I have mixed feelings about the release, earlier this year, of a four disc set of films featuring the silent film star Louise Brooks. Usually, the release of any Brooks’ movies would be cause for celebration. However, the four disc, seven film set issued by Classic Video Streams is not what one would hope for.
The four discs, released separately, are each titled “The Actors: Rare Films of Louise Brooks.” Each has a uniform pink covers. None carry any bonus material or special features. In terms of picture quality, they are not so good.
Volume one features Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em (1926) and It’s the Old Army Game (1926). Volume two features A Girl in Every Port (1928) and The Canary Murder Case (1929).
Volume three features Beggars of Life (1928) and an edited, three minute interview excerpt from Kevin Brownlow’s acclaimed television series, Hollywood (1976). Volume four features the B-westerns Empty Saddles (1936) and Overland Stage Raiders (1938).
With the exception of A Girl in Every Port and Overland Stage Raiders, none of the seven films have otherwise been commercially released. A Girl in Every Port was released on VHS by Critic's Choice Video in 1998. Overland Stage Raiders was released on VHS by Republic Pictures in 1991. Each of these earlier releases is now out of print and hard to find.
For the record, most of these films, such as Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em and It’s the Old Army Game and Beggars of Life and A Girl in Every Port, have been available through both Grapevine Video and Sunrise Silents and in packaging far more attractive than that provided by Classic Video Streams. (And, at prices generally below these recent releases.)
Also, both Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em and It’s the Old Army Game seem to have been copied from video tape – as each shows “image jiggle” from improper tracking. (My apologies for the “technical jargon” – but I think you get my meaning). Beggars of Life is very dark at times, as is Empty Saddles. Scenes in just about every film are washed out, fuzzy, or scratchy. The best of the lot are A Girl in Every Port and Overland Stage Raiders – though each of these copies leaves something to be desired.
What's desired are restored versions of Brooks’ films. Lovers of silent film and the actresses’ fans desire it. Nevertheless, at this point in time, these less than adequate discs are pretty much all that Brooks’ fans have to choose from when it comes to her unreleased films. The Classic Video Streams reissues shows there is interest. What’s really needed is for someone to restore these films. Hopefully, a company like Kino or Image or Criterion might do so, someday.
For more info: Classic Video Streams – which has also issued some Clara Bow films - has a website at http://www.classicvideostreams.com/. Its Louise Brooks discs are available through amazon.com and eBay.
Thomas Gladysz is a longtime fan of Louise Brooks, so much so that in 1995 he founded the Louise Brooks Society, an internet-based archive and fan club devoted to the legendary silent film star. Gladysz has contributed to books on the actress, organized exhibits, appeared on television, and introduced her films around the country. Recently, he edited and wrote the introduction to the “Louise Brooks edition” of Margarete Bohme’s The Diary of a Lost Girl.
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