Silent film classics The Phantom of the Opera and Diary of a Lost Girl coming to Blu-ray and DVD...
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The Phantom of the Opera (2-Disc): October 13, 2015 Horror | 1925/1929 | NR | 78/92 min | English A forerunner of the American horror film, and one of the most lavish productions of the silent cinema, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has inspired countless remakes and imitations. But none of its successors can rival the mesmerizing blend of romance and mystery that haunts every frame of the Lon Chaney original. This edition presents the 1929 theatrical version, restored from archival 35mm elements by Film Preservation Associates. It is highlighted by the Technicolor Bal Masque sequence (in which the Phantom interrupts the revelry wearing the scarlet robes of the Red Death), as well as meticulously hand-colored sequences (replicating the Handschiegl Color Process). The film is presented at two different historically-accurate projection speeds, each with two different soundtrack options. Also included is the 1925 theatrical version, which survives only in poor-quality prints, but contains scenes that were removed from the 1929 release version. Includes Special Features: Original Screenplay (91 Min. video scroll), Montage of Stills (13 Min.), Interview with composer Gabriel Thibaudeau (9 Min.), Two travelogues by Burton Holmes, depicting Paris in 1925: PARIS FROM A MOTOR (3 1/2 Min.) and A TRIP ON THE SEINE (3 1/2 Min.)
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Diary of a Lost Girl: October 20, 2015
Drama | 1929 | NR | 112 min | German intertitles
The second and final collaboration of actress Louise Brooks and director G.W. Pabst (Pandora's Box), DIARY OF A LOST GIRL is a provocative adaptation of Margarethe Böhme's notorious novel, in which the naive daughter of a middle class pharmacist is seduced by her father's assistant, only to be disowned and sent to a repressive home for wayward girls. She escapes, searches for her child, and ends-up in a high-class brothel, only to turn the tables on the society which had abused her. It's another tour-de-force performance by Brooks, whom silent film historian Kevin Brownlow calls an "actress of brilliance, a luminescent personality and a beauty unparalleled in screen history. Includes Special Features: Mastered in HD from archival 35mm elements, and digitally restored, Audio commentary by Thomas Gladysz, Director, Louise Brooks Society, "Windy Riley Goes Hollywood" (1930, 18 Min., featuring Louise Brooks)