Laurel & Hardy Classics Coming to UK Blu-ray
Most dedicated cinephiles are probably aware that Stan & Ollie, a biopic about the final years of Laurel and Hardy, starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, is coming to theaters at the end of this year. While I have mixed feelings about that project (I’d rather see a documentary than a fictionalized drama), I hope that the film sparks an interest in the comedy team amongst younger viewers.
It appears that one positive effect of the new film is that a couple of UK video labels are bringing classic Laurel & Hardy films to Blu-ray. On December 10th, five of their best 1930s features, including Sons of the Dessert (1933) and my favorite, Way Out West (1937), are collected in the 3-Blu-ray set The Very Best Of Laurel & Hardy: 5-Film Collection from Universal Pictures. This set will be region free, so it will play in Blu-ray players worldwide.
In addition, the team’s oft-derided final film, Atoll K (1951), is getting a new 2K restoration from the BFI. Since Atoll K has usually been released in low-quality, abridged, public domain versions, under the alternative titles of Utopia or Robinson Crusoeland, this will be a unique opportunity to re-evaluate the film. Unfortunately, this release will be region B-locked.
Here are the listings from Amazon UK:
The Very Best of Laurel & Hardy: 5-Film Collection
Release Date: December 10th
Blu-ray (3-Disc Set)
Universal Pictures
Region Free
“Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!” Enter Laurel & Hardy’s unique world of emblematic bowler hats and highly visual slapstick with this special compilation boxset of the very best Laurel & Hardy feature-length films. With Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompous bully Hardy, the misadventures of the most recognizable comedy double act, whose charm and on screen chemistry set a new standard, are perfectly captured here in high definition for the first time.
Includes features:
- Block-Heads (1938)
- Our Relations (1936)
- Pardon Us (1931)
- Sons of the Desert (1933)
- Way Out West (1937)
Includes bonus shorts:
- Another Fine Mess (1930)
- Busy Bodies (1933)
- Towed In A Hole (1932)
Atoll K (1951)
Directed by Léo
Release Date: November 26th
Blu-ray + DVD
BFI
Region B
The feature film finale of cinema’s most-beloved comedy duo, Atoll K marked Laurel and Hardy’s long-delayed big-screen return. The two great clowns, lured back to the screen amidst the extensive stage tours of Europe that formed the poignant coda to their career, here embark upon a ramshackle sea voyage to save Stan’s Pacific-island inheritance. This ambitious attempt to invest their time-honed slapstick with a satirical edge is a testament to the duo’s indefatigable comic antics. The BFI is proud to release the longest-ever English language cut of this historically important film, presented for the first time in High Definition and showcasing a new 2K restoration by the BFI using original 35mm nitrate film elements.
Special features:
- Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
- Mother’s Baby Boy (1914, 4 mins)
- Something in Her Eye (1915, 11 mins)
- Do You Love Your Wife? (1919, 14 mins)
- Somewhere in Wrong (1925, 23 mins)
- Should Men Walk Home? (1927, 27 mins)
- Laurel and Hardy in Tynemouth, aka Grand Hotel (1932, 11 mins)
- Laurel and Hardy in Scotland (1947, 3 mins)
- Railway Birthday Party (1947, 2 mins)
- Laurel and Hardy Return to the UK (1952, 2 mins)
- US trailer (c1954)
- German trailer (c1951)
- Interview With Stan Laurel (1957, 80 mins, audio only): Stan discusses his life and work with Arthur B Friedman in a recoding made a week after Ollie’s death
- The Boys Stay in the Picture: New Laurel and Hardy video essay by Chris Seguin, using rare images, scripts, letters and promotional materials from around the time of Atoll K (2018, 13 mins)
- New feature-length commentary on Atoll K and new commentaries on the amateur films by Laurel and Hardy expert Glenn Mitchell (2018)
- Illustrated booklet with new essays and notes by Laurel and Hardy authorities Glenn Mitchell, Norbert Aping and David Wyatt, new writing by Alan and Vic Pratt, plus full film credits
France, Italy | 1951 | black and white | 98 minutes | English language with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles and audio description | original aspect ratio 1.37:1 | BD50: 1080p, 24fps, 2.0 PCM mono audio (48kHz/24-bit), region B | DVD9: PAL, 25pfs, Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/16-bit), region 2
Fans of the team, also need the best book on their films:
