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Arthur Stanley Jefferson comes from the British vaudeville scene, and was at one time Chaplin's understudy. Oliver Norvell Hardy, a comedian born on film, worked steadily for years in Hollywood and built his notoriety in over 300 supporting roles. Although the two had different styles and came from distinct backgrounds, they followed similar creative paths, each marked with trials, errors, successes, and the occasional strokes of genius. Along the way, they made millions of people laugh, offering ample evidence of the incredible individual talents that would eventually merge together to create one of the greatest comedy duos in all of film history.

Laurel and Hardy became cinematic legends together, but before they were ever hauling pianos or throwing pies as a hilarious and unforgettable comedic duo, each had to develop as an individual artist and performer. Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy offers fans new and old the rare opportunity to track the early solo careers of two comedy icons.

Unfortunately, these films will mainly be of interest to the most die-hard fans or to historians. To casual fans of silent comedy, the shorts are not terribly ingenious or terribly funny. Laurel had yet to find his rhythms as an actor (he tended to open his mouth too wide), and Hardy — credited here as "Babe" Hardy — was relegated mainly to supporting roles. And quite a few of the shorts are merely attempts to copy Chaplin.

Featuring all new 2K restorations sourced from materials contributed by archives and collectors around the world, this comprehensive 2-disc Blu-ray collection features 35 films and includes new scores from some of the best silent film composers working today.

2xBD50 | 1080p AVC | 590 min | 46.2 Gb + 46.4 Gb
Language: English intertitles
Subtitles: none
Genre: Comedy, Short

Extras:
-- Music scores composed by Serge Bromberg, Andrew Simpson, Ben Model, Neil Brand, Donald Sosin, Phil Carli, Eric Le Guen, Antonio Coppola
-- Image Gallery — Slideshow presentation featuring photographs from the Library of Congress collections.

DISC 1 - Stan Laurel Films:

Bears and Bad Men (1918); The Egg (1922); A Weak-End Party (1922); The Pest (1922); When Knights Were Cold (1923); The Handy Man (1923); Pick and Shovel (1923); Collars and Cuffs (1923); Gas and Air (1923); A Man About Town (1923); The Whole Truth (1923); Brothers Under the Chin (1924); Zeb Vs. Paprika (1924); Wide Open Spaces (1924); Detained (1924); Twins (1925); Pie-Eyed (1925)

DISC 2 - Oliver Hardy Films:

Mother's Baby Boy (1914); The Servant Girl's Legacy (1914); An Expensive Visit (1915); A Lucky Strike (1915); The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford: The Lilac Splash (1915); The Serenade (1916); Hungry Hearts (1916); The Candy Trail (1916); The Chief Cook (1917); Hello Trouble (1918); Married to Order (1918); He's In Again (1918); The Rent Collector (1921); The Bakery (1921); The Show (1922); Rivals (1925); Wandering Papas (1926); Say It With Babies (1926)