Product Details

• Actors: Harry Langdon, Gladys McConnell
• Directors: Harry Langdon
• Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: KINO INTERNATIONAL
• DVD Release Date: June 3, 2008
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0016A2FHE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,974 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Kino International Release Date: 06/03/2008

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fall And Rise Of Harry Langdon..., June 4, 2008

By 

Chip Kaufmann (Asheville, N.C. United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Three's a Crowd (1927) / The Chaser (1928) (DVD)

...(with apologies to Reginald Perrin). There has been a lot of interest in Harry Langdon of late. Thanks to last year's HARRY LANGDON: LOST AND FOUND it was possible to finally see the early comedy shorts that brought Langdon to prominence. Now with this Kino International release (one of three new SLAPSTICK SYMPOSIUM offerings) you can see the two films that brought about his downfall.

Much has been written about THREE'S A CROWD over the years almost all of it negative. Seeing it today, there is much to admire but it's easy to see why audiences of 1927 hated it. Existential comedy in the silent era was doomed to failure and while you can admire Langdon for attempting it, you just have to wonder why. The audio commentary by film historian David Kalat makes a good case for the film even if he occasionally is a little overenthusiastic.

The second feature THE CHASER is a return to safer territory as it is basically a reworking of Harry's numerous henpecked husband shorts of the early 1920s. Part of the humor derives from seeing Harry as a ladykiller or "chaser" but it then veers into strange territory by having the partners switch roles as ordered by a judge and Harry's inability to handle the loss of his masculinity. This time around there are lots of gags but it wasn't enough to win his audience back. His final feature film HEART TROUBLE was barely released and is now considered lost.

If you're just starting to familiarize yourself with the work of Harry Langdon then this is definitely not the place to start. Try the LOST AND FOUND set first and then move on to THE STRONG MAN and LONG PANTS before you tackle these. The prints from the Raymond Rohauer collection are excellent for the most part although THREE'S A CROWD has one segment of serious nitrate decomposition. The organ scores by Lee Irwin provide an excellent accompaniment. Thanks to Kino for reviving these late Langdon efforts so that we now have a fairly complete picture of the comedian from start to finish in the silent era.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Never Enough Harry, December 5, 2008

By 

Brigalow "CONVICT13" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three's a Crowd (1927) / The Chaser (1928) (DVD)

Don't buy these if they are you first Harry Langdon purchase. These are for people that GET Harry already. I had read so much about Three's a Crowd (I think I read too much) I was expecting this profane, sad masterpiece and I watched it and I didnt get that feeling from it. I had heard that The Chaser was the "more Harry" of the movies and was a more appreciated movie by the audience of the day. So I watched it and you know it's not a great favourite of mine.

So I waited a little and rewatched both movies again and I came away from Threes a Crowd knowing that it is a mastepiece! This is The Little Elf at his best, the innocence and trust, the child, the man all mixed in together. The "nightmare" scene is so amazing.I cannot tell you how much I really love this movie, it goes beyond comedy!

This man was a genius and I really wished that he could have gone on further with his ideas. This is when the film industry gets in the way of making great films. I know it's all about $ but dont you wish that Harry had the money and resources of a Chaplin or Lloyd so that he could have made his movies like he wanted to0! Ah but I wish that so much for Keaton too!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Langdon completists, January 3, 2010

By 

John Lazar - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three's a Crowd (1927) / The Chaser (1928) (DVD)

If you're unfamiliar with Harry Langdon's work, this is not the place to start. If you've never cared for Langdon, neither THREE'S A CROWD or THE CHASER will alter your opinion of this quirky, acquired-taste performer. I admire Kino for releasing this limited-interest disc that won't appeal to a wide market. If the overly sentimental THREE'S A CROWD and the darkly humorous THE CHASER are personal statements (both were directed by Langdon), they're statements that will challenge and most likely alienate viewers. Both films reveal a popular silent-era comedian exploring different facets of his established character, deconstructing conventional narrative contexts in the process. The results are as fascinating as they may be (for most viewers) off-putting, and only the most dedicated film scholars and diehard Langdon fans may be willing to take the plunge.

Kino did a fine job of presenting this material, presenting HD masters derived from surviving 35mm negatives. Nitrate decomposition is quite evident during brief passages of THREE'S A CROWD, a reminder that it's fortunate for movie history that this film survived at all. (As noted, these passages are brief and the rest of the picture is in generally excellent shape.) Because of decomposition, portions of THE CHASER were mastered from 16mm source material.

Regardless of how unfunny THREE'S A CROWD may strike most people, even the harshest critics will have to admit that it's a beautifully-made motion picture. (The camerawork is stunning.) This disc is ideally suited for devoted Langdonphiles and serious (very serious) students of silent cinema, who will be able to look at these pictures in their proper context and will appreciate Kino's dedication to their consumer base. However, if you're simply looking for the standard type of silent-comedy fare like Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd or the earlier Langdon efforts, you'll be better served elsewhere.