Post Description

* 1. A Chump At Oxford/Related Shorts
                      * 2. Classic Shorts/Someone's Ailing
                      * 3. Way Out West/Shorts
                      * 4. Classic Shorts/Ollie And Matrimony
                      * 5. Our Relations/Dual Roles Shorts
                      * 6. Classic Shorts/Murder In The Air
                      * 7. Blockheads/Themed Shorts
                      * 8. Classic Shorts/Blackmail
                      * 9. The Bohemian Girl/Related Shorts
                      * 10. Classic Shorts/Be Big/Laughing Gravy
                      * 11. Saps At Sea/Themed Shorts
                      * 12. Classic Shorts/Laurel And Hardy And The Law
                      * 13. Sons Of The Desert/Related Shorts
                      * 14. Classic Shorts/A Job To Do
                      * 15. Pack Up Your Troubles/Related Shorts
                      * 16. Classic Shorts/Maritime Adventures
                      * 17. Swiss Miss/Animal Shorts
                      * 18. Classic Shorts/Married Life
                      * 19. Pardon Us/One Prison Short
                      * 20. Classic Shorts/More Brushes With The Law
                      * 21. Bonus disc: Original version of Brats (1930), 
                        extracts from German version of Pardon Us (1931),                         Thundering Fleas (1926), 
                        Fluttering Hearts (1927), Prudence (1927) and 
                        the documentary Laurel & Hardy - 

Distribution: Universal Pictures Video, UK

Region 2,4 - PAL
Runtime 3957' (4% PAL speedup)
Video :
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.16 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

Audio   English, Spanish, French (mono), English (Dolby 2.0)
Subtitles English and None

Edition Details:
? 20 DVD's sourced from the German Beta Kinowelt Masters (also available separately)
? alternate colourized versions of many of the films
? some alternate foreign language versions with L&H phonetically reciting their lines
? Exclusive Bonus DVD containing:
? Brats - original 1930 version
? Thundering Fleas - b&w silent w/music (Our Gang w/ Oliver Hardy)
? Fluttering Hearts - b&w silent w/music (Charley Chase 2-reeler w/ Oliver Hardy)
? Prudence - b&w silent w/music (Max Davidson comedy, reportedly written by Stan Laurel)
? Laurel & Hardy - A Tribute to the Boys - 1991 TV documentary originally aired on The Disney Channel

Comments  This box set showcases most of the 97 shorts and features that Laurel & Hardy made together for Hal Roach Studios between 1926 and 1940. For fans of the boys this box from the UK and its German (Kinowelt Home Entertainment, Leipzig) and Dutch (Universal Pictures Video Benelux, Amsterdam) counterparts are the most comprehensive collection of Stan and Ollie's body of work to date. Among the conspicuously missing titles from the UK set are Flying Deuces, Babes In Toyland and Fra Diavlo.

The source material varies in quality from superb to poor. The shoddiest prints are mostly found in the silent shorts. Hal Roach Studios has released a 10 volume series, The Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy, that are said to be mastered from the (mostly) original 35mm negatives. Sadly, that is not the case here though these DVD's are better than any I have seen previously from Hallmark and public domain releases.

Audio for the sound films is in mono while some of the silent shorts have a more recent stereo music soundtrack recorded by the Beau Hunks.

Each DVD was packaged to be sold individually so the films are put together thematically rather than chronologically. A 21st disc containing bonus materials is included in the box and is not available separately.

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