British Cinema: Volume 2 - DVD

Prior to forming a fruitful partnership with funny man Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel was a slapstick headliner in his own right. This two-DVD set continues Kino International's monumental tribute to Stan Laurel with twenty-one slapstick classics, painstakingly restored by Paris's Lobster Film. Beginning with Huns and Hyphens (1918, in which Laurel plays a supporting role to Larry Semon), the collection follows Laurel's rapid rise to stardom, passing through Hal Roach's stable of master comedians to carve out his own big-screen niche. In addition to playing the inept everyman wreaking havoc in a variety of domestic and professional situations, Laurel often starred in elaborate parodies of popular films, including Mud and Sand (1922, posing as Rhubarb Vaselino), the desert adventure Under Two Jags (1923) and Rupert of Hee-Haw (1924, spoofing the now-forgotten Rupert of Hentzau).

While travelling to perform at a prestigious concert in Vienna, Opera singer Jessica is unexpectedly stranded in Yorkshire. After finding a charming bed and breakfast in a picturesque village, she meets Andrew, the handsome widower who runs the place. As they spend time together, she begins to question her fast-paced life and is drawn to the allure of the peaceful village -- and to Andrew.

Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy-winner Barbara Stanwyck ("Double Indemnity") plays Valentine Ransome, a beautiful Texas heiress who finds herself competing with a gold digger for the love of a playboy. Herbert Marshall ("Trouble in Paradise") and Glenda Farrell ("The Talk of the Town") co-star in this enjoyable romantic-comedy.