RHI / Vivendi press release:

TIMELESS SOUND-ERA FILMS FROM THE LEGENDARY HAL ROACH LIBRARY DEBUT IN ONE EXTRAORDINARY DVD SET
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE U.S.

LAUREL & HARDY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION


Digitally Remastered And Digitally Restored, Loaded With Over Two Hours Of Special Features, The Spectacular 10-Disc Set Arrives October 25 From RHI Entertainment And Vivendi Entertainment

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – Celebrating the genius of the most beloved comedy team of all time, LAUREL & HARDY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION debuts in a stunning 10-disc set on October 25, 2011 from RHI Entertainment and Vivendi Entertainment. With a comedic style that defined an era and created a legacy that is still celebrated today, 58 of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s talking shorts and feature films, produced under legendary movie mogul Hal Roach from 1929 through 1940, are now available for the first time in the U.S. all together in one magnificent collection.

Transferred in high definition for the first time and digitally enhanced for home viewing in the finest quality available to date, the set contains favorites that have been enjoyed for generations including Helpmates, Hog Wild, Another Fine Mess, Sons of the Desert, Way Out West, and the Academy AwardŽ winning* film The Music Box.

LAUREL & HARDY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION comes housed in collectible, book-style packaging with an extensive, detailed film guide. The set also boasts over two hours of special features including exclusive, never-before-seen interviews with comedy legends Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Lewis, Tim Conway and more, who discuss the enduring impact and influence of Laurel and Hardy.

Additional features include commentaries by Laurel and Hardy aficionados, along with a virtual location map that allows viewers to take an interactive tour of the iconic places in and around Los Angeles where Laurel and Hardy filmed. Available for the suggested retail price of $99.98, LAUREL & HARDY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION showcases some of the most cherished and hilarious films in cinema history and is a must-have for comedy fans and collectors everywhere.


BASICS
Price: $99.98
Street Date: October 25, 2011
Order Date: September 20, 2011
Catalog Number: RH3021
Language: English
Running time: 1941 minutes
Rating: NR

Ouch. That's pricy. I'll be curious to hear how the quality is.

It's really not that bad. It's 10 bucks a disc at list price and online retailers will undoubtedly offer a discount.

I have the R2 set - I'll need to see more specifics on AV quality, etc. to decide if it's worth a double dip.

$100 MSRP doesn't seem that bad.

I agree the price is fair, but I don't trust hallmark (RHI) to do this right. I will wait for reviews.

I'll definitely be getting this ... eventually. I'm sure it will be 30 bucks after a year or so and I have the R2 set to tide me over until then.

wasn't hal roach the studio that left the TV logos at the bottom, and/or had the TV edits of their film transfers to DVD? This is not the first time roach studios has put out L&H.

Or am I confusing that with one of those public domain companies?

I have the R2 set as well, so can't compare.

I think this would be the perfect jumping in point for me. I enjoy the classic comedians, and yet still have nothing by this duo.

Nah. I still think it's pricey in this day and age. Maybe if it was blu-ray I could see it at this price point. The R2 set is great and it had a lot more content. Maybe down the road when the price drops.

Each disc with over 3 hrs of content at about $8 each on sale is pricey? Theres alot of cheapskates on this site. Of course, if I lose my job, I'll change my tune. In the meantime-lock me in with Amazon's pre-order

This is great news for all of us L&H fans and they're going to do this set right quality-wise. i still also recommend the R2 set as well, of only for the silent shorts and a few extras on there but this is welcome news!

This is a great value. Even as MSRP, $100 for the complete Hal Roach Studios L&H library is a deal. The UK set went for $150-200 USD for the longest time before price reductions.

RHI seems to be doing better since getting away from Artisan/Lionsgate. They put out the Little Rascals set and two Robert Youngson films.

Is Block-heads part of the set?

I'd be stunned if it isn't.

If you can accomodate R2 discs, that terrific 21-disc set is currently about $75 shipped from Amazon UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laurel-Hardy...1080884&sr=1-1

Hey, hey, hey. No need for name calling.
And, unfortunately, I am currently unemployed.
Still, I don't see this selling at that price point. I'm not saying that it's not worth it as I love Laurel and Hardy and do have the import. I just don't see the general public biting on this. But, I do hope I'm wrong.

And there were many disappointed fans.....

This is a pretty good article that I believe was posted on dvdtalk, but I'm too lazy to look for the original thread. It details the challenges faced in the ongoing UCLA L&H restoration project and explains how and why some of changes were made:
http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/support/a...-hardys-legacy

Good to hear. Block-heads is criminally underappreciated.

In this day and age of $30 MODs?

It's not the price that concerns me. For L&H fans, a box set of restored high quality set of films, with good supplements, this will be highly desired.

My concern is that, like others here, I have the R2 21 disc box set. So I have a hard time justifying a double dip to myself and my pocket book.

I checked and I do have the previously underwhelming Hallmark L&H DVDs. A box set of THAT quality would be a complete waste of my money.

I will wait for reviews before I can put this on my birthday/xmas gift list.

of course, for those without a region free player, this might be a no brainer anyhow...

I've never bothered to go region-free, so (assuming the quality is decent) I'll be all over this set like nerds at a sci-fi con! At the very least, it will save me the trouble of my long-delayed project to transfer to DVD-Rs my off-the-air VHS recordings from American Movie Classics channel. Sometimes, chronic procrastination pays off!

Whichever set one gets, you'll be getting L&H at its best and most pristine quality. Just happy we have two options of getting this set, the mega 21 UK (requires a region-free player thoughO) or the US 10 in October.

I am not getting this but that is a nice set and everybody should be happy that it is finally released in region 1

Sorry- not sure I understand your comment on "getting L&H at their best and pristine quality."

Some of the UK set is pretty shoddy. I would LOVE for this set to have 'best/pristine' quality for PQ but will wait until the jury is out on the transfers.

if, however, you are referring to the quality of the movies themselves (content, not transfers), then I agree with you 100%.