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‘The Saphead’ on Blu-ray Aug. 22!

Saphead Blu-rayIn 1920, having served a slapstick apprenticeship in the shorts of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Buster Keaton had earned the opportunity to headline his own series of two-reel comedies. The very moment at which he emerged as a star of his own shorts, Keaton was recruited to appear in his first feature film,The Saphead, based on a popular stage play. Keaton stars as Bertie Van Alstyne, the pampered son of a powerful Wall Street financier (William H. Crane). Having known no other lifestyle but privilege, he wanders through a variety of misadventures―an attempt at courtship, a trip to an illegal gambling den, and a tumble onto the floor of the Stock Exchange―oblivious to the obstacles that stand before him. The Saphead is released on Blu-ray in the UK August 22, 2022!

 

Buster Keaton’s first feature-length film, and perhaps the most overlooked

 

Saphead Blu-ray

 

Though Keaton was not the primary creative force behind The Saphead, as he was on his short films, it became hugely important in shaping his on-screen persona: the lonely, stone-faced man thwarted by circumstance, inept at the art of romance, yet undaunted in his struggle for love within a chaotic world. The Masters of Cinema is proud to present yet another Keaton masterpiece in its UK debut on Blu-ray, from a stunning restoration completed in 2020 by the Cohen Film Collection.

 

SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY CONTAINS

  • Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase [First print-run of 2000 copies only]
  • 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a restoration undertaken by the Cohen Film Collection from a first generation nitrate print
  • Score by Andrew Earle Simpson (presented in uncompressed LPCM stereo)
  • Brand new audio commentary with film historian and writer David Kalat
  • Brand new video essay by David Cairns
  • Complete alternate version of The Saphead, comprised entirely of variant takes and camera angles
  • A Pair of Sapheads – featurette comparing the two versions of the film
  • The Scribe (1966, dir. John Sebert) [29 mins] – In his last film role—produced to promote Construction site safety—Keaton plays a janitor who in his attempt to educate workers on safe practices, causes more accidents than he prevents
  • Previously unheard audio commentary on The Scribe with director John Sebert (recorded before his death in 2015) and writer / silent cinema aficionado Chris Seguin
  • Buster Keaton in conversation with Kevin Brownlow – a 2-hour audio interview with Keaton and film historian Kevin Brownlow from 1964
  • 1958 Buster Keaton Interview [90 mins]
  • Buster Keaton: Radio Interview [*runtime currently unconfirmed] – a rarely heard interview with Keaton
  • PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring new essays by journalist Philip Kemp and film writer Imogen Sara Smith, as well as an appreciation of The Saphead by film writer Eileen Whitfield

*All extras subject to change at time of announcement

 

 

DETAILS:

Label: Eureka Entertainment

  

THE SAPHEAD (Masters of Cinema) Special Edition Blu-ray

BUSTER KEATON | WILLIAM H. CRANE

1920 | 84 min. | 1.33:1 OAR | USA | SILENT COMEDY

Cert. U | Director HERBERT BLACHÉ | Language ENGLISH INTERTITLES | B&W | 22 AUGUST 2022

Blu-ray Cat. No. EKA70469 | Blu-ray Barcode 5060000704693 | Blu-ray RRP £21.99

The Saphead is released on Blu-ray

in the UK August 22, 2022!

ORDER NOW!

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Saphead Blu-ray

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Gerard Iribe is a writer/reviewer for Why So Blu?. He has also reviewed for other sites like DVD Talk, Project-Blu, and CHUD, but Why So Blu? is where the heart is. You can follow his incoherency on Twitter: @giribe

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