Flying Deuces [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

Laurel and Hardy's careers didn`t just hit rough waters when they left producer Hal Roach for better paying jobs with studios that hadn't a clue what to do with them like MGM and 20th Century Fox, they all but ran aground, but their first independent effort away from their old home (though made while still working with Roach), 1939's The Flying Deuces, stands out like a diamond in the rough among the exponentially worse and increasingly unwatchable films that would follow. Returning to the Foreign Legion stamping ground of their classic 1931 short Beau Hunks, bringing Charles `Ming the Merciless' Middleton along with them again as their bad tempered commandant as well as regular stooge Jimmy Finlayson as their exasperated jailer, the plot's as thin as Stan is. Ollie, having fallen hopelessly in love with a Parisian waitress who loves another, is persuaded by Reginald Gardiner's officer to join the Legion to forget, which takes about as long as it does for the boys to find out the pay is three cents a day ("We don't work for anything less than 25 cents a day!") and they have to do the washing for the entire regiment...It all ends with that old comic standby, with our heroes in a plane they don't know how to fly, but while it's never uproariously funny it is a very pleasant and amusing hour and a bit. Not everything is as good as it could be - the suicide setpiece fails to exploit the idea of an escaped shark circling the section of the Seine Ollie chooses to much effect, so it's no surprise the shark was absent from some reissue prints - but it helps that, for the only time outside the Roach films, Stan Laurel had a hand in the writing and editing, something which greatly antagonised director A. Edward Sutherland, who said he'd rather eat a tarantula than work with Laurel again. Just to add even more color to the production, producer Boris Morros was at the time spying for the Soviet Union before changing sides six years later and becoming a double agent!It also contains one of their most delightfully gratuitous musical numbers when they stop for a brief soft shoe shuffle to the tune of Shine On Harvest Moon (which Matt Smith's Doctor Who invaded in the 2011 episode The Impossible Astronaut), as well as another where Stan plays a wire bedspring like a harp playing The World is Waiting for a Sunrise - while waiting to be shot at sunrise. (It's been claimed that it was Harpo Marx doing the actual harping: certainly the opening shot portrait of Stan and Ollie was the work of forgotten silent comedian Harry Langdon.) No classic, perhaps, but genuinely likeable.Laurel and Hardy's careers didn`t just hit rough waters when they left producer Hal Roach for better paying jobs with studios that hadn't a clue what to do with them like MGM and 20th Century Fox, they all but ran aground, but their first independent effort away from their old home (though made while still working with Roach), 1939's The Flying Deuces, stands out like a diamond in the rough among the exponentially worse and increasingly unwatchable films that would follow. Returning to the Foreign Legion stamping ground of their classic 1931 short Beau Hunks, bringing Charles `Ming the Merciless' Middleton along with them again as their bad tempered commandant as well as regular stooge Jimmy Finlayson as their exasperated jailer, the plot's as thin as Stan is. Ollie, having fallen hopelessly in love with a Parisian waitress who loves another, is persuaded by Reginald Gardiner's officer to join the Legion to forget, which takes about as long as it does for the boys to find out the pay is three cents a day ("We don't work for anything less than 25 cents a day!") and they have to do the washing for the entire regiment...It all ends with that old comic standby, with our heroes in a plane they don't know how to fly, but while it's never uproariously funny it is a very pleasant and amusing hour and a bit. Not everything is as good as it could be - the suicide setpiece fails to exploit the idea of an escaped shark circling the section of the Seine Ollie chooses to much effect, so it's no surprise the shark was absent from some reissue prints - but it helps that, for the only time outside the Roach films, Stan Laurel had a hand in the writing and editing, something which greatly antagonised director A. Edward Sutherland, who said he'd rather eat a tarantula than work with Laurel again. Just to add even more color to the production, producer Boris Morros was at the time spying for the Soviet Union before changing sides six years later and becoming a double agent!It also contains one of their most delightfully gratuitous musical numbers when they stop for a brief soft shoe shuffle to the tune of Shine On Harvest Moon (which Matt Smith's Doctor Who invaded in the 2011 episode The Impossible Astronaut), as well as another where Stan plays a wire bedspring like a harp playing The World is Waiting for a Sunrise - while waiting to be shot at sunrise. (It's been claimed that it was Harpo Marx doing the actual harping: certainly the opening shot portrait of Stan and Ollie was the work of forgotten silent comedian Harry Langdon.) No classic, perhaps, but genuinely likeable.Since falling in the Public Domain the market has been swamped with budget label releases on DVD of execrable quality. While the best of the NTSC releases was Kino's special edition, that itself was a less than satisfactory standards conversion from MK2/Lobster Film's French PAL release, which had much superior mastering and was definitely the one to go for - until now. Network's 2015 DVD and region-free Blu-ray release may come up short of extras - just a dubbed and unsubtitled German version and copious stills and poster gallery - but has truly excellent, pin-sharp picture quality thanks to a superb restoration from the BBC that turns what was long one of the worst looking Laurel and Hardy film on home video to what is almost certainly their best. Highly recommended.

Given the other recent Region A Blu-ray Release by VCI Entertainment, it seemed appropriate to do a bit of comparing.THE FLYING DEUCES: Network On Air/VCI Entertainment ComparisonsVery simply, apart from the Running time on the Network version being inexplicably 20 seconds shorter than VCI's (I honestly haven't been able to pinpoint any missing footage, and could be merely due to counter irregularities?), the former IS visually superior, period! The VCI Blu-ray Visuals are very contrasty by comparison, though in my opinion, are still the second best that I've ever viewed of this Title. This should give the uninitiated some idea regarding THE FLYING DEUCES' rather spotty history on Home Video!Insofar as the opening RKO Logo/Original Titles/Credits/Opening and Closing Music; these are identical on BOTH versions!The White Colored English Subtitles on the Network Blu-ray are more descriptive than VCI's Yellow Subtitles, and unlike the latter, include Music descriptors in addition to the spoken lines.Regarding the 1951 German Version (DICK UND DOOF IN DER FREMDENLEGION) that's included in the Network Blu-ray/DVD Releases, the Artwork used is of a style that's very similar to the original 1939 illustrations, though they are actually a bit more detailed. Very nicely done! While unfortunately lacking English (Or any!) Subtitles, the voices for the boys' are in my opinion, rather pleasant, with the voice over for Mr. Hardy sounding quite similar to the original!Why a Trailer for THE FLYING DEUCES wasn't included in either Release is anyone's guess! This would have been a nice Bonus Feature to have included.The Final Verdict: My recommendation is to go with the Network On Air Blu-ray!

In my childhood I watched and re-watched a ton of Laurel & Hardy, especially the short films. This was my favourite of their features. While the duo are holidaying in Paris, Ollie falls in love with a woman only to be turned down. To forget he joins the Foreign Legion (and Stan of course must come along) and they get into all kinds of misadventures. I have seen the film several times over the course of my life and it still remains a solid entertainment with several LOL moments and even a poignant ending.Network's blu-ray is decent although I wish it could have been better. Print damage is quite acceptable in terms of scratches/lines, but the contrast could have been better adjusted to have a wider gray-scale. In default, the film looks a little too bright, with blown areas. But this is supposed to be still better than the US release from VCI. As an extra they have put in a German version of the film (don't know if this is just an alternate audio track or a separate cut of the film).