Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray Kickstarter
Over the past nine years, composer Ben Model has used Kickstarter to fund the digital restoration and release of rare silent films through his boutique label, Undercrank Productions. In many cases, these Blu-rays and DVDs have helped restore the legacies of forgotten film comedians from the silent era, such as Alice Howell, Marcel Perez, Douglas MacLean, and Musty Suffer. He also helped to acquaint classic film fans (like myself) with the forgotten silent comedies of Edward Everett Horton.
Today, Ben Model launched his newest Kickstarter, which will bring two silent comedy features from dapper star Raymond Griffith to Blu-ray and DVD! Paths To Paradise (1925) and You’d Be Surprised (1926) will receive new 2K scans from 35mm nitrate prints from the Library of Congress, and the Blu-ray will include new scores written and performed by Ben Model.
I haven’t seen much of Griffith’s work, but what I’ve seen I’ve liked. Consequently, I backed this project immediately, and I think you should too. If the Kickstarter surpasses its goal, there’s even a chance that Ben may be able to add an additional film to the package!
I’ll let Ben tell you more in the video above and the text below, copied from the Kickstarter page. I highly encourage you to support this worthy project, and to check out Undercrank Productions’ previous releases (Amazon links below).
Please back this Kickstarter Project HERE.
Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian
This Kickstarter will fund a project that brings 2 hilarious silent comedy features starring Raymond Griffith to Blu-ray and DVD – Paths To Paradise (1925) and You’d Be Surprised (1926).
Raymond Griffith was a major silent star, with no less than 10 feature films to his name from 1925-1927. All of these were high class Paramount releases, and were major box office successes. In his book “The Silent Clowns”, Walter Kerr writes: “Griffith seems to me to occupy a handsome fifth place — after Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, and Langdon — in the silent comedy pantheon…”
The Project
The films in the project will be seen in new 2K digital scans of archival 35mm materials preserved by the Library of Congress, and will be scanned by the Library of Congress’ lab. I will create a brand new custom musical score for each film on theatre organ.
This Kickstarter covers all costs for the Blu-ray’s production and release, as well as the making and shipping of backer copies.
The disc’s box art will be created by professional graphic designer and silent era aficionado Marlene Weisman. The films will have video grading, which is shot-by-shot exposure correction, and color adjustments for tinted scenes. The discs will be professionally authored and they will be made available for sale online as MOD (manufacture-on-demand) discs. The finished product will be available on both Blu-ray and DVD via outlets like Amazon.com, Critics’ Choice, DeepDiscount and more, as well as international online retailers like WowHD. The release will be publicized and reviewed. The Blu-ray and DVD will be NTSC format, and will be region “0” (region-free).
This is the same workflow as I have been doing successfully for all 26 of my other home video releases.
(note: the last reel of Paths to Paradise is missing, but this is the only way the film survives; still…the film’s story is basically complete at end of what survives, and we will try to fill in missing info with a title card.)
Stretch Goals?
Depending on how far over the intended goal the funding for this Kickstarter goes, possible add-ons may include:
- digital stabilization and clean-up
- video essay produced by Crystal Kui and written by Steve Massa
- inclusion of one more of Raymond Griffith’s surviving features.
Release date (expected):
I am aiming to be able to have the Blu-ray finished and sent to you by the end of November 2022, and ready for the public for a January 2023 release on both DVD and Blu-ray.
What you get as a backer
Backers of this project will receive a copy of the finished Blu-ray. Kickstarter backers will get their copies of the Blu-ray before it becomes available commercially to the general public. The release will be on both Blu-ray and DVD, but backers will only be able to get this on Blu-ray. No digital downloads.
I make a point of sending regular updates with behind the scenes information about the films and about the restoration and production process. Some of these are done in text form and some as videos.
If you live outside the USA
It is quite possible that at any given moment, postal policies, customs fees, VAT et al for shipping from USA to your country may change. This happened during my last Kickstarter and there were a couple Australian backers we weren’t ultimately able to mail to. Also, the VAT policies in the EU also changed during the Horton project and some overseas backers may have had to pay duties on their DVD. Just wanted to let you know.
Be “somebody”…
We’ve all heard of great silent films having been preserved at a film archive and thought, “wouldn’t it be great if somebody put that out on DVD/Blu-ray?”. Here’s a chance for you to be part of that “somebody”! Make your pledge to the “Raymond Griffith: The Silk-Hatted Comedian” Project…and participate in a unique silent film enterprise.
Join the Fun
I hope you’ll join in helping me bring this unseen soon-to-be-classic 1926 comedy/costume picture from film cans to classic film fans.
Thanks!
Ben Model
Silent Film Accompanist, Historian, Presenter…and Home-Video Producer/Distributor silentfilmmusic.com
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A bit about me (Ben Model)
I’ve been accompanying silent movies on piano and organ for 4 decades; I play for silents at The Museum of Modern Art, Library of Congress, Silent Clowns Film Series (which I also produce) in NYC, and at festivals, historic theatres, schools and universities throughout the US and internationally. I’ve scored dozens of silent films for DVD release by companies like KinoLorber, Milestone, ReelclassicDVD and Thanhouser, for my own label (Undercrank Productions) as well as for broadcast on TCM.
Over the last 9 years, I’ve produced and distributed 26 DVDs (and a few Blu-rays) of rare silent films – great silent films you’ve never heard of…but should – funded by fans like you via Kickstarter. The films have been sourced either from collectors or from the Library of Congress, with whom I have a co-branding arrangement.
My website is silentfilmmusic.com, and my complete line of DVDs can be seen at Undercrank Productions.
