The Cook and Other Treasures

A feast for silent film buffs, this collection of three two-reelers is a miracle of film preservation. Long considered lost, "The Cook" (1918) and  " (1917), starring disgraced clown Fatty Arbuckle, were discovered in unmarked canisters during an inventory search of the Norwegian Film Institute in 1998. "The Cook" stars Arbuckle as a cook in a seaside restaurant, with Buster Keaton as the "pest waiter," Alice Lake as the cashier they both pursue, and Al St. John as one tough customer. But the real scene stealer is Luke the dog, who--at one point--pursues the bad guy up a ladder! "A Reckless Romeo" stars Arbuckle as a married man whose attempted pickup of Lake--and subsequent pummeling by angry beau St. John--is captured by a newsreel camera. Although Arbuckle tells his wife a heroic tale of how he got his bumps and bruises, the truth comes out when they go to the movies. Last, and best, is "Number, Please?," a 1920 comedy starring Harold Lloyd (at one time a rival of Chaplin and Keaton for box office supremacy) as a jilted lover who competes with his nemesis to find his lost love's missing dog at an amusement park. Not exactly laugh riots, but a wistful reminder of a lost art, this extra-less but reasonably spiffy (considering the age of the source material) disc is recommended. (K. Lee Benson)