Silent Slapstick Shorts Add Up to 8 Rich Hours

Emphasizing the importance that the laserdisc still occupies in the world of digital media for serious film collectors, Image Entertainment has just released the second and final volume of its “Slapstick Encyclopedia,” paying a loving tribute to the silent, two-reel comedy shorts that defined the genre forever.

The box set, which sells for an expensive $125, contains four discs and almost eight hours of material. Although it takes some time for the contemporary viewer to get used to the lack of dialogue and the complexity of the visuals (a striking contrast from, say, “Armageddon”), the level of inspiration in most of these shorts is too overwhelming to resist.

The very first film in the collection, 1915’s “A Night in the Show”--in which Charlie Chaplin already was demonstrating his genial ability for placing body language and facial expression at the service of comedy--puts to shame most films made in Hollywood today.

But the variety of talented performers, from Laurel and Hardy in excerpts from the hilarious “Angora Love” to Ben Turpin in the Jack London spoof “Yukon Jake,” showcases an era when immense talent and aspirations were the norm, not the exception.

The newly recorded music does wonders for the material, especially on Disc 3, devoted entirely to the chase films, which used every possible combination of moving vehicles for the creation of perfectly choreographed mayhem.

If the excerpts from the Laurel and Hardy shorts leave you hungry for more, Image also has released two DVDs titled “The Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy,” including gems such as 1927’s hysterical “Sugar Daddies” and 1929’s “Big Business,” where an attempt by the duo to sell a Christmas tree turns into an endless sequence of violence and destruction.

Laserdisc Releases

“Wild Man Blues” (1998, Image): Ultimately sad and irritating, this well-crafted documentary portrait of Woody Allen and wife Soon-Yi on a European tour with his jazz group will make you feel happy that you can enjoy the man’s movies without having to interact with him personally. Not available on DVD.

DVD Releases

“Mahler” (1974, Image): Ken Russell’s gaudy, excessive but visually arresting biography of the tortured composer is arguably the director’s best film. No extras, but a great-looking transfer.

“Casablanca” (1943, MGM): Still haunting in its beauty and absolute perfection. The pristine transfer will make you notice details you might have missed before. Includes the original theatrical trailer, a 36-minute documentary hosted by Lauren Bacall and the trailers for eight other Bogart movies.

Ernesto Lechner can be reached at LechnerE@aol.com.