– Amazon Commissions Earned –

Some of their shorts and feature-length films have been restored as “Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations“ on Blu-ray Disc which coming on June 16th, via Kit Parker Films (distributed by MVD Entertainment Group). The comedy duo featured the late legends Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy and this set chronicles their careers with 17 short films, 2 feature-length films, and eight hours worth of bonus materials – for a 511 minutes total runtime. All of these have been restored in 2K and 4K from the original 35mm film nitrate. The tech specs for the 4-disc set have not yet been fully detailed but stay tuned for an update. You can find the Blu-ray Disc set is listed for preorder over at Amazon. Details regarding the set and their restorations, a list of the films featured in the set, as well as a list of bonus materials, are listed below.

The comedy films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have been beloved around the world since they were first released between 1927 and 1940. So beloved that many of the available copies are blurred dupes printed from worn-out negatives. Now, the best of their short comedies and two of their finest features have been fully restored. They look and sound as spectacular as when they were first released…

• NEW! 2K and 4K transfers from the finest original 35mm materials in the world. 
• WORLD PREMIERES! Laurel and Hardy’s legendary 1927 silent “pie fight” film THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY makes its video debut after being “lost” for 90 years! The only reel of L&H bloopers and out-takes, THAT’S THAT!
• Classic short comedies BERTH MARKS, BRATS, HOG WILD, COME CLEAN, ONE GOOD TURN, HELPMATES, THE MUSIC BOX (the legendary Academy Award-winning “piano moving” short), THE CHIMP, COUNTY HOSPITAL, SCRAM!, THEIR FIRST MISTAKE, TOWED IN A HOLE, TWICE TWO, ME AND MY PAL, THE MIDNIGHT PATROL, and BUSY BODIES in addition to the feature films SONS OF THE DESERT and WAY OUT WEST (which includes the team’s famous soft shoe dance routine).
• EIGHT HOURS of EXCLUSIVE extras – 2,500 rare photos and studio documents, audio and film interviews with L&H co-workers, original music tracks and trailers plus a full restoration of their one surviving color film, THE TREE IN A TEST TUBE.
• Commentaries by L&H historians Randy Skretvedt and Richard W. Bann
• Restorations provided by Jeff Joseph/SabuCat in conjunction with UCLA Film & Television Archive and Library of Congress.

Further below, after the break, you can find some YouTube video clips of these restorations with side-by-side comparisons, as well as an even further list of the details about the release.

Restoration Video Clips:

STAN AND OLLIE LOOK AND SOUND BETTER THAN EVER!

New 2K and 4K digital restorations from original 35mm nitrate, Laurel and Hardy’s classic comedies are here in the best quality since their first release! Two features and 17 shorts, including the legendary pie-fight silent film The Battle of the Century, making its video debut and nearly complete for the first time in over 90 years!

Restorations by Jeff Joseph/SabuCat in conjunction with the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Library of Congress. Using careful photochemical and digital techniques, these classic films are restored to pristine condition. In these stunning new transfers, they look and sound as beautiful as they did when they were first released.

FEATURE FILMS:

• Sons of the Desert
• Way Out West

CLASSIC SHORT FILMS:

• Berth Marks
• The Battle of the Century (with new music track by Donald Sosin and virtually complete and restored)
• Brats
• Busy Bodies
• The Chimp
• Come Clean
• County Hospital
• Helpmates
• Hog Wild
• Me and My Pal
• Midnight Patrol
• The Music Box
• One Good Turn
• Scram!
• Their First Mistake
• Towed in a Hole
• Twice Two

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• L&H off-camera pix from Hardy’s collection
• That’s That (restored/first time on video)
• Tree in a Test Tube (restored from 16mm Kodachrome)
• Ships Reporter Oliver Hardy Interview (restored)
• Alternate Soundtracks
• Huge collection of rare photos, stills, posters, scripts and studio files
• Commentaries by Randy Skretvedt and Richard W. Bann
• Never before seen video interviews as well as audio interviews with L&H co-workers
• Restored Trailers and more!