Monty Banks: Silent Comedian

Monty Banks was one of the biggest comedy stars of the 1920s, so the fact that he is now almost forgotten is especially unfair, as he was one of the few comics to graduate from two-reelers to features successfully. In fact he made a total of nine features. That's more than Harry Langdon made and almost as many as Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. - Perhaps he is best remembered today for being Gracie Fields' director and husband, and on the rare occasions his silent film work is mentioned, it is generally condensed down to one scene: a stunt-filled runaway train sequence, excerpted from his feature film 'Play Safe' (aka 'Chasing Choo-Choos'). - The films in this 2-disc set are a snapshot of the various phases of Monty Banks' silent film career, and provide a great overview of his developing comedy style, as well as showing his incredible agility as a top-notch stunt performer. The films have been sourced from film archives around the world and then scanned, restored and, in some cases, reconstructed, in order to provide the most complete versions possible, which will help you to get to know, appreciate and enjoy little Monty Banks. - Contents:  A Blind Pig (1918); The Belles of Liberty (1918); Camping Out (1919); Coppers & Scents (1919); Her First False Hare (1919); One Night Only (1919); A Flivver Wedding (1920); Fresh Air (1921); Cleaned and Dry (1921); Love's Handicap (1923); Paging Love (1923); Always Late (1923); Home Cooking (1924); A Wild Goose Chase (1924); Atta Boy (1926) (feature); Play Safe (1927) (feature) - Extras: 'Silent Location' reports (x6) - John Bengtson; Horsehoes (1927) (excerpts); For the Love of Mike (1932)(trailer); Restoration Demonstration - Music scores by Donald MacKenzie, Meg Morley, Omar Rasidagic, Richard Siedhoff and Ethan Uslan.   Primary film prints courtesy of the BFI, Blackhawk Films, Eye Filmmuseum, Filmarchiv Austria, Gosfilmofond and the Library of Congress. Produced by Dave Glass. Blu-ray discs are region-free.