Customer Reviews

The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is great to have this Youngson compilation available on DVD in America, but the print quality is only fair. The images are occasionally a bit washed out, and the print is not as sharp as what can usually be found on DVD. It is perfectly watchable, about as good as broadcast TV once was, but it is not at the level of restored DVD quality. The film itself is great, with clips from many great Laurel and Hardy silent classics, and material on their solo material as well. I would have to recommended it to Laurel and Hardy fans, but with reservations in that it is not typical DVD quality, but closer to typical broacast TV quality. I guess five stars for the movie and three for the quality would average a four star rating.

This is great but why buy just clips of classic silent Laurel & Hardy comedies when the entire uncut films are available on DVD?

The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 2
The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 3
The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 4
The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy - The Complete Collection, Vol. 5
The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 6
The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 7
The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 8
The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 9
Laurel & Hardy and Friends (Featuring "Our Gang")

And then there are these sound film collections:

Laurel & Hardy (Sons of the Desert/The Music Box/Another Fine Mess/Busy Bodies/County Hospital)
Laurel & Hardy II (Way Out West / Block-Heads / Chickens Come Home)

Seriously, when you buy this and throughly enjoy it you will wish you had bought the complete uncut films on the DVD collections listed above. But if you are new to Laurel & Hardy and feel unsure about buying the complete films, then this is a good introduction to their silent films.

This is another of Robert Youngson`s excellent series of documentaries on the old time comedians.
As the title implies, this one mainly deals with Laurel & Hardy. The format is pretty much the same as Youngson`s other silent era
documentaries. Mostly a string of film clips with a running commentary.
If you like Laurel & Hardy, or silent comedy in general, you will love this film.
If you have never seen many silent comedies, this will make a good introduction for you.
I highly recommend all of Youngson`s films.

The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy
I received this item this week(March 7 2008) & it was one I did not know was avalable & saw thru a link. I have the other items in this Youngson series from other publishers late last year. This one is poor to, say the least, with faded & washed-out images although the sound is OK. The grain is very high and contrary to another review, PAL TV in Australia in the 1950s & 60s did not look anything as bad as the images in this DVD. The other Youngsons that came out last year were better although the highest priced one did leave a lot to be desired in picture quality also but not like the Further Perils. If only Warner bros would buy more of these things for extras on their great DVD releases then we would have restoration similar to what they have provided on at least one L&H DVD set. But to have this title in the collection gets us to more completion of the Youngson compilations on DVD.

I call this the first Robert Youngson compilation to be truly released on DVD in America, though there was a release of "When Comedy Was King" 3-4 years ago. However, "When Comedy..." had defects from the source videotape, and there were artifacts from the digital conversion. I think it's subsequent disappearance from the market indicates that the DVD release was not a legitimate one. "The Further Perils of Laurel & Hardy" appears much more authentic, though it should be noted that the film appears to have lapsed into the public domain in Europe, as the film has appeared on at least one low-rent UK movie download service.

That said, any Robert Youngson compilation of silent comedy is a welcome addition to a fan's library. The film contains some hilarious scenes from Laurel & Hardy shorts like "Should Married Men Go Home?" and "Sugar Daddies", both of which I remember viewing in the days of Super 8mm film. It also contains a good selection of footage from other Hal Roach comedies featuring Charley Chase, Snub Pollard, and even a scene with Jean Harlow before she became the Marilyn Monroe of the 30's.

By the time this film came out, Robert Youngson had already made several such compilations, and had already mined much of Laurel & Hardy's silent catalogue. Classics such as "Two Tars" and "Big Business" had already been used, so Youngson used more footage from the duo's earliest efforts, when L&H were not officially team & were still essentially co-stars instead of partners. "Sugar Daddies" is one such example, where the two are paired with Jimmy Finlayson, but not as antagonists.

Long story short: If you're already a fan, then you don't need my recommendation. However, if you are a newcomer to Laurel & Hardy, this may not be the best film to start with. If you're in the USA, start with their sound comedies. If in the UK, buy "Laurel & Hardy's Laughing 20's" on DVD.

This is a movie I grew up with and am pleased to have it in my collection. The product was as advertised and arrived quickly and in the advertised condition.