The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
The greatest comedy team of all time has come to DVD, in collected  volumes of Laurel and Hardy's rarest shorts. Mastered from original 35mm materials, this pristine set really captures the Boys at their naughtiest. These films are fast and furious masterpieces of silent slapstick. Volume One contains such classics asBig Business(selling Christmas trees door to door can be such dangerous fun),Do Detectives Think?(a dumb pair of detectives, with the first appearance of the legendary "mixed-up derby hat" gag),The Finishing Touch(the first of the uproarious "laborer" comedies), andCall of the Cuckoo(about the house from hell featuring an all-star supporting cast), plus two early Laurel solo efforts. By the way, Stanley isn't always such a nitwit here. Sometimes he's downright mischievous. And that's director-to-be George Stevens doing the camera work. As with all volumes of this collection, this one's a comic treasure.--Bill Desowitz