Looser Than Loose restores SHANGHAIED LOVERS
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 3:29 pm
I hadn't seen any discussion of this here so I thought I'd give it a mention--
Dave and Ali Stevenson at Looser Than Loose have just put out a Harry Langdon DVD-R that includes SHANGHAIED LOVERS. The first half comes from what they identify as a Kinescope source--it looks pretty soft and has some ghosting on motion, but the second half is surprisingly sharp, from a new transfer of a 16mm print. The score is by Jeff Raspis. For those of us who look to Langdon's early films as a way of watching his comic persona evolve, this film is a revelation--it is his third released picture but is much closer in spirit to LUCK OF THE FOOLISH or HANSOM CABMAN than it is to HIS NEW MAMMA. There a few signature Langdon touches already evident here--it's very charming overall.
The disc also includes a recut version of REMEMBER WHEN that shuffles the introduction of the traveling circus to the midpoint of the film, rather than unfolding bit by bit in the Blackhawk version. I'm not sure if this recut was motivated by some specific research suggesting this was SUPPOSED to be the order of events, or just the Stevenson's personal preference--personally, I feel the order of scenes in the Blackhawk cut (as seen on my DVD collection) has a very cinematic feel, and pays off nicely during the bee sting sequence.
Also included is a sharp 16mm transfer of THE STAGE HAND (the curious history of which has been discussed elsewhere on these boards).
Lastly, there's a passable video copy of GOODNESS, A GHOST. My only other copy of that came from an online download, and so even the diminished quality of this edition is an improvement from that standpoint. "Did someone call for an officer?"
Thought y'all would want to know, that thanks to the magic of DVD-R we're now one step closer to a comprehensive collection of Langdon's silent shorts.
Dave and Ali Stevenson at Looser Than Loose have just put out a Harry Langdon DVD-R that includes SHANGHAIED LOVERS. The first half comes from what they identify as a Kinescope source--it looks pretty soft and has some ghosting on motion, but the second half is surprisingly sharp, from a new transfer of a 16mm print. The score is by Jeff Raspis. For those of us who look to Langdon's early films as a way of watching his comic persona evolve, this film is a revelation--it is his third released picture but is much closer in spirit to LUCK OF THE FOOLISH or HANSOM CABMAN than it is to HIS NEW MAMMA. There a few signature Langdon touches already evident here--it's very charming overall.
The disc also includes a recut version of REMEMBER WHEN that shuffles the introduction of the traveling circus to the midpoint of the film, rather than unfolding bit by bit in the Blackhawk version. I'm not sure if this recut was motivated by some specific research suggesting this was SUPPOSED to be the order of events, or just the Stevenson's personal preference--personally, I feel the order of scenes in the Blackhawk cut (as seen on my DVD collection) has a very cinematic feel, and pays off nicely during the bee sting sequence.
Also included is a sharp 16mm transfer of THE STAGE HAND (the curious history of which has been discussed elsewhere on these boards).
Lastly, there's a passable video copy of GOODNESS, A GHOST. My only other copy of that came from an online download, and so even the diminished quality of this edition is an improvement from that standpoint. "Did someone call for an officer?"
Thought y'all would want to know, that thanks to the magic of DVD-R we're now one step closer to a comprehensive collection of Langdon's silent shorts.