Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved. |
|
The
Iron Horse
(1924)
|
Following the success of The Covered Wagon (1923), which infused new energy into the dime-novel world of the American Western, Fox Film Corporation produced John Ford’s sweeping epic of the transcontinental railroad.
|
 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
2007 DVD edition
The Iron Horse (1924) [domestic version], black & white, 149 minutes, not rated (Canada Rated G), and The Iron Horse (1924) [international version], black & white, 133 minutes, not rated (Canada rated G).
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment,
no catalog number, UPC 0-24543-48268-0.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD discs; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 5.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.1 surround sound encoded at 448 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, optional French and Spanish language subtitles; closed captions; 28 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase [retail] and slimline DVD keepcase [boxset]; $19.98.
Release date: 4 December 2007.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 7 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.
|
This first US DVD edition of John Ford’s epic silent western has been mastered from what appears to be the best-surviving 35mm materials, and features both the 1924 USA domestic-release version and the shorter 1924 international-export version. The picture is relatively stable with mild examples of dust, speckling, scrapes, processing and other flaws. Our opinion of the video transfer is lowered by the persistent appearance of blurry long shots intercut with quite sharp close-ups and medium shots; each of these shots are distressingly blurry until the last frame when the picture comes into focus. We can only extrapolate that this was an issue with the negative that was hard-printed into the surviving print.
The film is accompanied by a small ensemble music score composed by Christopher Caliendo. An OK effort but we long for better music to underscore this cherished film.
The discs are also available in the Ford at Fox Collection: John Ford’s Silent Epics boxset.
Despite our misgivings regarding the uneven quality of the transfer, this is our recommended home video edition of the film.
|
|
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
|
|
|
|
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca.. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
|
|
|
|
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk.. Support Silent Era.
|
|
|
This Region 1 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
|
|
|
 Eureka Entertainment
2011 DVD edition
The Iron Horse (1924) [domestic version], black & white, 149 minutes, BBFC Classification PG, and The Iron Horse (1924) [international version], black & white, 133 minutes, BBFC Classification PG.
Eureka Entertainment,
MoC number 112, UPC 5-060000-403398.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Region 2 PAL DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; standard two-disc DVD keepcase; £19.99.
Release date: 26 September 2011.
Country of origin: England
|
|
This PAL-format DVD edition follows the home video presentation prepared for the 2007 Fox edition noted above.
The film is accompanied (both versions) by a music score composed by Christopher Caliendo.
The supplementary material includes audio commentary by Richard S. Birchard (international version), a video essay by Ford author Tag Gallagher, a PDF of the original shooting script, and a 40-page insert booklet.
Sight unseen, we recommend this DVD edition for European collectors. North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.
|
|
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 2 PAL DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
|
|
|
This Region 2 PAL DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
|
|
|
 BFI Video Publishing
2002 DVD edition
The Iron Horse (1924) [international version], color-toned black & white, 134 minutes, BBFC Classification PG.
BFI Video Publishing, BFIVD521, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, dual-layered?, Region 2 PAL DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; £19.99.
Release date: 2002.
Country of origin: England
|
|
This PAL-format DVD edition was produced for Channel Four Silents presentation on British television by Photoplay Productions.
The presentation features a music score composed and conducted by John Lanchbery before the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
This Region 2 PAL DVD edition is now out-of-print.
North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.
|
|
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 2 PAL DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk.. Support Silent Era.
|
|
|
This Region 2 PAL DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .
|
|
|
|
Other silent era JOHN FORD films available on home video.
Other WESTERN FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
Other RAILROAD FILMS of the silent era available on home video.
|
