Blu-ray Release: Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations

Blu-ray Release Date: June 30, 2020
Price: Blu-ray $71.99
Studio: MVD

Stan and Ollie look and sound better than ever! Oh yeah!

Featuring new 2K and 4K digital restorations from original 35mm nitrate, Laurel and Hardy’s classic comedies are here in the best quality since their first release! The collection of classics includes two features and 17 shorts, including the legendary pie-fight silent film “The Battle of the Century,” which here makes its video debut and nearly complete for the first time in over 90 years!

Here’s the breakdown of the titles in Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations:

Feature Films: “Sons of the Desert” and “Way Out West”
Classic Short Subjects: “Berth Marks,” “The Battle of the Century” (with new music track by Donald Sosin),”Brats,” “Busy Bodies,” “The Chimp,” “Come Clean,” “County Hospital,” “Helpmates,” “Hog Wild,” “Me and My Pal,” “Midnight Patrol,” “The Music Box,” “One Good Turn,” “Scram!,” “Their First Mistake,” “Towed in a Hole,” and “Twice Two.”

And here’s a look at the bonuses:

• Battle of the Century’ (1928) virtually complete and restored!
• Commentaries by Randy Skretvedt and Richard W. Bann
• Never before seen video interviews as well as audio interviews with L&H co-workers
• Over 2500 stills, posters, scripts
• Alternate Soundtracks
• Music Tracks
• ‘Ship’s Reporter’ Oliver Hardy Interview (restored)
• ‘That’s That’ (restored/first time on video)
• ‘Tree in a Test Tube’ (restored from 16mm Kodachrome)
• L&H off-camera pix from Hardy’s collection
• Restored Trailers
• Optional English subtitles

For what it’s worth, no less a tgalking head than Leonard Maltin announced that, “It’s no exaggeration to say that the films haven’t looked this good since they were first released in the 1930s.”