Early Universal: Vol. 1 (Limited Edition, Region B) w/SLIP

The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present three early silent features from Universal Pictures, all fully restored as part of the studio’s ongoing restoration program.

-Skinner’s Dress Suit (dir. William A. Seiter, 1926) – Reginald Denny stars as a shy clerk who asks his boss for a raise at the urging of his wife. His request is rejected, but he lies to his wife, who immediately goes out and buys an expensive suit, an act that upends his once-ordered life

-The Shield of Honor (dir. Emory Johnson, 1927) – The LAPD has a new method of fighting crime, the Air Police! Their newest recruit, young hotshot pilot Jack MacDowell (Neil Hamilton), is tasked with catching a gang of jewellery thieves.

-The Shakedown (dir. William Wyler, 1929) – Dave Roberts (James Murray) is a fighter better known for taking falls in fixed fights than for taking home the prize money. But then he falls head-over-heels for a fiery waitress (Barbara Kent) and a rough-and-tumble orphan (Jack Hanlon), and he begins to dramatically alter his life inside and outside of the ring.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Limited Edition O-Card slipcase [2000 copies]

1080p presentation on Blu-ray from restorations undertaken by Universal Pictures (Skinner’s Dress Suit and The Shakedown restored in 4K, The Shield of Honor restored in 2K)

Skinner’s Dress Suit – score by Leo Birenberg

The Shield of Honor – score by Alex Kovacs

The Shakedown – score by Michael Gatt

Skinner’s Dress Suit – Brand new audio commentary by film historian and writer David Kalat

The Shield of Honor – Brand new audio commentary by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney

The Shakedown – Audio commentary by film writer Nick Pinkerton

A collector’s booklet featuring new writing by critic Richard Combs and film writer Andrew Graves