Unboxing the Silents: Blood and Sand Bluray

I know there are a lot of Valentino fans who have been waiting for this one! Blood and Sand was one of his biggest hits and its HD debut via Kino Lorber is most welcome.

As always, thanks to Kino for the review copy.

This is an all region (A, B, C) Bluray with a street date of February 11, 2020. You can pre-order the release on Bluray or DVD here. (It’s an affiliate link, which means I receive a small payment for every order placed.)

So, let’s dive right into the biggest news of this release. Blood and Sand famously contained a scene in which Rudolph Valentino ties his sash by spinning into it. That scene was widely parodied but has not been included in home media releases until now. We have the sash scene. I repeat, we have the sash scene. (It’s found about 42 minutes in this release, if you’re interested.)

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Other than that, this is a pretty loaded release. There’s a booklet by Donna Hill, author of Valentino: The Silent Idol. The original tinting has been restored. We get an Orson Welles introduction, a commentary by historian Anthony Slide, the original theatrical trailer, a recording of the film’s love theme and a parody film starring Will Rogers.

And, finally, there’s a fine chamber score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, so a quality release all around.

So, let’s take a look at the image quality. As always, I have cropped the pillarboxes but have not changed the images otherwise.

An attractive presentation, I am sure you will agree. And that Alvin Wyckoff cinematography looks splendid in HD!

This is a definite upgrade from previous releases and the restored material makes this a must-buy for Valentino fans. Enjoy!

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