Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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The Four
Feathers
(1929)
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This late silent film adaptation of the A.E.W. Mason classic novel, directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, Merian C. Cooper and Lothar Mendes, stars Richard Arlen, Fay Wray and William Powell, with Clive Brook, Theodore von Eltz and George Fawcett.
We’re glad that Arlen didn’t wear a moustache all the time.
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 Alpha Video
2025 DVD edition
The Four Feathers (1929), black & white, 81 minutes, not rated.
Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 8658D, UPC 0-89218-86589-2.
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; standard DVD keepcase; $8.98 (raised to $9.99).
Release date: 18 February 2025.
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm or 8mm reduction print.
The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.
This is our recommended home video edition of the film.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from
ALPHA VIDEO through . . .
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 Loving the Classics
202? DVD edition
The Four Feathers (1929), black & white, 80 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.
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.
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This
Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .
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Vintage Film Buff
2007 DVD edition
The Four Feathers (1929), black & white, 81 minutes, not rated.
Vintage Film Buff, 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 5.2 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at 1.5 Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; no chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $20.00.
Release date: 2007.
Country of origin: USA •
Ratings (1-10): video: 3 / audio: 4 / additional content: 0 / overall: 3.
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This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a good 16mm reduction print but the video transfer is quite dark and makes viewing the image and reading intertitles a challenge most of the time.
The film is accompanied by the film’s original Movietone synchronized music and sound effects soundtrack.
Not a great presentation but this is the best home video edition of the film we have actually viewed.
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VINTAGE FILM BUFF has discontinued business
and this edition is . . .
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Other silent era RICHARD ARLEN films available on home video.
Other silent era WILLIAM POWELL films available on home video.
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