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Oh, how to cover this subject concisely? Seriously, for me to write in detail about the transfers and restorations of each of the films on an individual basis would add another couple of thousand words to this review and delay its publication by another week. So forgive me for taking an overview here, but hopefully all will make sense as I progress.

All of the films in this collection have been meticulously reconstructed and restored, the majority by Blackhawk Films or the Academy of Motion Picture Arts, often in conjunction with restoration specialists Lobster Films. The materials used for the restorations come from a variety of sources, and the work that has gone into creating as complete a version of each film as possible is made clear in the captions that front them, where even details of where previously lost frames were located are specified. To give you an idea of how thorough this process must have been, here's a transcript of the caption that outlines the restoration work done on Duck Soup:

DUCK SOUP (Fred Guiol, 1927) has long been a lost film. This presentation by Blackhawk Films was made possible thanks to a tinted silent full aperture nitrate print from the 1929 British release and a BW sound print from the French/Belgian release of the mid 1930's, both preserved at the British Film Institute. A short censored scene was found in a compilation reel preserved in the collection of the Library of Congress (USA).

Extra frames were discovered in 2019 in a nitrate dupe negative preserved in the collection of the Filmoteka Narodawa (FINA).

For better authenticity, we have chosen to retain the titles and their wording as they were found, which explains the difference in fonts (some English, some US).

4K Scan: Lobster Films / BFI.

Restored in 202 at Lobster Films laboratories (Paris).

Now multiply that by 15, as every film in this set has this level of detail on the restoration. I seriously salute the work done to present the films as they appear on these discs.

Due to the age of the films, the sometimes unfavourable condition of the source materials, and the need to reconstruct some of them from more than one source, the quality of the resulting image does vary quite widely, sometimes during the course of the same film when missing scenes or frames have been restored or the film has been reconstructed from multiple sources. Grain varies in visibility, and there are quite a few scratches and examples of other minor surface damage on some of the prints. Thus, the only fair way to judge the quality of the restoration and the resulting 1080p transfers is by the material in the best condition with the least signs of visible wear, and given that they're almost a century old, I was genuinely blown away by the results. Due to the unpredictable condition of the source materials for each film, age doesn't come into  it – scenes in the previously lost Duck Soup, for example, show fewer signs of wear and damage than the print of the later Sailors, Beware!, but they also look better than other scenes in Duck Soup, an inevitable consequence of rescuing and reconstructing films from more than one original. But even when these prints are at their weakest, the restoration work is absolutely top-notch, presenting each film with a fully stabilised picture, impeccably balanced contrast, solid black levels, and generally excellent and often sharply defined detail, and the best material looks absolutely glorious. Seriously, I guarantee that even if you've seen any of the films in this collection before, you've never seen them looking as good as they do here.

Musical accompaniment is provided for each film. Slipping Wives, Why Girls Love Sailors and Flying Elephants appear to have the orchestral scores that accompanied their re-release in the sound era, which are presented in Linear PCM 2.0 mono and are unsurprisingly restricted in their tonal range, but are free of obvious signs of damage. Duck Soup, Love 'Em and Weep, With Love and Hisses, Sailors, Beware!, Do Detectives Think?, The Second 100 Years, Call of the Cuckoo and Putting Pants on Philip all have excellent piano scores by Neil Brand and are presented in crystal clear LPCM 2.0 stereo. Also in LPCM stereo are original scores by Eric le Guen for The Lucky Dog and 45 Minutes from Hollywood, by Antonio Coppola for Sugar Daddies, by Donald Sosin for The Battle of the Century, and an alternative score by Robert Youngson for Putting Pants on Philip.

DISC 1

Audio Commentary on 'The Lucky Dog' by David Kalat
The first of several commentary tracks in this set by author and film historian David Kalat kicks off rather wonderfully for those of us who are fans of both Laurel and Hardy and Star Trek: The Next Generation by describing the precision and perfection of Stan and Ollie's comedy with the glorious line, "Imagine the Borg, but if they were comedians." He's clearly not the biggest fan of this film and suggests that it's of interest more for its historical importance than its entertainment value (I rather liked it). He provides some essential background details on Stan and Ollie and this particular film, has a really interesting take on the development of silent film comedy, and unfavourably compares the role of the title animal here with that in the 1930 Stan and Ollie gem, Laughing Gravy. As ever, Kalat is a ball of energetic enthusiasm and a treat to listen to.

Audio Commentary on '45 Minutes from Hollywood' by David Kalat
Here Kalat usefully anticipates the question that most will be asking by telling us about leading man Glenn Tryon and tracing his journey into film to become what Kalat describes as "the poor man's Harold Lloyd." He also explores this film's troubled production in revealing detail, speculates on why the filmmakers lost confidence in the project, and suggests it feels more like a Max Sennett film than a Hal Roach production. Particularly intriguing are the details of behind-the-scenes developments that ultimately paved the way for the later Stan and Ollie films we know and love.

Audio Commentary on 'Duck Soup' by David Kalat
"If there is any one film that deserves to be called the first Laurel and Hardy movie, this is an excellent candidate," David Kalat states with good reason early on in this typically informative and enjoyable commentary. To my surprise, instead on focusing on the content of the film and the elements that back up that statement, he concisely recounts how Stan and Ollie began as solo artists and ended up working together, which in this film was driven more by pragmatism than a realisation that the two had a real screen chemistry. We get info on the influence on Stan's screen persona of silent comedy star Harry Langdon, producer Hal Roach's attempts to poach Langdon from the Sennett Studio and team him with Oliver Hardy, brief biographical details of female co-star Madeline Hurlock and later favourite Thema Todd, and the 1923 comedy short The Noon Whistle, in which Stan co-starred with favourite Laurel and Hardy sound era foil, James Finlayson.

Audio Commentary on 'Slipping Wives' with David Kalat
Here Kalat explores how Stan is starting to shape his performance, suggests that his and Ollie's ability to make big moments out of small ones is what makes their comedy distinctive, and confirms that they were the first silent comedians to make the transition to sound, which provided them with a new dimension to make their jokes. He praises Priscilla Dean's work in the film, remarks on how the Three Stooges drew from Stan and Ollie and what the crucial difference between their styles of comedy were, comments on how the meaning of the term "make love" has changed over time, and opines that the Samson and Delilah sequence is the weakest in the film as it simply rips off Chaplin.

Audio Commentary on 'Love 'Em and Weep' by David Kalat
In his final commentary in this set, Kalat notes that the later Chickens Come Home was an almost joke-for-joke remake of this film, and also reveals that the central premise was reworked with a gender swap in the Stan Laurel and Agnes Ayres comedy, Eve's Love Letters, which was released just a month before Love 'Em and Weep and included a character named Sir Oliver Hardy. He provides some details on Stan and Ollie regulars James Finlayson and Charlie Hall, recalls how many of us came to the boys' work through TV screenings and early home movie formats, and worries that the number of people who will hunt these films out now is getting steadily smaller. He thus signs off with a plea for us to show these films to others and widen their viewership. You have my word, sir.

Audio Commentary on 'Why Girls Love Sailors' by Patrick Vasey
Patrick Vasey, editor of The Laurel & Hardy Magazine and host of The Laurel & Hardy Podcast, initially had me worried when he started describing what was happening on screen and began pausing to laugh at the gags he found funny. This doesn't last long, and he soon proves his worth as a fountain of knowledge on Stan and Ollie's work and their studio contracts and salaries, as well as details on their fellow performers and regular costume designer William Lambert. He admits that the film is a mess continuity-wise, and points out a few of the more obvious errors, notes that this was considered a lost film for decades, quotes from a couple of contemporary reviews, and even handily outlines the content of a missing title card that would have provided some plot clarification.

Audio Commentary on 'With Love and Hisses' by Patrick Vasey
Vasey's extensive knowledge of his subject provides us with historical details of the Hal Roach Studio and the relationship between Roach and future Tom and Jerry cartoon producer Fred Quimby, as well as quoting from contemporary articles on the shooting of the film, outlining staff changes, and explaining how future director of considerable note, Leo McCarey, guided the development of the Laurel and Hardy partnership. He highlights the already evident chemistry between Stan, Ollie and James Finlayson, and quotes from contemporary reviews, not all of which were bristling with enthusiasm for the film.

Laurel and Hardy in the UK (8:24)
An audio recording made during a 1932 visit to the UK by Stan and Ollie, this was originally released as a 12-inch 78rpm record to promote the trip. Essentially a comedy routine with both comedians in character, with Ollie's attempt at a speech thanking his British hosts for their warm welcome repeatedly disrupted by Stan. There's an in-joke for fans of their work with references to hard boiled eggs and nuts, and even a meta gag when Stan tells Ollie to stop wiggling his tie, noting that "every time you get fancy you start wiggling your tie and it looks silly." The final third consists of a performance by unidentified musicians of what became their theme tune, The Dance of the Cuckoos by T. Marvin Hatley. Accompanying the audio is film footage of the same UK visit, specifically of Stan and Ollie visiting Tynemouth in Northern England, which although often a little on the dark side is still a valuable record and a welcome inclusion.

Stan Laurel 1957 Interview (70:15)
Recorded at Stan's Malibu home by Arthur Friedman for the radio series Turning Point on 14 August 1957, just one week after the death of Oliver Hardy, this interview with the then 67-year-old Stan Laurel may well already be familiar to Laurel and Hardy fans (you can find it on YouTube and elsewhere on the net), but it's still a welcome inclusion and essential listening for anyone with even a passing interest in Stan and Ollie's work. Stan recalls in enthralling detail the busy and varied early days of his career, from his work as part of the Fred Karno troupe understudying Charlie Caplin to the touring trios he formed in America and his first film work for the Hal Roach studio. His reason for changing his name from Arthur Jefferson to Stan Laurel prompts raucous laughter from Friedman, and it's Stan's turn to fall about laughing when he recalls how he ended up with his signature stand-up-straight hair. He talks about how he and Ollie adapted to the arrival of sound more successfully than many other silent comedians, how their first feature Pardon Us (1931) came about, his determination to answer every fan letter he receives (one of which Friedman reads out with Stan's approval), and he cites Fra Diavolo, Bonnie Scotland, Babes in Toyland and The Bohemian Girl as his favourite of the films he made with Ollie. He also tells an amusing story of chance connections that ultimately saw him teamed with Ollie because of a leg of lamb, one I'm not going to spoil for newcomers by repeating it less entertainingly here.

Stan Laurel 1959 Interview (8:41)
An audio interview recorded in 1959 by writer/actor Tony Thomas with Stan Laurel, who recounts his journey from being born into a Lancashire theatrical family to joining Fred Karno's troupe and travelling to America, where mixed fortunes eventually led to acclaim and success for their shows. He also suggests that the key to his and Ollie's success is that they never mixed socially, and that there was never any jealousy between them because Ollie was happy to leave everything to him. The recording is accompanied by more footage of their 1932 visit to the UK, this time to Edinburgh, where we also get a glimpse behind the scenes at The Playhouse, billed here as 'Scotland's super-cinema' with a seating capacity of over 3,000.

Each film also has its own Stills Gallery, which comprise of between 5 and 29 screens of promotional stills of varying quality (some of these are almost a century old, after all), plus a small sprinkling of posters, newspaper clippings and signed portraits, as well as a single press book page for 45 Minutes From Hollywood.

DISC 2

Audio Commentary on 'Sailors, Beware!' by Patrick Vasey
Patrick Vasey kicks off here by proclaiming that aside from the same year's Do Detectives Think?, Sailors, Beware! is his favourite of Stan and Ollie's pre-teaming films, and that he particularly likes Stan's persona here. He provides details on many of the Hal Roach regulars, favourite director Fred Guiol, and Hal Roach's ultimately abortive plan to build a theatre just to show his comedy shorts. He praises the visual appeal of a film whose budget looks far larger than it was, singles out the skipping scene (also a favourite of mine) as one of the best gags, and reveals that although the restoration team had access to both 16mm and 35mm prints, they ultimately went with the smaller-framed 16mm one because the image was sharper.

Audio Commentary on 'Do Detectives Think?' by Chris Seguin & Kyp Harness
Comedy programmer for the Toronto Silent Film Festival and lifelong Laurel and Hardy fan Chris Seguin is joined via remote audio chat (the differences in the audio quality between the two are immediately evident) by writer, musician and author of The Art of Laurel and Hardy: Graceful Calamity in the Films for what they reveal was regarded as the first real Laurel and Hardy movie until the discovery of the previously lost Duck Soup. They opine that Stan and Ollie's entry into their boss's office and the gag involving the stationery spike that follows is the sequence in which Laurel and Hardy as we know them were born, describe Ollie's character in so many of their films as "the smart guy who's even dumber than the dumb guy and doesn't even know it," and note the real chemistry they have here and that they make their first true Laurel and Hardy exit at the end.

Audio Commentary on 'Flying Elephants' by Glenn Mitchell
Here, the commentary duties switch to author of The Laurel and Hardy Encyclopaedia, Glenn Mitchell, who reveals early on that the film's credited director, Frank Butler, only shot for one day, and that the rest of the film was directed by producer Hal Roach. Mitchell appears to be as bemused as I was by the use of faux olde English on the intertitles (this is, after all, the Stone Age, not Shakespearean England), and notes that Stan and Ollie are drawing on their earlier traits here, particularly Stan's effeminate skipping. Mitchell also provides some details on the restoration and on just about every actor we see, and amusingly refers to the cardboard triceratops as "a nice try-ceratops."

Audio Commentary on 'Sugar Daddies' by Glenn Mitchell
In his second commentary in this set, Mitchell opines that while this was Stan and Ollie's first film for MGM, in many ways it's something of a throwback and more like one of their earlier Pathé films, as well as being a reworking of the earlier Love 'Em and Weep. He recounts his history with viewing this film in various formats, and once again provides plenty of information on the actors, notably Noah Young, Charlotte Mineau, Edna Marion and James Finlayson.

Audio Commentary on 'The Second 100 Years' by Neil Brand
Taking a welcome turn at the commentary mic is Neil Brand, the silent film accompanist who provides the excellent piano scores for eight of the 15 films in this collection. He notes that this is the film in which Stan and Ollie come together as equal partners and are so in sync it's almost like they have a mind meld, and that their gags work by having the audience realise in advance what is coming, which allows them to enjoy Stan and Ollie's reaction when it hits them. He reveals that Hal Roach loved shooting on location, that the various speeds of undercranking used in these films was planned in advance, that the hairstyle that became synonymous with Stan's screen persona was the result of it growing back vertically after being cropped for this film, and that Stan's character causes trouble without realising what he is doing and he ends up in charge of a scene without realising it.

Audio Commentary on 'Call of the Cuckoo' by Glenn Mitchell
Here, Glenn Mitchell provides some useful background information on this film's leading man, Max Davidson, plus details on supporting players Charlie Hall, Spec O'Donnell and others, as well as Charlie Chase and his other work with Stan and Ollie. He confirms that Stan and Ollie's crewcuts were due to this film being made only shortly after The Second 100 Years, comments on the condition of previous prints, and points out (I certainly hadn't spotted this) that in Davidson's brief but surprising moment apparent nudity, he's not really nude at all.

Audio Commentary on 'Putting Pants on Philip' by Patrick Vasey
Patrick Vasey returns for a film he describes as one final detour before Stan and Ollie settled down into the roles that we know them for, and notes that both Stan and Hal Roach regarded this as the first true Laurel and Hardy film, then makes a convincing case for why it probably isn't. He praises cameraman George Stevens' tracking shots, points out when you can briefly see the camera crew reflected in a shop window, quotes from several contemporary articles, and opines that while Ollie is the better actor, Stan is sublime in the scene with the tailor (agreed).

Audio Commentary on 'The Battle of the Century' by Chris Seguin & Kyp Harness
Chris Seguin and Kyp Harness are back for what they rightly claim is one of the most important films in the Laurel and Hardy canon, the one where Stan and Ollie do become the Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy of legend. They note the influence of Harry Langdon on Stan's character, point out the brief appearance of Lou Costello (I would not have spotted him otherwise), and praise the ambition and scope of the climactic pie fight. Harness proposes that the duo created a new form of comedy that he describes as 'conscious slapstick', details are provided on the discovery of the thought-lost first reel and the subsequent restoration and reconstruction, and although I've not been able to confirm this (though have no real reason to doubt it), they claim that this was one of legendary director John Ford's favourite films and that it was also praised by celebrated novelist Henry Miller.

Audio Commentary on 'The Battle of the Century' by Neil Brand
Neil Brand returns to provide a second commentary track for the most crucial film in this collection, and while there is some minor overlap with the above, for the most part Brand adds to rather than repeats the information supplied there. It's he who tipped me off to the origin of the Long Count parodied in the opening boxing match, as well as providing a brief history of boxing matches in music hall routines and comedy films, and outlining in detail what was in the still missing scenes. Part of the fun of this commentary, however, lies in Brand's commentary on the action, observing that Ollie's sense of self is "so puncturable," describing Noah Young's boxer as looking like someone who could kill you with just a thought, and saying of the climax that Stan and Ollie enter a world in which the answer to anything is a pie in the face.

Neil Brand Interview (7:43)
Actually titled An Introduction by Neil Brand, which certainly works for the content, this has Laurel and Hardy afficionado and the man behind over half of the film scores in this set exploring how the characters of Stan and Ollie evolved, highlighting the key films and outlining how and they move the process forward, and how the two men began working together in the first place. And maybe it's just me, but it's always nice to put a face to the commentary voice.

Super 8mm Shorts
Four 8mm releases of silent Stan and Ollie films supplied for inclusion in this set by Chris Seguin, all of which are severely cut down versions of the originals (standard practice for 8mm versions of cinema releases of almost any length), two of them being drawn from different parts of the same film. The titles in question are Sailors, Beware! (7:27) The Bulldog Breed (actually an edited version of the first two Stan and Ollie scenes in Do Detectives Think?, 8:10), The Mad Butler (a later scene from Do Detectives Think?, 2:06), and The Battle of the Century Pie Fight (4:50), which is exactly what it claims to be. Each can be played individually, where they are accompanied by the sound of a cine projector (more 16mm or 35mm than 8mm, but that hardly matters), but if you select Play All, they are accompanied by a commentary by Chris Seguin and Glenn Mitchell, who look back at the ups and downs of collecting these films on 8mm in shortened versions at wildly varying quality and with altered titles, and talk a bit about the distributors who made them available. Seguin at one point sets Mitchell a quiz, asking him to guess the Laurel and Hardy film based on the altered 8mm titles, and after a brief initial stumble he nails them all. On the final film, Seguin alone provides the commentary, and talks more about Blackhawk Films, once the principal source for the output of several key silent comedians on 8mm in North America and a key driving force behind the restorations in this set.

Again there are Stills Galleries for each of the films on this disc, which range from 7 to 38 screens of promotional stills, plus the odd poster or two, and a typed synopsis for Call of the Cuckoo.

Also included in the set is a Collector's Booklet featuring newly written notes on each film by writer and comedian Paul Merton, and a new essay by silent cinema expert Imogen Sara Smith, but this was not available for review. I will add a piece on this when I get my hands on the release version.

This set has dominated my free time for much of the past three weeks but has been an absolute joy to watch and a pleasure to write about at such length. For Laurel and Hardy fans, this is undoubtably the most important disc release of the year, charting as it does the gradual evolution of the most celebrated comedy duo in cinema history. The restorations are amazing given the materials the teams sometimes had to work with and the challenges they faced. The commentaries on each film are terrific and hugely informative, and the additional supplementary material is priceless for devotees of Stan and Ollie's work. An utterly brilliant release that I cannot praise enough that gets our very highest recommendation.