Product Description

Before teaming up with Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel was one of the most important Hollywood comics of his time, competing with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Having been Chaplin's understudy and roommate, Laurel spent most of the 1910s avoiding actual demands to become a Chaplin lookalike. It was only in the 1920s that Stan laurel became established enough to capture the attention of producer Hal Roach and compete on equal terms with his mentor. The rare 16 short films (1923-1925) in this all-new DVD were finally restored to their original versions. All shot between 1923 and 1925, these films are a historic proof of Laurel's slapstick genius and a remarkable showcase of the intense work which allowed Lloyd to stand out in a time of great competition among hundreds of hopeful slapstick stars.

From the parodies of popular films from the 1920s ("Roughest Africa". "The Soilers") to the hilarious social satires ("Frozen Hearts", "Short Kilts") or the familial ones ("Mother's Joy", "Yes, Yes, Nanette") and ending with real jewels of silent comedy ("Oranges and Lemons", "Postage Due"), this British-born comedian charms, thanks to his understanding of storytelling and his irresistible humor. These 16 short films are gathered on DVD for the first time thanks to the help of collectors and film archives from around the world.

Roughest Africa(1923):
During an expedition in Africa, Stan is confronted by wild animals for the camera of a documentary filmmaker.

The Soilers(1923):
Canister (Stan Laurel), a mine owner in Alaska, would give his life to get his confiscated goods/property back.

Mother's Joy(1924):
An old man asks a lawyer to find his missing daughter and grand-son who turns out to be a very extravagant young man.

Postage Due(1924):
Willy Worst (Stan Laurel) turns a local post-office upside-down just by trying to send a letter.

The Sleuth(1925):
Stan is a detective who essentially relies on different costumes to successfully complete his investigations.

Yes, Yes, Nanette(1925):
Nanette comes home to introduce her husband to her family. Nanette's ex-fiance (Oliver Hardy) takes advantage of the situation to make a comeback in her life.

And the following titles:

Oranges and Lemons(1923), Frozen Hearts(1923), Near Dublin(1924), Zeb Vs Paprika(1924), Short Kilts(1924), West of Hot Dog(1924), The Snow Hawk(1925), Navy Blue Days(1925), Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde(1925), Half a Man(1925).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42555 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-03
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: DVD, Silent, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 357 minutes

Amazon.com
The great Stan Laurel was 37 years old when he definitively teamed up with Oliver Hardy in 1927. So what had he done up till then? The Stan Laurel Collection valuably fills in a gap, with 17 comedy shorts Laurel made for producer Hal Roach between 1923 and 1925. Laurel was already a veteran vaudevillian, with many previous stabs at film work, when he embarked on this series for Roach. The comic personality on display will not be instantly familiar to Laurel and Hardy fans. In a frantic piece like Oranges and Lemons, Laurel is much closer to the acrobatic mischief of Chaplin than to the slow-burning simpleton he perfected opposite Hardy. Laurel was a busy gag-writer and worked on story and direction as well, and it says something about his imagination that these shorts range all over the planet for their settings: Frozen Hearts parodies Russian melodrama (and allows Stan a wonderfully daft Russian dance), Roughest Africa spoofs the African travelogue, with Laurel battling lion and elephant. Movie parodies were a Laurel specialty; Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride is a send-up of a certain Robert Louis Stevenson story, with Laurel's monster an unexpected demonic treat. The final short on disc 2 is Yes, Yes, Nanette, co-directed by Laurel and starring Jimmy Finlayson, a frequent stooge in these shorts. In a supporting role, there's "Babe" Hardy, pointing the way toward greatness. These shorts are fun, but Laurel and Hardy needed each other. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

A great comic in transition.
1923 to 1925 to Stan Laurel was a period of transition for one of the greatest comedians/gag men of 20th century film.
Starting out with one foot still firmly planted on the vaudeville stages of the United States and Canada Stan Laurels' films of this period made first for film producers Hal Roach,then Joe Rock then back to Roach would see him in the end stay in the film medium for good.
Watching these films reveals a comedian of the first order.He displays his skills with an ease and aplomb that equalled or excelled Chapln,Keaton and Lloyd.And there certainly were very few who could equal his mastery of the gag which he is responsible for throughout most of these films.
Most of these films have been previousy released on video and DVD but these transfers are for the most part quite superior to anythng I've seen before.They are for the most part quite crisp and clear which make them a joy to watch and own.
This Stan Laurel is not the Stan of Laurel and Hardy(which was less than two years away) but in these films are definite signs of the future persona that the public would come to know and love.
And this was unfortunately the crux of the question of why Stan didn't become a "hit" before his future teaming with Oliver Hardy.He didn't have a standout "hook" or persona that grabbed the publics' attention like Keaton or Chaplin had.
This ultmately caused Stan to move from in front of the camera to behind it where he was quite happy to write and direct until fate kindly brought he and screen veteran Oliver Hardy together in front of the camera where the two would go on to make film history as the greatest film comedy team of all time.
The Stan Laurel Collection is essential film history.I recommend this two disc set very highy.

Definitely A Mixed Bag.
This new 2 DVD set from Kino from their SLAPSTICK SYMPOSIUM series showcases the talents of a pre-Oliver Hardy Stan Laurel and it's definitely a mixed bag. Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson) began as an English Music Hall comedian who was Chaplin's understudy when they came to America. While Chaplin quickly went on to fame and fortune, Stan labored for a number of outfits as a gag writer, director and performer. This collection features his work for Hal Roach in the early 20's and his own series of Stan Laurel comedies from the mid 20's.

The biggest problem with many of these shorts especially the later ones is that Stan had yet to find a character that worked for him and he had yet to develop his comic timing. Since we don't identify with his character, he wears out his welcome way too soon. Many of the gags are brilliant and the situations quite funny but they go on far too long. The best shorts are the parodies such as THE SOILERS, ROUGHEST AFRICA, and especially DR PYCKLE AND MR PRYDE which is a truly hilarious send-up of the 1920 John Barrymore film. Others indulge in ethnic humor (SHORT KILTS, NEAR DUBLIN) and a few are downright bizarre and very hard to follow (HALF A MAN, THE SLEUTH).

As good as he was, Stan needed someone to play off of and his teaming with Oliver Hardy allowed his comic genius to reach its full potential. A lot of the material on display here and many of Stan's mannerisms would be put to much better use in the L&H comedies. And so despite the 3 star rating I recommend this set for the Hal Roach shorts and for the opportunity of watching Stan honing his craft. Most of the shorts are in good condition considering how rare they are and the piano accompaniment by Neil Brand is a perfect fit. By the way you can catch Ollie (billed as "Babe" sans mustache) in the last short YES YES NANETTE where he's directed by Stan.

Stan's preLaurel & Hardy days
He was no match for his former acting school roomate Charlie Chaplin,but Stan did a pretty good job on his own,prior to teaming up with Oliver Hardy.This DVD set is worth viewing.There are many memorable shorts.James Finlayson appears in many of them.Including one of my favourites,Roughest Africa.Pete the Dog,of Little Rascals fame even appears in Dr.Pyckle And Mr.Pride and a few others.The last film in this set,Yes Yes Nanette,was directed by Stan,but he does not appaer in it.James Finlayson and Oliver Hardy are the stars of this film.