Rating: 
Summary: Finally, an excelleent print of this film!
Review: There are many versions of "Flying Deueces" on the market since it is a public domain film. They range from atrocious to just okay. Finally, Kino does all U.S. Laurel & Hardy fans a service by releasing a stunning print first released a few months ago on DVD by a French company. I highly recommend it!The film itself is fast-moving and highly amusing, as you'd expect from Laurel & Hardy. It has an interesting history-- the team did it away from their home studio in the midst of contract negotiations, and Hardy met his future wife while shooting-- she was a script girl on the set. It's one of my favorites. Also included are two Laurel & Hardy rarities: "The Stolen Jools," which was an all-star short featuring Laurel & Hardy as well as Edward G. Robsinson, Buster Keaton, the Our Gang ("Little Rascals") kids, Wallace Beary, Joan Crawford, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and more. The other rarity is "Tree in a Test Tube," one of only 2 films the team made in color (the other being the lost feature, "The Rogue Song"). This was a wartime short done for the government about the importance of wood. With so little Laurel & Hardy available on DVD in the US, this is a welcome addition. Pick it up if you're looking for laughs, smiles and a bit of cinema history! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not their best- need more Roach shorts!
Review: This DVD has a great quality print of a good L&H film, plus some rarities and oddities all collected in one place. The only bad thing about it is it made me even more eager to see more DVD's of the original Roach shorts (Brats, Blotto, Towed in a Hole) and Features (Swiss Miss, Way Out West, Pardon Us). Let's see 'em!!!
Rating:
Summary: Nice picture; not-so-great soundtrack
Review: This is a great print, with a much better picture than any of the previously released versions. Because the disc was made from a European print, however, there is "PAL to NTSC speed up" making the dialogue sound slightly sped up. To my ears, hearing Stan and Ollie's voices at a higher pitch than normal is very distracting, although reviewers elsewhere have said they were not bothered by this.
Rating:
Summary: Good mixture of pathos and humor
Review: This is one of those films that you will enjoy seeing as a child, but will understand better as an adult. The airplane and soldier gags are quite hilarious. But there are interesting moments of pathos. For some reason, I was always touched by the scene where Hardy tells Laurel that without him, "People will wonder what you are" and Laurel begins to cry. The finale with Ollie as a reincarnated horse also strikes a note of whimsy, as well as Stan's dancing to Ollie's cheerful rendition to "Shine On Harvest Moon." The Three Stooges give us belly laughs, but Laurel and Hardy have a more human quality that makes us smile.
Rating: 
Summary: ...................WHAT Restoration?
Review: When I see the word RESTORED, I think WOW! This will be the best ever!!!!!In this case....WRONG. This is simply an improvement over previous releases but not a major improvement. The bar has been set so high on previous classic film restorations, some examples of which are SINGIN IN THE RAIN, ROBIN HOOD and the CHAPLIN COLLECTIONS, that we expect an image that looks like it was filmed yesterday. The film opens with the Astor pictures re-release titles, not the original R.K.O. titles. Strike one. In fact the titles look like they were from a 16mm dupe, not the 35mm Nitrate print that they boast of. There are wear lines that could have been removed by simple digital cleanup. Strike two. Notice that THE END appears and the screen goes black but the music continues. That is because instead of black there should be the cast listed. Strike Three. While I complain, the extras are nothing special either. THE STOLEN JOOLS is an o.k. transfer. It looks much better on one of the LAUREL AND HARDY THE LOST EPISODES dvd. THIS IS YOUR LIFE is from a kinescope dupe. TREE IN A TEST TUBE.dupe. Laurel and Hardy on tour in the 30's just o.k. visuals but not even a music score! *sigh* The real crime of all of this? The original negative to FLYING DEUCES is in the possession of TURNER/Warner Bros. C'mon guys put this out in pristine form!
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