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Entr’acte
(1924)

A collaboration of filmmaker René Clair, artist Francis Picabia and composer Erik Satie, this avant-garde film was originally intended as an interlude for Satie’s score for the ballet Relâche, presented by the Swedish Ballet at the Théâtre des Champs Élysées in 1924.

The Criterion Collection
2002 DVD edition

Entr’acte (1924), black & white, 20 minutes, not rated, with À Nous la liberté (1931), black & white, 83 minutes, not rated.

The Criterion Collection, NOU010 (collection number 160),
UPC 0-37429-14772-6, ISBN 0-78002-310-2.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in windowboxed 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 6.5 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; no chapter stops (within the film); standard DVD keepcase; $39.95.
Release date: 20 August 2002.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 8 / audio: 7 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.

As would be expected, this quality DVD edition of Entr’acte (1924) from The Criterion Collection is the best available on DVD home video, mastered from the 35mm restoration by La Cinémathèque française and Films Pathé. The excellent restoration print contains a broad range of greytones, with very-good to excellent image detail. Some dust, emulsion scuffing and speckling remains in the windowboxed video transfer.

The film is accompanied by a 1967 recording of Erik Satie’s original music score for the film.

This is, by far, the best edition of Entr’acte we have seen on home video, and one that still plays well on high-definition equipment.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .

Risqué Cinema
2005 DVD edition

Anthology of Surreal Cinema, Volume 1 (1924-1928), black & white, 65 minutes total, not rated, including Entr’acte (1924), black & white, 13 minutes, not rated.

Risqué Cinema, RC003, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 mono sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; no chapter stops (within the film); standard DVD keepcase; $24.95.
Release date: 26 April 2005.
Country of origin: USA •

Ratings (1-10): video: 2 / audio: 4 / additional content: 4 / overall: 3.

This subpar DVD collection offers a terrible edition of the René Clair film, and would doubtless outrage quality-minded collectors purchasing this disc. The video transfer has been prepared from a bad 16mm reduction print, which is very contrasty and full of sequences with closed-up shadow detail and highlights that are blasted out to near-whiteness.

The film is presented with the nondescript orchestral score from the 16mm print.

We’re not mincing words here, avoid this edition like the plague.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .

Other silent era RENÉ CLAIR films available on home video.

Other FRENCH FILMS of the silent era available on home video.

Other AVANT-GARDE FILMS of the silent era available on home video.

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