Customer Reviews

Yes, Yes, Nanette [VHS]

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

 

 

This new 2 DVD set from Kino from their SLAPSTICK SYMPOSIUM series showcases the talents of a pre-Oliver Hardy Stan Laurel and it's definitely a mixed bag. Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson) began as an English Music Hall comedian who was Chaplin's understudy when they came to America. While Chaplin quickly went on to fame and fortune, Stan labored for a number of outfits as a gag writer, director and performer. This collection features his work for Hal Roach in the early 20's and his own series of Stan Laurel comedies from the mid 20's.

The biggest problem with many of these shorts especially the later ones is that Stan had yet to find a character that worked for him and he had yet to develop his comic timing. Since we don't identify with his character, he wears out his welcome way too soon. Many of the gags are brilliant and the situations quite funny but they go on far too long. The best shorts are the parodies such as THE SOILERS, ROUGHEST AFRICA, and especially DR PYCKLE AND MR PRYDE which is a truly hilarious send-up of the 1920 John Barrymore film. Others indulge in ethnic humor (SHORT KILTS, NEAR DUBLIN) and a few are downright bizarre and very hard to follow (HALF A MAN, THE SLEUTH).

As good as he was, Stan needed someone to play off of and his teaming with Oliver Hardy allowed his comic genius to reach its full potential. A lot of the material on display here and many of Stan's mannerisms would be put to much better use in the L&H comedies. And so despite the 3 star rating I recommend this set for the Hal Roach shorts and for the opportunity of watching Stan honing his craft. Most of the shorts are in good condition considering how rare they are and the piano accompaniment by Neil Brand is a perfect fit. By the way you can catch Ollie (billed as "Babe" sans mustache) in the last short YES YES NANETTE where he's directed by Stan.

1923 to 1925 to Stan Laurel was a period of transition for one of the greatest comedians/gag men of 20th century film.
Starting out with one foot still firmly planted on the vaudeville stages of the United States and Canada Stan Laurels' films of this period made first for film producers Hal Roach,then Joe Rock then back to Roach would see him in the end stay in the film medium for good.
Watching these films reveals a comedian of the first order.He displays his skills with an ease and aplomb that equalled or excelled Chapln,Keaton and Lloyd.And there certainly were very few who could equal his mastery of the gag which he is responsible for throughout most of these films.
Most of these films have been previousy released on video and DVD but these transfers are for the most part quite superior to anythng I've seen before.They are for the most part quite crisp and clear which make them a joy to watch and own.
This Stan Laurel is not the Stan of Laurel and Hardy(which was less than two years away) but in these films are definite signs of the future persona that the public would come to know and love.
And this was unfortunately the crux of the question of why Stan didn't become a "hit" before his future teaming with Oliver Hardy.He didn't have a standout "hook" or persona that grabbed the publics' attention like Keaton or Chaplin had.
This ultmately caused Stan to move from in front of the camera to behind it where he was quite happy to write and direct until fate kindly brought he and screen veteran Oliver Hardy together in front of the camera where the two would go on to make film history as the greatest film comedy team of all time.
The Stan Laurel Collection is essential film history.I recommend this two disc set very highy.

He was no match for his former acting school roomate Charlie Chaplin,but Stan did a pretty good job on his own,prior to teaming up with Oliver Hardy.This DVD set is worth viewing.There are many memorable shorts.James Finlayson appears in many of them.Including one of my favourites,Roughest Africa.Pete the Dog,of Little Rascals fame even appears in Dr.Pyckle And Mr.Pride and a few others.The last film in this set,Yes Yes Nanette,was directed by Stan,but he does not appaer in it.James Finlayson and Oliver Hardy are the stars of this film.

Before he became Oliver Hardy's partner in 1927, Stan Laurel had starred in and directed many films on his own. This set has several good films on it. Some of the best are : The Soilers, Stan plays a prospector in Alaska. Oranges and Lemons, Stan plays a fruit picker and causes mayhem. Postage Due, in which Stan causes mayhem by just mailing a letter. Roughest Africa, where Laurel is a professor on an African Safari, and manages to anger some wildlife. Several of the films feature James Finlayson as a nemeis to Stan. Fin would play similar roles in several Laurel and Hardy films. As as been noted, Stan had a hard time finding a character that worked for him during his solo career. But I recommed getting this set to see a comic legend in development. And the prints used are in excellent shape.

I've been a Laurel and Hardy fan since July of 1996, when I was sixteen years old, and was delighted to find this collection of Stan's earlier solo work, esp. since he's always been my fave of the two (his character is so endearing and easy to relate to). Still, there just feels like something missing without his partner. There are quite a number of funny moments, but overall they're just not as laughter-inducing as when he and Ollie were together. I agree that part of the reason is because, while brilliantly-written and acted, Stan just hadn't developed into the character he later became. In most of these shorts he plays the well-meaning kind-hearted simpleton we know and love, but that character isn't as developed or concrete as it is in the Laurel and Hardy shorts. I like him because the character he played onscreen is so easy to relate to and like, but that persona just isn't there to relate to in some of the shorts, however well-crafted, and when it is there, it just isn't as constant, well-honed, and perfected as it was later to become. Still, on the whole these are really enjoyable shorts, only I wouldn't recommend them to a new fan.

Stan was hilarious in many of his solo films, and this set is worth getting just for DR. PICKLE AND MR. PRYDE, an hilarious sendup of Barrymore's version in which Laurel is actually scary!

This disc is beautifully set up with outstanding restorations of rare films. Now if they had only included the Valentino parody, MUD AND SAND...it would have gotten five stars from me.

Comedy buffs and fans of the Boys will have to have this one in their collections.

I've been a BIG fan of Laurel and Hardy,ever since I was little and that's going on 30-something years now and I never tire of them,like so many teams that came out after them.These shorts may not be as solid as the ones he did with Oliver Hardy,but they do show what a genius Stan really is and that he was just as good(if not better)as Chaplin or even Keaton when it came to writing gags.Of course all of his shorts are not included here(some are on the Lost Laurel and Hardy dvd's),but this a must-have for any person that loves Laurel and Hardy or anyone that loves true comedy!! If I had to quibble,I wished there were extras like the Keaton box set that Kino on Video came out with a few years back,but I'm not disappointed in this 2-disc set....GIVE US FANS MORE,PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

You'd have to go pretty far to find a more devoted Laurel and Hardy fan than I, but as I watched this great collection I realized that Stan wound up exactly where he belonged, behind the camera. The gags are funny, but they could have been done by any other able bodied comedian of the time. He HAD no character, and that is precisely the problem. I still gave this set 4 stars because the prints are gorgeous, the films are fun, and they are definitely worth preserving (KINO does an amazing job). My only negative comment has to do with Stan himself...who, if he wanted to continue as a performer, really needed Ollie a lot more than I'd realized. As for Ollie, well, he more than likely would have continued as a wonderful comic supporting character actor, just as Eugene Pallete did (another Roach veteran).

Stan laurel who (along with oliver hardy) was one of the biggest genius' in the history of comedy,I am excited to see this set being released,this box set features a handful of his early "silent" shorts made before he and ollie were put together as a team,I have seen alot of these shorts in the past and they are GEMS!!!you won't find anything funnier,if you have "the lost films of laurel and hardy" set then you must get this set to complement that series,although a couple shorts have been repeated like "oranges and lemons" this set is still a must have for those who own the lost films,in fact this could have easly been called "the lost films of laurel and hardy vol 11" because it continues where the lost films left off,I can't wait until we get a "stan laurel collection vol 2" and a "oliver hardy collection" which would make my day as well......