The Mack Sennett Collection, Vol. One

A total of 50 comedies—spanning the years 1909 to 1933 and presented chronologically—from the studios of producer Mack Sennett, creator of the Keystone Kops and acknowledged father of silent movie slapstick, are collected in this set. This is slapstick at its most basic, with Sennett steadily perfecting the high-energy genre through the evolution of gags, stories, and comic filmmaking. The earliest works here feature Sennett as both actor and director, roles he soon handed over to others in his company. This collection includes one of the earliest known Charlie Chaplin appearances (1914's A Thief Catcher), an early Chaplin-directed short (Recreation, also from 1914), and Teddy at the Throttle (1917), with Gloria Swanson chained to the railroad tracks by Wallace Beery (and a loyal dog rushing to the rescue). Most of the films, however, showcase the stars of Sennett's stock company, among them Fatty Arbuckle, Charley Chase, Chester Conklin (whose cross-eyed smile remains one of the most famous images of silent slapstick), and the great Mabel Normand, featured in the three-reel classic Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916, directed by Arbuckle) and The Extra Girl (1923), the sole feature film here. Also included are two shorts with Harry Langdon (1925's His Marriage Wow and 1927's Fiddlesticks); and the early sound comedy shorts The Dentist (1932) and The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933), both starring W.C. Fields, who made a brilliant transition from silent buffoon to cranky sound comic. Entertaining and educational, this is a superb set featuring restored and remastered films that offer an excellent introduction to the evolution of silent movie comedy (with more to come). Bonus features include original scores for each short, audio commentaries, stills galleries, and archival rarities (newsreels, outtakes, trailers, etc.), plus an accompanying booklet. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)