Product Description
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Laurel and Hardy Collection (TCM Archives) (DVD)
They were one of the movies' most successful and best-loved comic
duos, probably because their irresistible slapstick antics were
underscored by an indomitable optimism. Beginning with shorts
made at the Hal Roach Studios, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
struck a universal chord by sharing a contentious yet benign
friendship that always survived whatever indignities their mutual
bumbling brought upon them. This TCM Archives two-disc collection
focuses on the team at their zenith during the sound era and
spotlights two features produced by Roach for MGM. The Devil's
Brother (1933) (also known as Fra Diavolo) is a laugh-filled
adaptation of the Auber operetta in which "Stanlio" and "Ollio"
tangle with a notorious robber baron. The delightful Bonnie
Scotland (1935) is a misadventure that takes the boys to Scotland
and India.
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Unlike many silent screen comedians, Laurel & Hardy made a
seamless transition to talkies, and this TCM Archives
double-feature showcases some of their funniest work from the
early 1930s. As always, TCM/Warner has packaged this must-have
set for true film buffs: The prints are pristine, image quality
is crisp and clean, sound quality is the best available (allowing
for some hiss and minor drop-offs due to the age of the
soundtracks), and bonus features have been chosen with care and
authority, including several highlight excerpts from Laurel &
Hardy short subjects. While continuing to enjoy their priceless
partnership with producer Hal Roach, Stan & Ollie were at their
sound-era peak in The Devil's Brother (1933), a hilarious
adaptation of the Auber operetta Fra Diavolo (also the film's
alternate European title), in which "Stanlio" and "Ollio" find
themselves entangled in the exploits of the Marquis de San Marco,
a notorious singing bandit named "Fra Diavolo" (played with
adequate panache by Dennis King) who's set his s on the
lovely Lady Pamela (played by '30s screen queen Thelma Todd).
Plots in Laurel & Hardy films are almost always perfunctory, but
this is one of the better ones, lending Stan & Ollie ample
rtunity to cut loose with Roach-invented gags and trademark
slapstick. The highlight has to be Stan's drunken laughing fit, a
miraculously sustained bit of hilarity (with Ollie eventually
joining in) that's absolutely infectious and irresistible--it's
impossible to watch without laughing right along with Stan.
Bonnie Scotland (1935) finds L&H in ga Din territory (or if
you prefer, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer) as they arrive in
Scotland hoping to collect "MacLaurel's" inheritance, only to end
up recruited into a Scottish infantry regiment in the Indian
desert. The comedy is mildly compromised by a standard-issue
romance plot involving costars June Lang and William Janney, but
whenever Stan and Ollie are onscreen, the laughs are consistently
plentiful and timelessly entertaining. Adding expert context to
the comedy, audio commentaries by film historians and lifelong
L&H fans Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann are packed with
knowledgeable information out each film, the careers of the cast
members, working methods at Hal Roach studios, shooting
locations, and fascinating anecdotal details (such as the fact
that long-time L&H supporting player James Finlayson was the
direct inspiration for Homer Simpson's beloved exclamation,
"D'Oh!" on TV's long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons. The
package is rounded out by "Added Attractions: The Hollywood
Shorts Story," an excellent TCM feature-length documentary,
narrated by Chevy Chase, that extensively chronicles the many
varieties of short subjects produced during the 1930's and
'40s--essentially an extension of Vaudeville and newsreels that
gave rise to many of Hollywood's finest performers during the
golden age of the studio system. All in all, this is a perfect
DVD set for longtime Laurel & Hardy fans, or newcomers to their
classic brand of comedy. --Jeff Shannon