Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Laurel and Hardy were the funniest comedy duo of all time. Their films are just as hilarious today as they were when they were made. This set has many of their greatest films, and is accurately called "The Essential Collection" but not "The Complete Collection". A complete collection at this point in time is impossible, as a small handful of earlier L&H films are missing or partially missing. The rights to L&H films are owned by various companies, and two of their full-length features "The Flying Deuces" and "Utopia" are in the public domain and owned by everyone. To obtain as complete a collection of L&H films as is currently possible, I highly recommend buying, in addition to this set: > The Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy, Volumes 1 - 9 (Out of print but available used; consists of all existing silent L&H films, plus numerous solo films) > TCM Archives: The Laurel and Hardy Collection (The Devil's Brother / Bonnie Scotland) > March of the Wooden Soldiers (Colorized / Black & White) > The Flying Deuces (Restored Edition) > Laurel and Hardy Collection, Vol. 1 (Great Guns / Jitterbugs / The Big Noise) > Laurel and Hardy Collection, Vol. 2 (A Haunting We Will Go / Dancing Masters / Bullfighters) > Laurel and Hardy: Air Raid Wardens / Nothing But Trouble (2006) > Utopia Laurel and Hardy made a number of silent films between 1927 and 1929, and most of these were released on DVD a number years ago in 9 volumes. These are now out of print, and a set of all 9 volumes is, as of right now, super-expensive. So, to obtain as complete a collection as possible, wait for these films to be re-released or buy them on VHS. As for "The Essential Collection", each film is restored to the best condition possible, and many of the L&H films that exist in more than one version have both versions included. (European versions sometimes had more footage or alternate endings.) Although colorized versions of several Laurel & Hardy films have been done, none are included here, which I think is good because including colorized versions along with the black & white originals would have resulted in a much larger, bulkier and pricier set. There are approximately 50 films included in this collection. (Thank you, Scott MacGillivray, for listing the contents in your review!) While some are better than others, all of them are good. If you're not familiar with Laurel & Hardy's work, don't worry about deciding which film to watch first. You can pop in any disc in the set at random, and you're sure to see a great comedy.