Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years (1928) Boxset Review

By Sarah Morgan

Last year, we were treated to a boxset featuring the first shorts, made in 1927, to pair up Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Now we’re about to see them get into another bunch of fine messes, produced a year later.

The start of the 1927 films saw them seemingly randomly thrown together at times by Hal Roach’s studio, but by the end of it, they were becoming a skilled unit, a genuine double act playing off each other’s strengths.

“Perfect foil”

By 1928, they were in full swing, developing into the characters fans have come to know and love; there’s also a chance to see the first short in which they were officially billed as Laurel & Hardy – Should Married Men Go Home? – a hilarious take of a supposedly relaxing trip to the golf course that descends into chaos, complete with mud-flinging antics.

Among those appearing alongside them is Edgar Kennedy, who also directs some of the titles. As those who grew up watching BBC Two’s collection of classic comedy during school holidays in the 1970s and 1980s may remember, he went on to star in his own amusing run of films; he’s a perfect foil for the boys here.

Other highlights to look out for include From Soup to Nuts, in which Stan and Ollie are hired as waiters at an upper-crust party, but soon cut the high-flying guests down to their size, and Early to Bed, which sees Ollie on the rise, for once, due to an inheritance. However, he makes the mistake of hiring Stan as his butler…

A year later, in May 1929, the duo made their first sound picture, Unaccustomed as We Are, so although this collection doesn’t quite mark the end of their silent era, it does feature their biggest successes from the period, before wordplay was introduced to their act.

“Gems”

The films themselves do, in some places, still look a little creaky, despite a new 2K restoration, but they’re hugely watchable nevertheless.

There are various special features to enjoy too, including introductions to each title by L&H experts, audio commentaries, documentaries and an interview with silent film musician Neil Brand. Plus, the accompanying collector’s booklet has, among its gems, essays by Paul Merton and film historians Imogen Sara Smith and Sheldon Hall.

All-in-all, it’s the kind of fine mess you’ll be glad to get yourself into.

Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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