
For now, this is our recommended home video edition of the film.
This review was updated in 2025.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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 Classic Video Streams
2009 DVD edition
The Actors: Rare Films of Lillian Gish, Volume 2 (1916-1919), black & white, 141 minutes total, not rated, including Sold for Marriage (1916), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Classic Video Streams,
no catalog number, unknown 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 mono sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; slimline DVD keepcase; $16.99.
Release date: 28 December 2009.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been transferred from a 16mm reduction print.
The presentation likely features a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available through . . .
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 Loving the Classics
201? DVD edition
Sold for Marriage (1916), black & white, 50 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; $19.99 (reduced to $15.49).
Release date: 201?.
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 silent era LILLIAN GISH films available on home video.
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Lillian Gish filmography in The Progressive Silent Film List
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