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Some are owned by others such as Fairbanks THE THIEF OF BAGDAD, and Valentino's THE EAGLE, both United Artist's Silent's, though now Public Domain. Other versions are available of those Two films, but not with the Davis scores! The Thames version of THE EAGLE is a significantly better print, than the Kino DVD edition. Some like Keaton's OUR HOSPITALITY, and THE GENERAL, already have competing editions from Kino, and Image. Same with Griffith's THE BIRTH OF A NATION and INTOLERANCE, as they are also Public Domain.
It just frustrates the heck out of me that the vast majority of the Silent's that Carl Davis has scored over the years including his latest score less than a year ago for De Mille's Masterpiece THE GODLESS GIRL (1928), along with the other Thames/Photo-play Productions composers work, like John Lanchbery, are nowhere to be found on DVD!
There are a few of the Carl Davis scores on official DVD, but not very many. The Thames/Photo-play Productions versions of Clara Bow's IT (Paramount, 1927), with a Carl Davis score is available on the Milestone DVD release. The Carl Davis score to the 1929 re-issue of Lon Chaney's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Universal, 1925), is also available from Milestone, on the two disc Ultimate Edition DVD set. Additionally, Davis scores are featured on the 90th Anniversary Chaplin Mutual's DVD collection from Image Entertainment.
Yes, Both BEN HUR (1925), and FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1926), among the MGM Silent's have been released on DVD. The first as an Extra on the 3 disc BEN HUR (1959) set, it is the second of the 3 disc's in the set. The other movie was offered as part of the 3 disc TCM Archives Garbo Silent's collection from Warner's released in September of 2005.
Then in the New-Line Entertainment Harold Lloyd DVD Box set, there are the hold over Davis scores from the earlier Thames editions of Lloyd's SAFETY LAST (1923), THE KID BROTHER (1927), and SPEEDY (1928).
The only other two that immediately come to mind is on the Douglas Fairbanks DVD Box-set from Kinom Which features the Channel Four Silents version and Carl Davis score to THE IRON MASK (United Artists, 1929). Also the Image DVD of Raymond Bernard's THE CHESS PLAYER (1926) with Edith Jehanne, which is probably already out of print? There has to be a few more than this that have been released on DVD, but those are the only titles that I can think of at the moment? Oh, the Davis scored versions of Keaton's OUR HOSPITALITY, and THE GENERAL have been released on DVD in Region 2 and Pal format in Britain, but not in the United States? I think that about covers it though?
Many more of the Thames Silent's, and later Channel Four Silent's series such as THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, THE BIG PARADE, OLD HEIDELBERG, THE CROWD, and THE WIND, were once available on both VHS and Laser-disc, but are long since out of print, and today those are real collectors item's if you can even find them!
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The only ones that I am still missing are the Davis scores to Griffith's MUSKETEER'S OF PIG ALLEY, Von Stroheim's GREED (MGM, 1924), (the 2 and a half hour version, not the Four-Hour reconstruction with music by Robert Israel). Also Harold Lloyd's THE FRESHMAN (1925) the current DVD from Sony/New-line Entertainment version which has a Robert Israel score again, which is a fabulous score but I always wanted to hear the Davis one.
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I have heard people in the past claim to have copies of the Thames presentation of THE WEDDING MARCH, and know of people who saw the Photo-play version of WINGS broadcast during a Christmas Season of Silent's about 15 to 18 years ago on British Television, but have never found anyone to date who actually has a copy of the broadcast! Yet the Kevin Brownlow-David Gill Produced Channel Four Silent's Photo-play Productions presentation does indeed exist, so it has to be out there someplace!
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Wait I just recalled another film on DVD I did not mention before is LA TERRA (1919). Or THE GOOD EARTH as it was called in America in 1921. This is a Channel Four Silent from Photo-play Productions, and it is in print on DVD from Kino. The score is by Adrian Johnston, who also composed a great score for Harold Lloyd's HOT WATER for the Thames version. Sadly that score is not found on the New-Line Entertainment DVD.
Finally the new Kino DVD of Paul Leni's THE CAT AND THE CANARY with the adorable Laura La Plante, which just came outr a few months back is the recent Photo-play Productions restoration.
In closing, I would like to know if Mr. Brownlow has ever considered producing Photo-play versions of the following five titles?:
WINE OF YOUTH (MGM, 1924), Directed By King Vidor.
HIS HOUR (Goldwyn, 1924) Note, this is the film that made John Gilbert a ligitimate Superstar. Directed by King Vidor.
THE GOOSE WOMAN (Universal, 1925) Louise Dresser, Constance Bennett, Jack Pickford. Directed by Clarence Brown. Note, Brownlow has mentioned this film as one of his favorites, or at least a picture that He was very impressed with when He saw it.
BARBED WIRE (1927) Pola Negri, Clive Brook. Directed by Rowland V. Lee. One of the most underrated silents I have seen, should be much better known.
LILAC TIME (1928) Colleen Moore, Gary Cooper. Directed by George Fitzmaurice. Note, What no Colleen Moore films, in any of the Brownlow restorations? Gotta have at least one!