Garv’s Pick of the Week: The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations. Vol. 6 (ClassicFlix)
For the release week of June 14th:
Garv’s Pick of the Week: The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations. Vol. 6 [Blu-ray / ClassicFlix]: ClassicFlix’s ambitious, multi-volume project to scan and restore all of the sound-era Our Gang comedies produced at Hal Roach Studios between 1929 to 1938 comes to an end with this, the final volume. I reviewed the previous volumes, and they were fantastic. The image quality is much improved over DVD releases and television screenings, and some shorts that have been censored for years are presented in their complete, original form. At this point, the series moves from two-reelers (approximately 20 minutes) to one-reelers (more like 10 minutes), so there are 23 shorts in this collection, from Bored of Education (1936) to Hide and Shriek (1938). These shorts will likely be more familiar to Little Rascals fans, as they feature the line-up of Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat, and Porky.
Additional Titles of Interest —
Fu Manchu Double Feature: The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu / The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Two pre-code films, starring Swedish-American actor Warner Oland as the fiendish Dr. Fu-Manchu, are packaged together in this Blu-ray set. Besides the use of yellow face, modern audiences may be put off by the creakiness of these thrillers, as they were released just after the advent of sound (1929-1930).
The Horse Soldiers [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: This is one of the lesser-regarded teamings of director John Ford and actor John Wayne, but it’s still good.
The Clock [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: Judy Garland and Robert Walker co-star in this wartime romance, directed by Garland’s future husband, Vincente Minnelli.
Herzog: The Collection, Vol. 2 [Blu-ray / Shout Select]: Eleven documentaries directed by Werner Herzog are collected in this 5-disc Blu-ray set. Included are Signs Of Life (1968), The Great Ecstasy Of Woodcarver Steiner (1974), How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (1976), La Soufrière (1977), God’s Angry Man (1981), Huie’s Sermon (1981), The Dark Glow Of the Mountains (1985), Herdsmen Of the Sun (1989), Echoes From a Somber Empire (1990), Wheel Of Time (2003), and The Wild Blue Yonder (2005).
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