Lupino Lane: Silent Comedian (Blu-ray)

Next to Buster Keaton, Lupino Lane was the finest acrobatic comedian in the history of film. Remembered today mainly as a stage performer and for the hugely successful ME & MY GIRL, it's perhaps surprising that the film career of Lupino Lane has been largely forgotten. After appearing in a few British films, he travelled to the USA in the 1920s and was signed by Educational Pictures to make a series of 2 reel comedies, which are his main legacy today. This collection features eight of those rare titles in digitally scanned, reconstructed and restored prints, from archival sources around the world. They combine brilliantly inventive, often surreal gags with wild dazzling acrobatics and include routines from British music hall and pantomine, many featuring his brother Wallace. With a choice of newly composed scores from three of the UK's top silent film accompanists (Neil Brand, Donald MacKenzie and Meg Morley) and a feast of EXTRAS on the disc, we're confident that you'll discover Lupino Lane to be an exceptional comedian. Films: HELLO SAILOR (1927), SWORD POINTS (1928), FISTICUFFS (1928), SUMMER SAPS (1929), GOOD NIGHT NURSE (1929), BATTLING SISTERS (1929), JOYLAND (1929), FIRE PROOF (1929) (sound).

Rating: NR