Ever since the advent of DVD, Laurel and Hardy and classic comedy fans have yearned for the classic Hal Roach series to appear. The VHS years did provide a sampling of rough quality gems but aside from a lame attempt by Lionsgate a few years ago, the L&H library just wasn't properly available (in the U.S.)... until now! Vivendi comes to the rescue with a proper chronological complete collection of the sound shorts and feature length L&H classics (with extras, commentaries and Spanish language versions!) produced by Hal Roach from 1929's UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE to 1940's feature-length SAPS AT SEA! From a quick sampling and based on the hardcore international L&H enthusiasts' online celebrations, the majority opinion is that this is probably best collection yet in terms of quality (possibly even surpassing the nice U.K. and German box sets). Aside from the boy's Hal Roach output, their later MGM and Fox work has been previously available as well as a nice TCM set with THE DEVIL'S BROTHER and BONNIE SCOTLAND. We will delve further into this new collection, provide updates soon and look into the Jerry Lewis controversy erupting from an included interview. What's really need now is a comprehensive collection of their silent shorts and fragments.
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