Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
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Don’t Change
Your Husband
(1919)
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Gloria Swanson stars in this Cecil B. DeMille production that also stars Elliott Dexter and Lew Cody, with Sylvia Ashton, Theodore Roberts, Julia Faye, James Neill and Bessie Eyton.
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 Film Preservation Associates
2005 DVD edition
Don’t Change Your Husband (1919), color-tinted black & white, and black & white, 80 minutes, not rated, with The Golden Chance (1916), color-tinted black & white, and black & white, 73 minutes, not rated.
Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID1991DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-19912-3.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 6.5 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 224 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 10 chapter stops; 4-page insert booklet; standard DVD keepcase; $24.99.
Release date: 25 October 2005.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 6 / audio: 8 / additional content: 6 / overall: 6.
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This DVD edition has been mastered from a 35mm preservation negative, however, whether intentional or not, old technology edge sharpening shows up in thin highlights and as shadow edges, all of which compromises viewing pleasure in this edition. The effect can be seen in any intertitle. The black & white footage is a bit flat and the color-tinted footage is also flat but in a way that emphasized the edge sharpening.
This presentation features musical accompaniment compiled and arranged by Rodney Sauer and performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
Oh! How this film desperately needs a remastered, better-looking home video edition than this frustrating disc. For now, it is our reluctantly recommended edition.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Passport Video
2007 DVD edition
The Cecil B. DeMille Classics Collection (1914-1926), black & white, 1622 minutes total, not rated, including Don’t Change Your Husband (1919), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.
Passport Video, DVD-5090, UPC 0-25493-50900-0.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (five DVDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 3.0 Mbps average video bit rate, 192 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 mon0 sound, English language intertitles, no subtitles; 10 chapter stops; double-wide five-disc DVD keepcase; $19.98.
Release date: 12 June 2007.
Country of origin: USA
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This budget DVD edition has been mastered from a very-good 16mm reduction print but is coarsely encoded to disc, rendering an OK picture.
The films are accompanied by canned music from a variety of audio sources.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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 Passport Video
2007 DVD edition
The Gloria Swanson Collection: 10 Fabulous Films (1915-1931), black & white, 675 minutes total, not rated, including Don’t Change Your Husband (1919), black & white, 71 minutes, not rated.
Passport Video, DVD-5151, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (five DVDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; no chapter stops (within the film); double-wide five-disc DVD keepcase; $19.98.
Release date: 13 February 2007.
Country of origin: USA •
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This budget DVD edition has been mastered from a very-good 16mm reduction print, and this presentation of Don’t Change Your Husband may be identical to the Cecil B. DeMille Classics Collection noted above. Identifying logomarks are superimposed over the lower right corner of the picture to discourage video transfer piracy.
The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from dopey preexisting music recordings. Annoying, at best.
This edition is now out-of-print. Well, it's not much of a loss.
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USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
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This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
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Other silent era GLORIA SWANSON films available on home video.
Other silent era CECIL B. DeMILLE films available on home video.
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